Job Summary

The Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant (PA) works in collaboration with, and is an integral member of, a multidisciplinary health care team.

Key Responsibilities

• Obtains and documents a health history; performs and documents complete, system-focused, or symptom-specific physical examination, assessment and plan of care.
• In collaboration, provides healthcare services for primary, acute and complex care of patients and manages patient's overall care, identifying expected outcomes for diagnoses.
• Orders, performs, interprets and collects data using appropriate assessment techniques, relevant supporting diagnostic information and diagnostic procedures where indicated.
• Forms differential diagnoses and treats acute and chronic conditions.
• Prescribes therapeutic interventions both pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic and surgical, needed to achieve expected outcomes.
• Utilizes evidence-based, approved practice protocols in planning and implementing care;
• Initiates appropriate referrals and consultations;
• Provides specialty specific consultation services upon request and within specialty scope of practice;
• Facilitates the patients transition between and within health care settings, such as admitting, transferring, and discharging patients.

Technical Capabilities

• Professionalism: Demonstrates behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession and society. Participates in medical center committees, professional organizations and activities that influence advanced practice and/or health outcomes of a population focus.
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills: Demonstrates interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of health care teams. Communicates practice knowledge effectively both orally and in writing.
• Practice-Based Scholarly Inquiry and Integration: Demonstrates the use of scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate and improve patient care practices. Anticipates variations in practice and is proactive in implementing interventions to improve quality. Uses best available evidence to continuously improve quality of clinical practice. Generates knowledge from clinical practice to improve practice and patient outcomes. Reviews data and evidences to improve advanced practice. Integrates knowledge from the humanities and sciences within the context of nursing science.
• Patient and Family Centered Care: Demonstrates care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease and care at the end of life. Within scope of licensure and certification, manages previously diagnosed and undiagnosed patients. Uses health assessment skills to differentiate between normal, variations of normal, and abnormal findings. Employs screening and diagnostic strategies in the development of diagnoses. Prescribes medications within scope of practice. Manages health/illness status of patients and families over time and across the continuum. Provides patient-centered care recognizing the patient or designee as a full partner in decision making. Creates a climate of patient-centered care to include confidentiality privacy, comfort, emotional support, mutual trust, and respect. Incorporates cultural and spiritual preferences, values and beliefs into health care. Preserves the patient's control over decision making by negotiating a mutually acceptable plan of care. Integrates ethical principles into decision making. Uses electronic health record to capture data on variables for the evaluation and management of patient care. Clearly documents findings, assessment and plan of care.
• Clinical Knowledge and Practice: Demonstrates established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Demonstrates knowledge of population focus but also other sciences that support his/her field of practice. Demonstrates knowledge of common and important health issues affecting society and other societies around the globe. Demonstrates commitment in maintaining current evidence based knowledge through continuous learning. Educates patients, families, students and other members of the healthcare team in clinical topics and application of clinical knowledge.
• Health Systems and Policy Management: Demonstrates sufficient fundamental proficiency in behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession and society. Participates in professional organizations and activities that influence advanced practice and/or health outcomes of a population focus.

Our Nursing Philosophy

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Centers mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families and communities reach excellent health and well-being.

Core Accountabilities

• Delivers projects/assignments that have a direct impact on goals/objectives of the unit/department that the job is in.
• Conducts extensive analysis of situations or data to resolve numerous, complex issues; may involve the input/work of others.
• Has in-depth level of knowledge within a professional area and working knowledge of other areas.
• May lead mid-sized projects; coaches and guides team members.

Core Capabilities

• Supporting Colleagues: Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.
• Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.
• Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.
• Ensuring High Quality: Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.
• Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring.

Position Qualifications

• Certifications: LIC-Physician's Assistant Certified - Tennessee
• Work Experience: Relevant Work Experience
• Education: Master's

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.