Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant - Vaccine Clinic - Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation

Navajo Preference Employment Act :In accordance with Navajo Nation and federal law, TCRHCC has implemented an Affirmative Action Plan pursuant to the Navajo Preference in Employment Act.  Pursuant to this Plan and corresponding TCRHCC Policy, applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for this position and (1) are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will be given preference in hiring and employment for this position, (2) are legally married to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and meet residency requirements will be given secondary preference, and (3) are enrolled members of other federally-recognized American Indian Tribes will be given tertiary preference.Overview:

POSITION SUMMARY

This position serves as Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) or Physician Assistant (PA) at the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation, which involves performance of comprehensive diagnostic, primary health care services for patients of all ages. Assists as assigned in infectious disease testing and/or immunization activities. Operates under the clinical supervision structure of the Medical Services Division, with day-to-day responsibilities under the Medical Service Division. Responsibilities also include providing continuity of care between visits according to treatment plans for patient.

Qualifications:

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

Master of Science in Nursing OR Doctor of Nursing Practice OR Master’s degree in physician assistant studies

Licensure/Certification:

• Must possess a valid, current, full, and unrestricted license to practice as a nurse practitioner OR physician assistant in any state within the United States, District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
• Certification by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) OR the National Commission for Certified Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
• Must have and maintain current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification by the American Heart Association

Experience:

• Must have completed clinical rotations in evaluating and treating patients as part of training.
• Basic computer skills or previous experience with an electronic health record system is required.

Credentialing:

Must be credentialed and privileged to serve on the TCRHCC Medical Staff

Other Skills and Abilities:

A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers.  All employment references must address and indicate success in each one of the following areas:

• Positive working relationships with others
• Ability to work effectively in a culturally diverse environment, cultural competence
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences
• Must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills to optimize the care of patients
• Ability to interact professionally during a time of crisis and distress; ability to show empathy
• Excellent clinical skills and judgment; critical thinking, especially as it relates to public health and infectious disease
• Responds effectively to sensitive inquiries or complaints
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading, or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFORT

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical:

Must be able to stand in mobile unit, walk several hundred yards quickly, write well, hear well (for cardiac examinations) and see well for complete diagnostic skills. Work is performed in a clinic setting where exposure to infectious disease is common. Work may be performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, frequently while wearing full personal protective equipment. Incumbent must be able to frequently sit, stand, walk, twist, maintain balance, and reach. Must have the ability to drive, bend, climb, kneel, and crouch. Incumbent must have the ability for prolonged periods of time of far vision, near vision, color vision, depth perception, seeing fine details, hearing normal speech, telephone use, and hearing overhead pages over a loudspeaker. Must also be able to Lift, push and pull up to 25 pounds. Incumbent must be able to use hand manipulation in simple/firm grasping, fine manipulation, and use of keyboards. This position requires the ability to accept a flexible schedule to meet unit needs.             

Mental:

Interaction with emotionally disturbed patients is common.  Also must be able to work evenings on a regular basis and handle the stresses of rural medicine. Incumbent must have the prolonged ability to concentrate, handle a high degree of flexibility, handle multiple priorities in stressful situations, work alone, demonstrate high degree of patience, adapt to shift work, and work in areas that are close and crowded. Must also frequently be able to cope with high level of stress, make decisions under high pressure, cope with anger/fear/hostility of others in a calm way; and manage altercations.

Responsibilities:

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Provides comprehensive diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic health care services to patients.
2. Provides case management services for patients with infectious diseases to ensure best possible outcomes in regard to the individual’s health, as well as to the public’s health. Provides medical care via telehealth and supports patients in obtaining in-person medical care when necessary.
3. Assists as assigned in infectious disease testing and/or immunization activities as a credentialed member of the medical staff. Must be comfortable in provider role related to infectious disease testing and initial medical care.
4. Provides telehealth medical visits for the purpose of informing patients of infectious disease diagnosis, providing medical care, and instructing on isolation and identifying contacts to prevent spread of infectious disease to others. Supports patients in obtaining medications for self-isolation.
5. Provides and documents services in order to maximize revenue generation, including all telephone calls. Documents visits in the medical records of patients including updating problem lists, medications, etc.
6. Serves as medical provider for other clinic services as assigned, such as but not limited to, vaccination clinics and same-day appointment clinic.
7. Interviews, assesses, and evaluates patients to determine their physical condition and type of medical services needed, and orders initial diagnostic studies appropriate for the patient’s medical condition.
8. Performs a basic physical assessment using techniques of observation, inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation and diagnostic instruments.
9. Discriminates between normal and abnormal findings to recognize early stages of serious physical, emotional, and mental problems.
10. Consults and collaborates with other health care professionals at Tuba City to establish health care plans and to review patient progress and response to therapy, including the use of referrals to other TCRHCC services.
11. Adheres to medical regimens to stabilize chronically ill persons and adjusts regimens as clinically appropriate.
12. Makes decisions concerning medical care needs of patients consulting with physicians as appropriate.
13. Works collaboratively with physicians in the management of complex medical problems as appropriate to scope of practice.
14. Provides health care and preventive services to healthy individuals including immunizations, guidance in nutrition, common illnesses, accidents, substance abuse, exercise, and depression screening.
15. Teaches patients and family member’s ways to maintain or improve their health status.
16. Responsible for prescribing medications including computation of doses.
17. Participates in performance improvement initiatives which may involve chart reviews.
18. Keeps abreast of the latest medical knowledge via CME as required by respective licensing agency.
19. Ensure proper PPE is worn at all times while on duty including but not limited to, face mask, gloves, gown, isolation gown, NIOSH-approved N95 filtering facepiece respirator or higher, if available), and eye or face shield.
20. Complete all donning and doffing tasks in a safe acceptable method and discard of used PPE accordingly. (see CDC website for most current updates)
21. Complete task training for all routine cleaning and decontamination processes for all surfaces contaminated by a communicable disease to ensure a high level of patient, visitor, employee and external customer satisfaction.
22. Completes all patient care documentation in the electronic health record entries accurately and in real-time.
23. Participates in departmental workflow and or testing teams as related to electronic health record or other project initiatives
24. Performs other duties as assigned.