Liver and Kidney Transplant Physician Assistant

PATIENT CARE

• Performs patient assessments to include: obtaining basic medical information and history, reviewing patient’s medical record, performing physical exam, documenting findings into patient medical record, and reporting deviations from normal findings to attending physician.
• Provides health care services to patients under the direction and responsibility of physician.
• Examines patient, performs comprehensive physical examination, and compiles patient medical data, including health history and results of physical examination.
• Administers or orders diagnostic tests, and interprets test results for deviations from normal.
• Develops and implements patient management plans, records progress notes, and assists in provision of continuity of care.
• Instructs and counsels patients regarding compliance with prescribed therapeutic regimens, normal growth and development, family planning, emotional problems of daily living, and health maintenance.
• Performs therapeutic procedures, such as injections, immunizations, and managing infection.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSABILITIES

• Communicates orally and in writing with patients, physicians and staff as indicated.
• Provides health education and counseling to patients.
• Accurately documents patient encounter data.
• Provides relevant quality assessment and reports.
• Establishes and maintains effective and seamless communication between the practice and patients’ medical providers in order to provide continuity of care.
• Serves as coordinator for patients to access community and other resources necessary for appropriate management of medical and psychosocial factors.

PERFORMANCE AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

• Identifies, reports and contributes to performance improvement activities
• Seeks process improvements consistent with organizational priorities and goals
• Contributes to the development of clinical pathways, updating/maintaining physician order sets and physician preference cards
• Collects and tracks targeted performance improvement data for projects
• Assists with clinical effectiveness studies and projects

SPECIALITY SPECIFIC DUTIES

• PERIOPERATIVE:
• Performs first/second assistant responsibilities in accordance with state scope of practice requirements.
• Demonstrated knowledge of surgical anatomy, physiology, and operative technique relative to operative procedures wherein the PA assists.
• Provides care for different types of patients with varying complexity.
• Assists in the positioning, skin preparation, and draping of the patient.
• Provides hemostasis and wound exposure, handles tissue appropriately to reduce the potential for injury, sutures tissue, and applies dressings to the wound under the direction of the surgeon.
• Uses surgical instruments skillfully in ways consistent with their design and purpose.
• LIVER TRANSPLANT:
• Inserts central venous jugular/subclavian catheters or Swan-Ganz catheters under the direct supervision of the supervising physician.
• Independently performs procedures include: thoracentesis, paracentesis, wound debridement, arthrocentesis, lumbar puncture, surgical drain removal, chest tube removal, staple removal.
• Assists operating room personnel in positioning and padding of the patient on the operating room table.
• Assists with all surgical procedures associated with liver transplantation, organ procurement, hepatobiliary surgery, and general surgery of the cirrhotic or post-transplant patients.
• Assists with insertion of the Foley catheter, retraction, suction, suturing, following of sutures, dissection, ligation, flushing the donor allograft, use of cautery and opening and closing the incision.