APP Fellow: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Hospital Medicine, Full-time, Day

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Northwestern Medicine has an exciting opportunity for either an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant to work as a fellow in Hospital Medicine. We are seeking highly motivated new graduates who would like to build a career providing acute care in the hospital setting. This is an intensive 12-month training program that uses a multidisciplinary approach to prepare clinicians to step into the challenging and fast paced role of an inpatient Advanced Practice Provider (APP). Fellows will start with a bootcamp to review fundamentals as well as develop skills needed to act as a primary service provider. You will work directly with APPs as well as physicians in caring for patients admitted for a variety of medical etiologies. There will be dedicated didactic teaching as well as case-based presentations.  Fellows will learn to master conducting comprehensive histories, performing physical exams as well as diagnostics and creating treatment plans. Oral presentations and note writing skills will be reviewed weekly. There will be a strong focus on evidenced based medicine and developing critical reasoning skills when interpreting new research. Following the fellowship, preference is given to high-performing fellows for open positions within Northwestern.   

Schedule: Primarily day shift, no holiday or nights. May have some weekend rotations during the 12 months; no on-call. 

Compensation: $92,000.00 salary for 12-months plus benefits

The APP fellow reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The APP Fellowship will provide leading-edge post-graduate, on-the-job training to prepare APP fellows for successful practice in a designated specialty. Exposed to a variety of clinical rotations, APP Fellows will refine critical thinking, diagnostic, and clinical skills necessary for managing complex medical situations and for providing safe, efficient, and effective care to adult patients in designated specialty. All fellows will work under the direct guidance of APP preceptors and attending physicians. The APP Fellowship provides an opportunity for licensed advanced practice providers to receive intensive clinical training over a defined period. Grounded in a rigorous didactic curriculum, this intensive training program will offer hands-on clinical care through structured clinical rotations and designated specialties. The program places an emphasis on multi-disciplinary learning and communication. Upon completion of an APP Fellowship, the APP should have acquired the advanced clinical knowledge, procedural competency, leadership skills, and professional judgment necessary to practice independently and collaboratively within their specialty, while delivering safe, evidence-based, and patient-centered care.

Responsibilities:

• Complete all requirements for credentialing and privileging for inpatient core privileges, as appropriate for role
• Attend all didactic lectures and educational opportunities scheduled for APP Fellows
• Provide direct care to patients as assigned by clinical preceptors  
• Collaborate and consult with physicians and other health care professionals as appropriate
• Develop organizational skills to manage a patient caseload
• Develop effective communication and presentation skills with the interdisciplinary team
• Develop a deep and broad knowledge base of the common disease processes
• Identify individual professional development needs and work w/ APP preceptors/mentors to create opportunities for learning and practice

Clinical

• Conducts comprehensive assessments of patients’ health status by taking health histories and performing advanced physical examinations in specialty areas.
• Orders and interprets laboratory and diagnostic tests to establish diagnoses and develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
• Orders/prescribes medications, therapies, interventions, and procedures according to clinical privileges and PA scope of practice within specialty.
• Documents in the medical record all care provided and/or procedures performed for which the PA is responsible. Collaborates with all members of the multidisciplinary team to develop and direct an individualized and comprehensive treatment plan.
• Coordinates the discharge planning process or after visit care with patients, families, and all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Consults with other specialties and disciplines as appropriate to meet all health care needs of patients.

Leadership

• Participates in unit/departmental/divisional or hospital committees/task forces and professional organizations.
• Advocates for patients, families, nursing staff and other members of the healthcare community.
• Assists in the development of policies and procedures in clinical area of expertise to establish standards for clinical practice.
• Consults with NM leadership in the identification, evaluation and problem solving of clinical system and process issues.
• Collaborates with NM leadership teams to develop, implement and evaluate strategic plans for quality improvement initiatives, utilizing evidenced based practice guidelines as appropriate.
• Collaborates with physicians and nurses to lead changes in clinical practice.

Education

• Teaches and counsels patients and families in preventive care, medical conditions, plan of care, anticipated outcomes, and the use of prescribed treatments and drugs.
• Provides formal and informal education to both internal and external groups pertinent to area of expertise.

Research/Quality/Outcomes

• Participate in/review evidence-based research/guidelines and apply to clinical practice.
• Participate in service-line specific quality initiatives and development of outcome metrics.

May perform other APP duties as assigned.

Required:

• APRN-CNP Only
  • Must have graduated from an accredited Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program
  • Meets all required qualifications of APRN-CNP job description
  • Masters degree from an accredited school/college of nursing
  • Registered Professional Nurse (IL) license
  • Advance Practice Registered Nurse (IL) license
  • Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification
  • Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (American Heart Association) certification
• PA Only
  • Meets all required qualifications of PA job description
  • Must have graduated from an accredited PA program - PA (IL) license
• All required to hold and maintain:
  • Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers (American Heart Association) certification

Preferred:

• Current or past NM employee

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.  Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. 

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.