Certified Nurse Practitioner

Elevate your career at Wood County Hospital, where you're not just a number – you're a vital part of a team making a real difference. 

Certified Nurse Practitioner

In collaboration with physicians and as privileged by the Medical Staff, manages the day to day, general, preventive care for acute, complex/chronically ill patients in the physician practice or impatient setting. Provides comprehensive initial and ongoing health assessments and physical examinations; determines diagnoses; plans, implements and evaluates effectiveness of treatments and interventions; orders and interprets diagnostic tests; prescribes and monitors effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological agents and interventions; provides relevant patient education; makes appropriate referrals to other healthcare professionals and community agencies Demonstrates critical thinking/clinical reasoning in decision making to facilitate the delivery of safe, quality, timely, compassionate, and cost-effective care to the patient populations within the areas of responsibility. Effectively communicates and collaborates with staff, directors, physicians, administration, other healthcare team members as well as with the community.

MAJOR TASKS, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Assessment of Health Status/Inpatient and Outpatient Care
• Participates in patient care delivery either directly or indirectly.
• Performs and documents initial and ongoing complete (medical, mental, physical, and psychosocial) history and physical examinations, assess health status, diagnose any potential issues for patients.
• Orders, collects, and/or reviews patient data using appropriate assessment techniques, relevant supporting diagnostic information (e.g. laboratory, radiological), and procedures where indicated for adults and children.
• Assesses for risks associated with the care of acute and complex/chronically ill patients including but not limited to medication side effects, immobility, impaired nutrition, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, immune-competence, invasive interventions and diagnostic procedures.
• Assesses for medical and health risks and needs, preventive screening and/or immunizations based on patient’s age and history.
• Provides general and preventive care, conduct checkups, treat illnesses and work with physician as well as other healthcare professionals to provide high quality care.

Diagnosis
• Collaborates with the physician(s), and other members of the healthcare team in making diagnoses of conditions.
• Manages diagnostic tests through ordering, interpretation, performance, and supervision.
• Formulates appropriate differential diagnoses by priority based on patient’s history, physician examination, review of systems, clinical findings, diagnostic tests.
• Diagnoses complications and orders/manages appropriate interventions.

Clinical Judgement
• Identifies expected outcomes from diagnosis, and formulates and documents in a timely manner, a plan of care to address health care needs.
• Utilizes professional knowledge and evidence-based protocols to develop an individualized, dynamic plan of care according to guidelines and criteria.
• Implements, manages, prescribes and/or administers diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions including pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and surgical as needed to achieve the expected outcomes.
• Makes appropriate referrals and/or facilitates transfers to other healthcare organizations, professionals, and/or community agencies.
• Manages further diagnostic tests through ordering, interpretation, performance, and supervision.
• Reassesses and modifies the plan of care as necessary to achieve medical and health goals and outcomes.
• Plans, teaches, promotes, and manages physical and mental healthcare in a continuous patient-centered program

Communication and Collaboration
• Collaborates, communicates, and establishes/maintains effective relationships with patients/family, physicians (including patient’s primary and specialty care providers), staff, departments, and other members of the healthcare team
to coordinate the plan of care, promote continuity of care, facilitate patient flow, and optimize throughput across the inpatient and outpatient continuum (e.g. updates to the patient’s physicians, follow-up physician appointments, further outpatient testing,
prescription preparation).
• Supports the Practice and Administration in all interactions, following the chain of command and keeping collaborating providers and Administration informed in a timely manner.
• Role model’s positive customer service and responds to/assists with service recovery issues and resolution of conflicts/concerns in a timely manner.

Documentation
• Documents/dictates key components of the patient’s health status such as, but not limited to, history and physician examinations, daily progress notes, plans of care, procedure notes, and/or other clinic clinical notes and problem lists, where applicable.
• Documents in the patient’s medical record in a timely manner and meets Health Information Management Services (HIMS) and/or other compliance/regulatory standards or requirements.

Professional Practice
• Supports the mission, values, and vision of the organization.
• Assumes responsibility and accountability for individual knowledge, personal/ professional growth and development, skills, performance, and behavior in accordance with hospital, division, and unit standards of care and policies and procedures.
• Assists with the precepting, mentoring, educating, and instructing of students and staff.
• Serves as a resource for professional practice standards and integrates best practices in the care delivery for the area(s) of responsibility.
• Role models a positive professional image and manner.
• Maintains patient, employee, physician, and organization confidentiality; respects the rights, privacy, and property of others.

Additional Job Responsibilities
• Demonstrates knowledge of disaster/emergency procedures and responds appropriately.
• Utilizes measures to promote and maintain patient, visitor and staff safety.
• Demonstrates the appropriate use of infection control principles and personal protective equipment.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of regulatory and accreditation standards and measures taken by WHC for compliance.
• Provides other functions common to the APRN/PA role and for which the APRN/PA is educationally and experientially prepared.
• Other duties as assigned.


AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY SPECIFICATIONS
The demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands:
Requires full range of body motion with intermittent walking, lifting, bending, climbing, squatting, kneeling, twisting, standing for the majority of time with occasional sitting.

Ability to lift or carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.

Ability to assist with patient care activities including but not limited to lifting, turning, and ambulating.

Ability to actively perform CPR.

Ability to operate and push patient care unit specific equipment.

Work Environment:
Ability to work assigned flexible hours as needed, including those beyond the normal shift or for on-call work/response as required by unit.

Exposure to noise, hazardous waste and chemicals.

Ability to cope with interruptions of work and stressful situations.

ETHICS AND COMPLIANCE
Employee performs within the prescribed limits of the hospitals and departments Ethics and Compliance program and is responsible to detect, observe and report compliance variances to their immediate supervisor, or upward through the chain of command, the Compliance Officer, or the hospital hotline.

EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
• Graduate of an accredited program awarding at a minimum a Master’s degree. Graduate of accredited Nurse Practitioner Program.
• Current DEA certification/license for the State of Ohio required.
• Current American Heart Association (AHA) Healthcare Provider CPR (BLS) certification required.
Knowledge and Skills
• Current knowledge of scope of practice, trends, standards of care and regulatory/accrediting requirements relevant for the area(s) of responsibility.
• Knowledge of and skill in review of benchmarks and other analytics as well as implementation of performance improvement initiatives.
• Demonstration of ability to proactively manage change, resolve conflict, problem-solve and make decisions.
• Demonstration of effective interpersonal and teamwork skills.
• Demonstration of effective verbal and written communication.
• Demonstration of positive customer service.
• Basic to advanced computer literacy (keyboarding; order/data entry and retrieval; word processing)
• Knowledge of and skill in using all instrumentation/ equipment for patient care utilized in the areas of responsibility including but not limited to patient monitoring, and resuscitation.

Physical Requirements:
1. In an 8-hour workday, employee stands/walks (hours at one time):
[] 0-2 [] 2-4 [] 4-6 [X] 6-8
2. In an 8-hour workday, employee sits (hours at one time/hours during the day):
[X] 0-2 [] 2-4 [] 4-6 [] 6-8
3. Employee lifts:
[] up to 10# [] 10-20# [] 20-50# [X] over 50#
4. Lifting as indicated in item 3 above is performed during the workday:
[X] occasionally [] frequently [] continuously
5. Employee uses hands for repetitive:
a. Simple grasping: [X] yes [] no
b. Pushing/pulling [X] yes [] no
c. Fine manipulation [X] yes [] no
6. Employee uses feet for repetitive movement in operating foot controls:
[] yes [X] no
7. Employee must be able to:
a. Bend [X] frequently [] occasionally [] not at all
b. Squat [X] frequently [] occasionally [] not at all
c. Kneel [X] frequently [] occasionally [] not at all
d. Climb [ ] frequently [] occasionally [X] not at all