Description

Job Schedule: Full Time
Standard Hours: 40
Job Shift: Shift 1
Shift Details:

Summary of Position:

The acute care APP will provide cost- effective, high quality, efficient, and holistic advanced practice care for patients in our target population and will participate in the medical management of patients to achieve or maintain optimal health status, manage disease states, and reduce the risk of illness. The acute care APP may engage in independent decision making regarding the health care of individuals admitted to the CB2 unit at Hartford Hospital across the continuum of their health care. This APP will also be responsible for serving as a liaison between hospital medicine and our hematology/oncology practices, as well as optimizing throughput and handoffs for those patients admitted or needing admission to CB2.  The acute care APP will report to the Medical Director of Hospital Medicine and/or the Chief of Medicine.

Accountabilities:

1. Admit and directly manage a small cohort of patients on CB2:
   1. Assesses health status, illness conditions, responses of illness to treatment, coping behaviors, environment and health risks of individuals in order to diagnose actual or potential health status or disease state(s). Assessments are conducted through obtaining medical histories, performing physical examinations, ordering and interpreting laboratory and radiographic tests/data.
   2. Assists in planning and coordinating therapeutic interventions jointly with the patient, family and treating physician(s) to achieve established outcomes. Types of interventions may include: health promotion, education, disease prevention, treatment of acute illness, chronic illness management, or limiting disability. These are accomplished by prompt treatment, direct care, prescribing medications or other therapies, and specialty referral/consultations. 
2. Inpatient hematology/oncology unit management:
   1. Throughput/efficiency: Collaborates with health care providers and others to manage care plans at appropriate level of care, enhance ability to provide quality and efficient health care and effect change in systems. Acts as a liaison between hospitalists within the Division of Hospital Medicine and Hematologists/Oncologists within the Division of Hematology/Oncology to promote and expedite care transitions.
      1. Quality/safety: responsible for working with unit leadership to optimize inpatient quality metrics, patient satisfaction, and review safety events. Educate staff and students, either formally or informally, to enhance their ability to provide quality patient care. Model best practices.
   2. Models quality patient/customer service by: demonstrating a willingness to serve all customers at all times, maintaining an awareness of patient/customer needs and responding to those needs, maintaining confidentiality of all patient information and functioning in a collaborative manner with other caregivers to ensure quality patient care.
   3. Contributes to care improvement by participating in: coaching, mentoring, and developing staff, performance/quality improvement opportunities, and research and cost-effective utilization of resources. Translates relevant research findings into practice.
   4. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated and assume responsibility for self-improvement by identifying, communicating and seeking resources or instruction to meet self- learning needs.

Expectations:

1. Direct patient care:
   1. Will admit and prepare history and physicals and document according to hospital bylaws, and write admission orders for direct admission of patients who require inpatient chemotherapy under the Division Chief of Hospital Medicine service.  Notify the appropriate inpatient Hematology/Oncology service covering such patient.
   2. Will admit and prepare history and physicals and document according to hospital bylaws, as well as write admission orders for direct admission of patients requiring radioactive iodine and provide inpatient follow up under the Hospitalist service.
2. Inpatient throughput:
   1. Will assure that patients requiring direct admission for chemotherapy treatment have appropriate evaluations conducted, including clinical assessments, and appropriate laboratory results meeting criteria for treatment and admission, as well as ensure that authorization for admission has been obtained prior to admission.
   2. Will collaborate with hospitalists, oncologists/hematologists, consultants, nursing and case coordination regarding appropriateness for continued hospital admission.
   3. Will collaborate with hospitalists, oncologists/hematologists, Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology, pharmacy and Program Director, Medical Oncology and Infusion regarding appropriate inpatient chemotherapy treatment.
   4. Will attend progression rounds, AM huddle, and work with physician/nursing/and case coordination unit leads to assist in care transitions and help coordinate outpatient follow up and care.
   5. Will review readmissions and long length of stay cases on the unit periodically and provide feedback to providers/staff; will engage in collaborative problem solving to improve metrics, including those involving care quality, patient safety, and patient satisfaction.
   6. Will assist in goals of care discussions and participate in end of life care discussions when appropriate.

Hours:

1. Such acute care APP will provide these services during the day Monday-Friday. Weekend and evening shifts are not expected.

There is no expectation for day to day rounding on inpatients, with the exceptions as detailed above (patients receiving radioactive pharmaceuticals and direct admissions to the oncology unit).

Qualifications

Qualifications:

1. Master’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies or Nursing and at least 4 years of clinical acute care experience. Two years of clinical experience in Hematology and Oncology.
2. Current Connecticut licenses requires
3. Clinical specialty certification or eligibility required

Chemotherapy/biotherapy certification within 3 months of hire, if not already established.

Apply Now