Cardiovascular ICU Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant

The Center for Cardiovascular Health in collaboration with the Critical Care Organization at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is actively recruiting for Cardiovascular Intensive Care Advanced Practice Providers to serve in our new Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA. The CVICU will be a 24/7 unit and service coverage. The primary responsibility of the CVICU APP is to provide advanced medical, pre-procedural and post-procedural clinical care to patients who are critically ill with critical cardiac conditions. This role combines clinical expertise, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and collaboration with multiple healthcare teams to ensure the highest quality of patient care.

Team Details
Across the entire VMFH system, the Center for Cardiovascular Health at VMFH encompasses close to 200 providers, including interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, advanced heart failure specialists, cardiac imaging specialists, vascular surgeons, thoracic surgeons, cardiac surgeons and cardiac anesthesiologists. At VMMC, our programs have achieved significant recognition within the region and nationally for our quality and outcomes. We are a high volume program performing annually over  400 open heart surgeries, 400 PCIs, 500 percutaneous structural interventions and 400 ablations. VMMC has been ranked as one of the top 50 Heart & Vascular programs in the nation by 2023 US News & World Report.

Our Critical Care Organization is also much-renowned, with the Critical Care Team contributing heavily to VMMC having been named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by Healthgrades and Leapfrog’s “Hospital of the Decade”. The VMMC CCU cares for over 1500 critically ill patients per year in a closed collaborative model for ECMO, medical, structural heart and heart failure patients and in a consultative model for cardiac surgical patients. In addition, VMMC serves as the tertiary and quaternary cardiac referral center for the VMFH system. Virginia Mason provides critical care in a state-of-the-art, 28-bed unit that opened in September 2014. There is a planned expansion in the next few years.  We are looking for experienced APPS who thrive in a highly collaborative environment and have a passion for innovations in advanced cardiac care.

In this position you will play a critical role in the comprehensive care and management of cardiac patients within our CVICU. Key Responsibilities include: 

• Conduct thorough physical assessments and obtain detailed medical histories to evaluate patients' cardiac conditions and overall health status. 
• Formulate accurate diagnoses, perform appropriate procedures, create individualized treatment plans, and prescribe appropriate medications or treatments to manage cardiac conditions.
• Provide and coordinate clinical care for CVICU patients through established protocols and guidelines. You will be supervised by the CVICU intensivist team and the advanced heart failure cardiologist team. You will work closely with our advanced heart failure cardiologists, cardiothoracic anesthesiologists, and cardiac surgeons. You will be a member of the primary CVICU team, but collaboration with all services is essential.
• Monitor and manage critically ill cardiac patients, which may include those requiring ECMO or recovering from acute cardiac events, heart failure exacerbations, cardiac surgery, and other complex cardiac interventions. This also includes management of acute cardiac and respiratory decompensation, including rapid response and code events. Initiate emergency interventions in an effort to stabilize the patient until physician support arrives.
• Manage mechanical circulatory support devices, including ECMO, temporary left ventricular and right ventricular assist devices (Impella), intra-aortic balloon pumps, and durable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD), through collaborative work with advanced heart failure cardiologists, CVICU intensivists, cardiac surgeons, and ECMO specialists.
• Perform procedures when indicated based on the applicant's expertise, including placement of central venous catheters and pulmonary arterial catheters; arterial line placement, rewiring, and removal; intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) removal with supervision; placement of nasogastric or other nasal or oral enteral feeding tubes; management of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC); peripheral intravenous catheter placement (PIV); ECG interpretation including atrial right heart ECG; defibrillation and cardioversion; temporary pacemaker wire removal, clipping, and programming; management of transcutaneous pacemakers. 
• Develop patient care pathways, protocols, and guidelines for the management of specific problems in conjunction with physicians and other members of the health care team. 
• Communicate verbally and in writing all pertinent patient information to supervising heart failure physician, nursing staff, patient resource manager, home health agency, and other relevant healthcare providers.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary healthcare team, including cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, nurses, respiratory therapists, and pharmacists, to coordinate patient care and provide input into treatment plans. 
• Document in the patients’ chart all relevant data, including but not limited to: results of diagnostic tests; laboratory results; patients’ condition and response to therapies/interventions; communications with supervising Intensivist, Cardiologist and/or Cardiac Surgeon.. 
• Educate patients and their families about cardiac conditions, treatment options, and lifestyle modifications to promote optimal recovery and long-term health. 
• Maintain detailed, accurate and timely medical records, documenting patient progress, treatment plans, and any changes in condition.
• Stay current with the latest research and best practices in cardiac critical care to ensure the highest standard of care is provided. 
• Contribute to quality improvement initiatives within the Cardiac ICU, such as participating in clinical audits and assisting with the development of clinical protocols and guidelines.

Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) certification with fellowship in critical care and/or specialization in cardiology or cardiac surgery. 

• State licensure and certification in the applicable discipline. 
• Fellowship in critical care is highly desirable. 
• Strong interest and experience with complex cardiac patients is highly desirable.
• Strong clinical skills, including the ability to perform critical care procedures. 
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills. 
• Dedication to high quality patient care, safety, and continuous improvement. 
• Ability to work effectively in high-stress and fast-paced environments.

Nurse Practitioner: 

• 1+ years relevant advanced practice work experience 
• Washington State Registered Nurse License and an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner License are required for this job. 
• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers may be required depending on the position, as well as prescriptive authority. 
• Advanced background in nursing; an understanding of anatomy, physiology, histology, and pharmacology; and strong interpersonal and counseling skills. 
• Certification by specialty area as well as work experience in specialty area may be required, depending on the position. 
• ACLS required 
• BLS required 

OR 

Physician Assistant-C: 

• 1+ years relevant advanced practice work experience 
• This position requires Certification as a Physician Assistant with prescriptive authority in the State of Washington. 
• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and National Provider Identifier (NPI) numbers may be required depending on the position, as well as prescriptive authority. 
• Advanced clinically relevant background; an understanding of anatomy, physiology, histology, and pharmacology; and strong interpersonal and counseling skills. 
• Certification by specialty area as well as work experience in specialty area may be required, depending on the position. 
• ACLS required 
• BLS required 

 #HEC 

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health brings together two award-winning health systems in Washington state  CHI Franciscan and Virginia Mason. As one integrated health system with the most patient access points in western Washington, our team includes 18,000 staff and nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers. At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, you will find the safest and highest quality of care provided by our expert, compassionate medical care team at 11 hospitals and nearly 300 sites throughout the greater Puget Sound region.  While you’re busy impacting the healthcare industry, we’ll take care of you with benefits that include health/dental/vision, FSA, matching retirement plans, paid vacation, adoption assistance, annual bonus eligibility, and more! Our integrated health system has nearly 1,500 hospital beds including Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, a teaching organization which coaches health care professionals and others around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative lean management method for improving quality and safety.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Virginia Mason

We commit to fostering an equitable, diverse and intentionally inclusive environment - we strive for all to feel valued, respected and that they belong. Our unique life experiences and backgrounds make our patient care extraordinary. Our diversity fuels our culture of innovation and transformative health care. Our differences are our strengths and inspire a promising future. Living in the Pacific Northwest Located in the Pacific NW, Seattle is an area with a mild climate year round and close to the great outdoors where we enjoy an abundance of activities with our close proximity to the waters of Puget Sound and surrounding mountains. City life and cultural activities are also thriving. With a variety of neighborhoods and areas to work and live, there are many choices for the type of lifestyle you'd like to enjoy.

While you’re busy caring for your patients, we’ll take care of you and your family with benefits that include:

• Medical/dental/vision insurance plans
• Flexible Spending Account or Health Savings Account
• Retirement plans
• Relocation assistance, if eligible.
• Prescription program
• Employer paid life insurance
• Short and long term disability programs
• Time away
• As a non-profit; VMFH is eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• Commuter benefits
• Bright Horizons programs; support for children, pets, dependent adults and household needs
• Mental health and well-being programs
• …and more!

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

Depending on the position offered, CommonSpirit Health offers a generous benefit package, including but not limited to medical, prescription drug, dental, vision plans, life insurance, paid time off (full-time benefit eligible employees may receive a minimum of 14 paid time off days, including holidays annually), tuition reimbursement, retirement plan benefit(s) including, but not limited to, 401(k), 403(b), and other defined benefits offerings, as may be amended from time to time. For more information, please visit https://www.commonspirit.careers/benefits.

Unless directed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement, applications for this position will be considered on a rolling basis. CommonSpirit Health cannot anticipate the date by which a successful candidate may be identified.