Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant: Complex Spine - Complex Spine

Job Location

Duke Spine Center– Duke Clinic -40 Duke Medicine Circle – Durham, NC

Job Summary

We are seeking an Advanced Practice Provider in our Duke Department of Neurosurgery at the Duke Spine Center located in Durham, NC to provide direct patient care services in collaboration with physicians and advanced practice providers to patients with neurological, spinal disorders. The most common diagnoses we encounter are spine tumors, complex spinal deformity, and chronic back pain.

Primary hours will be Monday through Friday 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM with hours flexible to meet the needs of the patients. Independent clinics one to two days per week. Joint clinic with provider weekly. Initial patient encounters will include new and post-op patients. Flexibility needed for in-hospital consults and rounding.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Independently take patient histories, conduct physical examinations, and record the data in the patient's record; write progress notes; prepare patient workups and summaries noting pertinent positive and negative findings; obtain psychosocial history relevant to patient care; and assume responsibility for developing therapeutic relationships with patients.
• Order and schedule laboratory studies and diagnostic procedures; explain necessity, preparation, nature and anticipated effects of scheduled diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to the patient; and assume responsibility to follow-up on the results of these studies and procedures and relay critical information to the supervising physician.

• Perform diagnostic procedures to assist the supervising physician in diagnosing medical and surgical problems; prescribing necessary treatment and services for quality patient care; and recording the normal and abnormal data for review by the supervising physician.

• Monitor progress of patients in both the inpatient and outpatient settings; report progress to supervising physician; and maintain record of each patient's progress, consulting with supervising physician when patient's progress does not meet anticipated and/or predetermined criteria.

• Participate in basic science and clinical research projects conducted by supervising physician. Participate in teaching students and residents in techniques and procedures which are unique to specific clinical setting.

Miscellaneous

• Analyze clinical practice patterns to provide the best medical care and to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Communicate verbally and in writing all pertinent patient information to supervising physician, nursing staff as well as other relevant healthcare providers.
• Provide timely documentation in the electronic medical record of all relevant data including results of diagnostic tests; laboratory results; patients’ condition and response to therapies/interventions and communications with physician/advanced practice provider colleagues.
• Provide timely response to patients Maestro Care and phone messages.

Job Hours

Primary hours will be Monday through Friday 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM with hours flexible to meet the needs of the patients.

Job Eligibility Requirements

Education           

• Nurse Practitioners: Work requires completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program, with a Master's degree in Nursing.
• Physician Assistants: Completion of an accredited Physician Assistant program. A Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree strongly preferred.

Certification        

• BLS required.

License                

• Nurse Practitioners: Must have current or compact RN licensure in the state of North Carolina. BLS required. National certification as an NP required prior to or within 6 months of employment.
• Physician Assistants: Must be licensed in the state of NC and be certified as a Physician Assistant by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Experience          

• APP with experience in Neurosurgery or Orthopaedics preferred.