Advanced Practice Nurse / Physician Assistant

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POSITION DESCRIPTION

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.                  Provides the full range of services within the standard of preventive and primary care to all patients without regard to their insurance status or ability to pay for care, with primary responsibility for the care of a unique panel of patients. 

2.                  Attends clinical team and other staff meetings as required.  Participates in discussions to establish group practice standards, quality assurance/improvement objectives and activities.  Assists to formulate and subsequently follows all health center policies and protocols.

3.                  Coordinates care of patient panel with primary care nurse teammate assigned to the same patient panel. Ensures that patients understand all treatments and procedures while providing health care.  Maintain effective relationships with patients without cultural differences while dealing with patients.  Provide advice to patients regarding disease prevention and health promotion.

4.                  Achieves average productivity of 10 adult patients per scheduled patient care session in 20-minute appointment blocks, or 12 pediatric patients per session in 15-minute appointment blocks.  Double appointment blocks (40-minute sessions for adults or 30-minute sessions for pediatric patients) are used only for comprehensive new patient visits, annual comprehensive periodic health evaluations (annual physical exams).

5.                  Refers patients appropriately to health center’s internal clinical programs, including dentistry, tobacco treatment, clinical nutrition, mental health; makes appropriate external referrals to specialty providers based on clinical need of individual patients.

6.                  Provides twenty four hour telephone call and coverage for health center patients per rotating call schedule and practice protocols with physician back up.

7.                  Documents all patient care (including face-to-face encounters and telephone conversations with patients, consultants and nursing home staff) appropriately and legibly in the medical record per health center protocols.  This includes the following:  primary care flow sheet and face sheet with problem list, medication list, allergies and alerts (including code status); specific orders, including indication or diagnosis, for all medical advice, diagnostic testing, treatments, referrals and medications prescribed (including specific dose, route, frequency, number dispensed and refills, including for sample medications); a progress note or procedure note corresponding to every order; all pages of progress notes legibly written, dated and signed including at minimum all elements of “SOAP” format for face-to-face encounters.  For comprehensive visits, documentation includes chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical or interval history (including tobacco status), current or interval medications, allergies, relevant or interval family and social history (including health status of first degree relatives, current household members, education and occupation), relevant review of systems and physical examination.  Approved history and physical and developmental forms may substitute for freely-written data.  Brief, unstructured narrative notes may be used only to document telephone contacts with patients, nursing home staff or consultants.

8.                  Seeks appropriate consultation and clinical supervision as required by Massachusetts regulations and standards from supervising physicians and medical director, including transfer of patients exceeding professional skills, abilities or comfort. 

9.                  Provides billing data to appropriate health center staff in a timely manner, per policy (end of day of service for office).

10.              Maintains all of the following professional credentials at all times, and provides health center administration with updated copies:  nurse practitioner or physician assistant diploma, updated licensure applications, professional license(s) and board certification, DEA and state controlled substance certificates, CPR or ACLS certification, continuing education certificates.  Additional relevant credentials may also be provided for inclusion in the personnel file such as:  related advanced degrees, professional publications and documentation of other related accomplishments.

11.              Informs health center administration immediately of any adverse event in the course of patient care, potential or pending litigation, investigation or disciplinary action by professional licensing board.

12.              Abides by all policies and procedures established by the health center. 

13.              Performs other duties as required or assigned.

14.              Attendance required at assigned CHCFC sites(s).

REQUIRED SKILLS, EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Education:  Completion of an accredited master’s level program for Nurse Practitioner (Advanced Practice Nursing) or Physician Assistant.

Experience:  At least two years of primary care experience strongly preferred.

Other:  Massachusetts license as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant required. DEA and state Food and Drug certificate required. Bilingual/bicultural strongly preferred; commitment to CHCFC’s mission and ability to work with diverse medically underserved population.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, walk, sit, use the hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance, bend or push; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell.  Must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

WORKING CONDITIONS: 

While performing the required duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent when traveling between Health Center locations where medical care is provided. Employee may be required to sit or stand for long periods of time. This position performs tasks that involve exposure to blood, body fluids or tissues.

This job description is subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the employee works. Performs other duties as assigned.