Physician Assistant, Cardiovascular Surgery ICU

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.