Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Acute Care Surgery

Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Position

The Division of Acute Care Surgery is recruiting for an APP. This is a split 1.0 FTE Advanced Practice Provider (APP) position supporting two complementary missions. The clinical half (0.5 FTE, Department of Surgery funded) delivers longitudinal outpatient care for patients with chest wall injury and pathology, including pain, preoperative evaluation, postoperative follow up, and follow up after admission for traumatic chest wall injury or pathology. The system half (0.5 FTE, system funded) advances trauma and disaster preparedness across MUSC Charleston and regional health network hospitals through clinical education, simulation design and delivery, and the development of site-specific and system-wide disaster management plans. The role requires an APP who can move fluidly between direct patient care and system-level program development, and who is comfortable planning for high-consequence, low-frequency events.

Patient Population Focus Inpatient, Outpatient, Operating Room/First Assist, Emergency Department Management/Consultation.

Patient Population Age Range: 10 years-death

Required Training and Experience:

• Completion of an accredited Physician Assistant program and currently licensed or eligible for licensure as a Physician Assistant or;
• Completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner Program and currently licensed or eligible for licensure as an APRN as noted below.

• AGPNP/ANP (Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP or Adult NP): Adult pts (13 years to death), stable chronic disease state management or primary care setting.
• FNP (Family NP): (birth to death) Stable chronic disease state management, primary care across the lifespan.

• AGACNP/ACNP (Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner): Adult pts (13 years to death), acutely ill or injured, potentially unstable, or technologically dependent (vents, drips, monitors, etc.)

Required Experience:

• Clinical experience in trauma, acute care surgery, thoracic, or a closely related surgical specialty.

Preferred Training and Experience

• Experience in healthcare simulation design and facilitation.
• Formal training or experience in emergency management, disaster preparedness, or mass casualty response.
• Experience delivering clinical education to interprofessional audiences.
• Experience caring for patients with traumatic chest wall injury, including surgical stabilization of rib fractures.

Required Licensure, Certifications, Registrations

• Current national certification appropriate to the discipline (e.g., ANCC or AANP for NPs; NCCPA for PAs).
• Basic Life Support (BLS).
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) required for adult inpatient only positions
• If applicable, DHEC and DEA license applications must be started prior to first day.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Sound clinical judgment in the assessment and longitudinal management of surgical and trauma patients.
• Ability to plan for and teach response to high-consequence, low-frequency events, including multipatient and mass casualty scenarios.
• Strong instructional, facilitation, and debriefing skills for adult learners across disciplines and sites.
• Effective written and verbal communication, including the ability to develop clear operational plans and instructional materials.
• Ability to work independently, manage a split appointment, and prioritize competing clinical and system responsibilities.
• Proficiency with the electronic health record, telehealth platforms, and standard office and presentation software.

Degree of Supervision Advanced Practice Registered Nurse or Physician Assistant will be assigned a Primary Supervising/Collaborating Physician employed by MUSC and will report directly to this physician.

Clinical (chest wall injury) effort is accountable to the Chief of Acute Care Surgery and to the Director of the Chest Wall Injury Center.

Disaster preparedness effort is accountable to the Trauma Systems Lead and to the Trauma Medical Director.

The Director of the Chest Wall Injury Center and the Trauma Medical Director roles are currently held by Eriksson. Supervising leadership will coordinate on effort allocation, scheduling, and annual performance evaluation to ensure balanced fulfillment of both halves of the appointment.

Job Duties

• Takes comprehensive history and performs physical examinations
• Evaluates and treats on the basis of history, physical examination, radiological, laboratory, and other diagnostic test results pursuant to the practice agreement or scope of practice guideline
• Performs the following therapeutic procedures in accordance with procedural privileges, skill and proficiency as approved by the Clinical Division Chief
• Chest tube removal
• Suture/staple removal
• Wound care
• Simple incision and drainage
• Negative pressure wound therapy (VAC dressing) application and management
• Intercostal nerve block
• Initiates referrals to other health care providers, and/or consults with the attending physician or the collaborating physician
• Documents and bills for direct care provided
• Utilizes current research and evidence-based decision-making in all clinical practice
• Performs and participates in quality/performance improvement activities and clinical research
• Participates in and supports accreditation, compliance, and regulatory activities of the organization
• Demonstrates responsibility for professional practice through active participation in professional organizations and continuing education
• Potential to precept students at MUSC enrolled as an advanced practice provider student; and facilitates the learning of other new team members
• APRN or PA must maintain licenses, certifications, CNEs/CMEs, etc. as required by applicable policies and state law

Essential Responsibilities - Clinical (0.5 FTE, Department of Surgery Funded)

• Evaluate and manage chest wall injury patients in the outpatient clinic, including preoperative evaluation, postoperative follow up, and follow up after admission for traumatic chest wall injury.
• Provide inpatient consultation and co-management for admitted chest wall injury and pathology patients, coordinating with the trauma and acute care surgery inpatient teams.
• Conduct virtual (telehealth) visits for appropriate chest wall injury patients, ensuring documentation and follow up equivalent to in-person care.
• Review, interpret, and follow up on laboratory studies, imaging, and other diagnostic test results, escalating findings to the supervising surgeon as clinically indicated.
• Manage patient telephone calls and other clinical communication, including triage, symptom assessment, medication questions, and coordination of care.
• Coordinate and schedule surgical cases for chest wall injury patients, working with the operating room, scheduling staff, and the surgical team to ensure timely and appropriate case placement.
• Participate in quality and performance improvement (QI) activities for the chest wall injury program, including outcome tracking, case review, and process improvement initiatives.
• Participate in research and registry activities for the chest wall injury program, including prospective data collection, maintenance of the chest wall injury registry, and support of clinical studies and scholarly work.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and complete clinical documentation in the electronic health record in accordance with institutional and regulatory standards.
• Clinical effort is based in the Chest Wall Injury Service; where chest wall clinical volume does not fully occupy the funded clinical FTE, effort may be directed to other aligned clinical services within the Division of Acute Care Surgery so that the funded effort remains fully and productively utilized.

Essential Responsibilities - Education and System Trauma and Disaster Preparedness (0.5 FTE, System Funded)

• Provide trauma and disaster preparedness education to nurses, providers, and other clinical staff at MUSC Charleston and across regional health network hospitals.
• Design, develop, and run trauma and disaster preparedness simulations, including tabletop exercises and in situ simulations, and lead structured debriefs to capture learning and improvement actions.
• Work across the system to develop site-specific trauma and disaster management plans tailored to the resources, geography, and patient population of each regional hospital.
• Develop and maintain an over-arching system-level trauma and disaster management plan that integrates the individual site plans and addresses multipatient scenarios, mass casualty incidents, terrorist attacks, chemical weapons deployment, and acts of war.
• Coordinate preparedness activities across sites to promote consistency, interoperability, and shared situational awareness during system-wide events.
• Participate in