PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT or NURSE PRACTITIONER

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT or NURSE PRACTITIONER

Description:
Department Overview

Under the supervision and direction of a Sports Medicine Orthopaedist, and in accordance with the rules and regulations of Massachusetts governing Physician Assistant practice, the Physician Assistant (PA) OR Nurse Practitioner (NP) will be responsible for the care of patients in this practice. The PA/NP will coordinate and perform preoperative assessments, act as first assist in the operating room, coordinate treatment and assist in the management of postoperative care, and perform discharge planning coordination. The PA/NP will obtain patient histories, perform comprehensive physical examinations to evaluate patients for surgery and for post-surgical readmission, coordinate tests and consultations, implement treatment plans, communicate with referring physicians, perform patient education, and prepare patients for discharge.

Responsibilities

Preoperative:

Performs initial interview and assessment of patient.

Assists in preoperative evaluation and education. Obtains a detailed, accurate medical history and performs a comprehensive physical examination on patients to assess readiness for surgery.

Reviews diagnostic data and verifies laterality.

Obtains preoperative surgical consents.

Performs preoperative preparation of patients and reinforces information presented by the attending physician to the patient and/or family as necessary. Orders necessary diagnostic tests, consultations, and procedures as indicated or requested by the attending physician. Prescribes medications as necessary.

Presents preoperative patients at team meetings.

Identifies patients requiring preoperative nutritional assessments.

Communicates/coordinates with Pre-Admission Testing Area, surgical scheduling areas and nursing units.

Communicates any abnormal findings to chief resident or attending surgeons for inpatients and to attending surgeon for outpatients.

Tracks and obtains radiographic studies required preoperatively for patients.

Intraoperative Duties

The Physician Assistant will be asked to assist in the operating room as required. Duties will include first or second assisting.

Postoperative Hospitalization and Discharge:

Assists with postoperative management of patients. Under the direction of the attending surgeons and in conjunction with the resident staff, executes a wide range of management plans for patients.

Discusses the care of each patient with the attending surgeon, and other consult service(s) involved with the care of that patient. Maintains communications with referring physicians.

Prepares patients for discharge, including patient and family discharge teaching, continuing care and rehabilitation arrangements in conjunction with nursing, writing discharge prescriptions, and confirming primary care or referring physician follow-up.

Dictates formal discharge summaries of patients for the attending surgeon's review and signature.

Attends daily rounds with the surgical team and rounds independently.

Assists with and coordinates patient diagnostic procedures.

Obtains consultations from other services at the request of the attending physician or senior surgical resident.

Coordinates patient discharge along with nursing staff to include special needs at home, medications, proper referrals (VNA, PT, etc), and coordinates proper follow-up appointments as deemed appropriate by chief resident and team.

Coordinates follow-up at outside facilities and assist in communication with other facilities in questions of patient care.

Arranges for admissions to the floor (H&P, orders).

Renews medications, transfer orders and general orders under supervision of physician.

Educational:

Participates in Department of Orthopaedic educational meetings with students and residents assigned to
Qualifications:

Company Profile:
Founded in 1811, Massachusetts General Hospital is the third-oldest general hospital in the country, and the oldest and largest in New England. The 907-bed world-renowned medical center offers sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic care in virtually every specialty and subspecialty of medicine and surgery. The largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, MGH is on the cutting edge of patient care, research and medical education. It is the largest nongovernment employer in the city of Boston, with more than 21,500 employees.

MGH is among the leading medical institutions continuously recognized by U.S. News & World Report's annual honor roll of America's best hospitals. In 2009, MGH ranked fifth nationally, with MGH Psychiatry ranking first in that specialty for the 14th consecutive year. MGH has been named to the list since the publication began conducting the survey in 1990.

In 2008, MGH again was named a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association. The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that provide the best in nursing care and to uphold the tradition of excellence in professional nursing practice. MGH was the first Massachusetts hospital to earn the Magnet designation in 2003.

MGH has repeatedly been named an employer of choice. Most recently, it was named to The Globe 100, a list of the top employers in Massachusetts compiled by The Boston Globe. The hospital has also earned a spot on Conceive magazine's 2009 list of the Top 50 Workplaces for Prospective Parents.

A career with MGH means you'll be part of a rich legacy of providing top-quality patient care and an integral part of ensuring that our success continues. Located in Boston, MGH is accessible by several MBTA lines. Our benefits and perks are outstanding and include health/dental insurance, a retirement plan, 403b, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, childcare center and a fitness center. There is only one MGH! For more information, please visit us at .

Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Employer.