Title:  Instructor - Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant

Summary

We are searching for a full-time acute care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant for the Pediatric Infectious Diseases consult service at Texas Children's Hospital, The Woodlands campus. You will provide care for children in both the outpatient & inpatient settings. You will be responsible for conducting medical evaluations and caring for patients with bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic infections in the outpatient clinic.

 Additional duties

• Utilize advanced practice knowledge and skills to systematically collect and evaluate health assessment data and to manage a caseload of 5-10 patients (both inpatient and outpatient) daily.
• Demonstrate effective communication skills and work to eliminate communication barriers. 
• Collaborate effectively with the multidisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive care to patients.
• Serve as an educational resource on prevention and treatment of infections for patients and families, the TCH community, and other health care professionals.
• Identify and document patient/ family learning needs, readiness to learn, and level of understanding.
• Incorporate family culture and belief systems in all aspects of patient care.
• Apply new knowledge relevant to pediatric clinical practice.
• Participate in Infectious Disease educational and patient care conferences.
• Communicate findings of quality improvement projects to other health care professionals 
• Demonstrate current professional, managerial, and /or technical knowledge and skills.
• Maintain knowledge base by reading professional literature and attending development and continuing education programs annually.
• Demonstrate NP role behaviors consistent with the development advanced nursing practice.
• Practice and update NP protocols specific to the pediatric specialty.
• Participate in section/departmental Quality Improvement programs annually.
• Participate in at least one QI aspect of care, which shows improvement, related to patient outcome.

Job Purpose

Provides advanced nursing care to patients in a clinical setting in an area of specialization under the direction of a physician.

Job Duties

• Obtain detailed history and perform physical examinations.
• Perform, order, and interpret diagnostic procedures in accordance with relevant health concerns of the patient.
• Prescribes appropriate pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.
• Maintain records and write orders and progress notes in patient charts as to status, treatments, and procedures.
• Monitors and ensures accuracy of recording on patient medical records.
• Provide follow-up care to patients in accordance with protocols established with the supervising physician.
• Communicate with physicians, patients, and the family members of patients concerning patient care.
• Collaborates with providers and practice staff in identifying appropriate patients for care management.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education Required: Master's degree in Physician Assistant Studies. NOTE: Bachelor's degree in Physician Assistant Studies accepted based on terminal degree requirements at time of graduation.
• Nurse Practitioners: Master's degree in Nursing. Current license as a Registered Nurse (RN) by the State of Texas Board of Nursing. Current Texas licensure as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN), with acute care certification (CPNP-AC) required.
• Experience Required: None required.
• Certification/Licenses/Registration: Current license as a Physician Assistant by the State of Texas Physician Assistant Board. Specialty certification as required by department. Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification.
• For Nurse Practitioners: Pediatric Acute Care (CPNP-AC)