Physician Assistant - ICU and RRT

Physician Assistant - ICU and RRT Job Category Professional Schedule Full time Shift 1 - Day Shift

The Adult Critical Care Unit at Tucson Medical Center is a 28 bed unit that was recognized with a gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes unit caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. The gold-level Beacon Award for Excellence signifies excellent and sustained unit performance and patient outcomes.

SUMMARY :

Will work as an integral member of the Critical Care and Rapid Response Team (RRT).
Specializes in providing high-level, complex care to critically ill patients in the emergency room (ER), intensive care unit (ICU) and adult inpatients with active or impending decompensation.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS :

Assess, diagnose, and treat critically ill patients in collaboration with intensivists, consultants, 
multidisciplinary team and hospitalists. 
▪ Manage acutely deteriorating, unstable, and critically ill patients 
▪ Perform daily rounds on assigned ICU patients 
▪ Initiate disposition plan for assigned stable ICU patients including transfer to lower level of care or discharge 
▪ Initiate specialist consultation requests when indicated 
▪ Provide timely documentation of pertinent health evaluations (i.e. admission HPI, consultation note, progress note, discharge summary, procedure note) 
▪ Perform procedures within scope of practice (e.g., intubation, central line placement, arterial line placement, chest tube thoracostomy) 
▪ Maintain ACLS and BLS certification to respond to cardiopulmonary arrests 
▪ Respond to inpatient cardiac arrests as integral member of Code Blue team 
▪ Collaborate in multidisciplinary rounds and coordinate with healthcare teams 
▪ Provide IT skills and familiarity, by using the basic functionality of the computer, Word, Excel, Outlook e-mail and attachment capabilities
▪ Maintain compliance with regulatory requirements
▪ Perform other evaluative and supportive duties, due to the advanced nature of training and the Licensed Independent Practitioner (LIP) status, as needed
▪ Adhere to and support team members in exhibiting TMCH values of integrity, community, compassion, and dedication
▪ Adhere to TMCH organizational and department-specific safety and confidentiality policies and standards

Serve as a direct liaison to rapid response nurse (RRT RN) to expedite critical care consultation for acutely decompensating patients 
▪ Respond to consultation needs of RRT RN
If patient requires transfer to ICU, APP will be responsible for active management of patient including formulating plan of care and completing appropriate documentation in addition to necessary procedures 
▪ Respond to Code Strokes that require acute stabilization (i.e. emergent intubation) 
▪ Perform rounds with RRT RN on patients at-risk for decompensation or downgraded from ICU within the past 48 hours 
▪ Support quality improvement projects, subcommittees, and workgroups 
o Responsible for reviewing and presenting RRT and Code Blue events at committee meetings
o Research and provide advice on patient care processes, nursing processes, and larger-scale quality improvement projects

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS), Health Science, or Medical Science.
EXPERIENCE: Two years of related experience in critical care setting preferred. Highly qualified new graduates may be considered.
LICENSURE OR CERTIFICATION: 
▪ National certification as a Physician Assistant (or eligible for certification with written plan to take board examination) 
▪ Maintain a current Arizona state license as a Physician Assistant including prescriptive authority
▪ Maintain a current Federal Drug Enforcement Agency License for prescribing controlled substances
▪ Maintain current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
▪ Complete credentialing process via TMC Professional Staffing Office prior to appointment