Lead Physician Assistant

White Plains Hospital Job Description

Position Summary

An exempt position with clinical and administrative duties. Clinically, this person will function as a Physician Assistant in critical care medicine. This involves facilitating the care of critically ill patients, responding to new consultations, and act as the liaison between Intensivist, patient, and clinical team. Administrative duties will include, but not limited to; scheduling, evaluating performance, assist in recruitment, run department meetings and quality assurance of critical care service.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities Includes the Following:

• Understands and adheres to the WPH Performance Standards, Policies and Behaviors
• Coordinate Advanced Practice Providers (PAs/NPs) clinical schedules
• Recruiting/Interviewing of potential new hires of the critical care units
• Development and participation in new departmental projects
• Work with Nurse Manager(s), Administrative Director of PA Services, Director of Critical Care, Intensivists, APP Educator, and/or appropriate disciplines to monitor, strive to improve, and measure Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement projects
• Attend monthly critical care committee meetings
• Coordinate on-boarding process for new hires
• Coordinate Monthly APP education
• Complete appropriate critical care APP evaluation requirements
• Conducts physical exams, assesses health status, orders and interprets tests, prescribes medications, and treat illnesses. Consult with physicians as needed and refers to physicians for more complicated medical cases or cases that are not a routine part of a PA’s Scope of Practice.
• Consultation for potential ICU candidates from the ER, floor, or post-operative patients.
• Code team (RRT)
• Central line catheter insertion service
• Round on and facilitate care for ICU/CCU/PCU inpatients
• Consult on surgical patients both on the floor and ER.
• Multi-disciplinary bedside rounds on each patient with the intensivist(s), nurse manager(s), bed-side nurse for each patient, clinical pharmacist, respiratory therapist, and nutritionist to determine a daily treatment plan or goal for each patient on the critical care service.
• Discussing daily treatment plans/goals and other pertinent issues with family members of critically ill patients as a facilitator of information on behalf of the critical care attending when unavailable.
• First responders to the bedside of any patient on the critical care service demonstrating an acute change in clinical status.
• Coordinating any treatments, interventions, testing or procedures that the patient may need.
• Arranging appropriate consultations on behalf of the intensivist(s).
• Performing emergent procedures when necessary and planned procedures determined by the intensivist.
• Throughout the day/evening provide updates to the on-call intensivist of any progress, acute change(s) or challenges encountered in a patient’s clinical status. .
• Responding within 5 minutes via telephone when paged for critical care consults and responding in person to evaluate the patient within a defined time period by the institution
• Consults: The APP role is patient evaluation, and to collect, analyze and assess clinical information and discuss this information with the critical care attending. A critical care acceptance or denial decision will then be made by the critical care attending and the NPP will facilitate and expedite further care as a representative of the attending.
• Responding to calls and facilitating placement of non-emergent central lines when deemed appropriate by the critical care attending.
• Counsels patient/family on health care matters
• Documents patient information and care in the medical record, in a confidential manner, and may maintain departmental statistical database for research and quality purposes.
• Familiar with anatomy, pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical medicine and physical diagnosis
• Demonstrates skill in gathering and analyzing physiological, socioeconomic, and emotional patient data
• Demonstrates skill in accurately evaluating patient problems in person or via phone and providing appropriate advice, intervention, or referral
• Demonstrates ability to make responsible decisions within the scope of PA practice
• Performs all other related duties as assigned

Education & Experience Requirements

Physician Assistant:

• Current New York State Licensed Physician Assistant
• Current National Certification
• Current White Plains Hospital Physician Assistant DOP
• Master’s degree from an accredited school preferred
• Certified in Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Proficiency in all procedures, techniques and skills approved in the delineation of privileges

Managerial and/or leadership experience preferred

5+ years of clinical experience required

Core Competencies

Procedural and Knowledge Based Requirements for the Critical Care PA

• Procedural Skill Requirements:
  • Central-line(triple-lumen or introducer) & dialysis catheter insertion
  • Arterial (radial, femoral, axillary) line insertion
  • Pulmonary-artery catheter insertion
  • Chest tube/pigtail catheter insertion
  • Paracentesis
  • Intubation
  • Lumbar puncture
  • NGT/OGT placement
  • Foley catheter insertion
  • Removal of surgical drains/dressings/staples
• Knowledge Base Requirements:
  • Fluid resuscitation
  • Vasopressor and inotrope therapy
  • Critical care ultrasound (procedures, lung, cardiac, DVT, and IVC evaluation)
  • Hemodynamic monitoring (SVV and Flo-Trac, IVC evaluation, echo, ScvO2/SvO2, Swan, CVP)
  • Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) monitoring
  • Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring
  • Ventilator modes and settings: AC (VCV/PCV), SIMV, APRV, CPAP, HFOV, rotaprone bed
  • Ventilator alarms/troubleshooting: peak inspiratory pressure and plateau pressure
  • Sedation agents, paralytic agents, train of four monitoring, and Richmond agitation assessment scale (RAAS)
  • Daily sedation interruption and wean-screening evaluation
  • Ventilator liberation and spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs): CPAP, T-Piece, PSV, SIMV
  • CVVH and CVVHD
  • Management of electrolyte and acid/base disorders

• Act in a professional capacity and serve as a professional role model
• Demonstrate leadership skills including collaboration and negotiation
• Demonstrate and encourage teamwork
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate in a professional manner in all interactions
• Excellent Problem solving skills
• Stress tolerance
• Strong organizational skills
• Demonstrates skill in gathering and analyzing physiological, socioeconomic, and emotional patient data Demonstrates skill in accurately evaluating patient problems in person or via phone and providing appropriate advice, intervention, or referral
• Demonstrates ability to make responsible decisions within the scope of PA practice.
• Demonstrates ability to collaborate effectively with physicians
• Demonstrates ability to communicate effectively with all other disciplines in the medical arena
• Demonstrates ability to educate patients, families and staff in a user-friendly manner
• Demonstrates ability to demonstrate hand-eye coordination, full range of motion, and manual dexterity

Physical/Mental Demands/Requirements & Work Environment

Essential Physical Requirements

• Involves standing, sitting, walking, bending, stooping, twisting and lifting.
• May require transferring patients.
• May be exposed to chemicals necessary to perform required tasks. Any hazardous chemicals the employee may be exposed to are listed in the hospital’s SDS (Safety Data Sheet) data base and may be accessed through the hospital’s Intranet site (Employee Tools/SDS Access). A copy of the SDS data base can also be found at the hospital switchboard, saved on a disc.

Essential Mental Abilities

• High level of responsibility and heavy workload can generate stress

Essential Sensory Requirements

• Must have ability to communicate verbally with patients, relatives, attending physicians and with nurses and other hospital personnel
• Must be able to give clear and decisive instructions
• Must be able to maintain legible and thorough documentation of patient care
• Must have acute visual, auditory, tactile and olfactory senses
• May be exposed to chemicals necessary to perform required tasks. Any hazardous chemicals the employee may be exposed to are listed in the hospital’s SDS (Safety Data Sheet) data base and may be accessed through the hospital’s Intranet site (Employee Tools/SDS Access). A copy of the SDS data base can also be found at the hospital switchboard, saved on a disc.

Primary Population Served

Check appropriate box(s) below:

The responsibilities and tasks outlined in this job description are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of White Plains Hospital.

Location: White Plains Hospital · WPS CAMS Ortho Spine (295.9020) Schedule: Full Time, Day, OR day 7 am- end, office 8 am- 4 pm