Physician Assistant

We are seeking a Physician Assistant to provide inpatient and outpatient clinical and research support; Works collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary health team and is responsible for providing comprehensive and age-appropriate care to both well and ill patients; Educates patients and families and intervenes in acute or chronic illness.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

Patient Care

• Provides comprehensive, age-appropriate, and episodic care to patients as a member of the multi-disciplinary health care team that includes attending physicians, fellows, residents, nurses and research staff.
• Obtains patient history; Performs patient care and physical examinations; Prepares patient summaries; Develops care/treatment plan.
• Attends out-patient clinics and assists with patient management.
• Participates in in-patient rounds and assists with patient management.
• Under the supervision of attending physicians, develops care/treatment plan.
• Provides information to staff regarding patient's care plan and condition.
• Consistently develops effective care/treatment plan for assigned patients according to established protocols and procedures.
• Regularly confers and consults with appropriate supervisory physician and/or other pertinent professionals before implementing treatment plan.
• Consistently structures all patient care plans to meet educational, physical and social needs appropriate to the patient's age.
• Consistently provides relevant patient care information to the appropriate staff member according to department guidelines.
• Follows daily progress of patients, including history and physical exam, ordering, performing, and interpreting laboratory and radiological data and establishing and implementing a plan of care based on those interpretations and observations. Makes referrals to appropriate specialties.
• Follows long term progress of patients including history and physical examination, orders and interprets tests, and assesses status.
• Observes for evidence of long-term effects of treatment, including infection and end organ toxicity.
• Provides education to patient and family members regarding diagnosis, complications, treatment and medications in order to provide them with continuous information.
• Will be cross trained to care for BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) patients in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

Procedures

• Performs, but is not limited to the following advanced procedures:
• Routine laboratory procedures such as obtaining body fluid samples for cultures and venipuncture.
• Performs advanced procedures such as skin biopsy and lumbar puncture.

Provides Emergency Care

• Maintains CPR certification.
• Maintains airway, breathing, circulation.
• Starts and provides basic CPR.
• Orders and administers anti-anaphylactic and supportive medications.

Prescribes Drugs

• Prescribes medications, including oral, parenteral, intramuscular, or subcutaneous drugs.
• Prescribes Schedule 2, 2N, 3, 3N, 4, 5 drugs under the guidelines of the Maryland Nurse Practice Act (NP) or Title 15 under the Health Occupation Article (PA) and the DEA.

Research Coordination

• Will work with specific protocols to ensure that all protocol driven tests, examinations, and procedures are ordered, performed and evaluated and data is retrieved, entered on appropriate forms.
• Coordinates scheduling, orders appropriate tests, evaluates results, records data, performs patient evaluations and participates in care of patients on specific protocols regarding specific disease entities and treatment.
• Works in collaboration with the Principal Investigators of specific protocols to ensure the completeness of protocol requirements.

Educational Responsibilities

• Develops expertise and expands knowledge in specific areas and shares that knowledge and expertise with colleagues as consultant in planning care for pediatric oncology patients. Participates in rounds, meetings for consultation, and intake.
• Supervises and evaluates student/patient interactions in an academic setting. When applicable, assumes responsibility for patient care as provided by the student.
• Performs oncology related procedures as called upon within the scope of practice.

Fiscal Responsibility

• Assumes fiscal responsibility with working knowledge of evidence based medical model.
• Effectively uses resources of the patient and the institution.
• Is aware of and adheres to specific capitations and limitations of the patient’s insurances while organizing and optimizing individualized care