Endocrine Surgery APC

The Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery is seeking a highly motivated and clinically skilled Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) to join our academic Otolaryngology Endocrine Surgery practice.

This is a unique hybrid clinical and surgical position designed for a Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) certification who is interested in developing advanced expertise in thyroid and parathyroid disease.

The APC will work closely with fellowship-trained endocrine surgeons and will participate throughout the continuum of endocrine surgical care. The position will be divided between the operating room and ambulatory setting, allowing the APC to develop expertise in both surgical and medical management of patients with thyroid and parathyroid disorders.

In the operating room, the APC will function as a surgical first assistant, primarily supporting thyroid and parathyroid procedures. In the ambulatory setting, the APC will independently evaluate and manage new patients, nonsurgical patients with thyroid and parathyroid conditions as well as  postoperative.

This position is an excellent opportunity for an experienced APC with an interest in endocrine surgery, as well as a motivated candidate with strong clinical skills and a desire to develop specialized expertise in thyroid and parathyroid disease, endocrine surgery, ultrasound, and longitudinal endocrine care.

Position Responsibilities

Operating Room – Endocrine Surgery

The APC will function as an integral member of the endocrine surgery team and serve as a RNFA/surgical first assistant during thyroid and parathyroid procedures.

Responsibilities may include:

• First assisting during thyroid and parathyroid surgery

• Providing appropriate surgical exposure and tissue retraction

• Assisting with dissection and hemostasis

• Assisting with identification and preservation of critical anatomic structures

• Suturing and closure as appropriate to training, competency, and institutional privileges

• Assisting with intraoperative specimen handling

• Maintaining appropriate sterile technique

• Anticipating the needs of the surgeon and operative team

• Participating in intraoperative decision-making within the APC's scope of practice

• Supporting safe and efficient operating room workflow

• Communicating effectively with surgeons, anesthesia providers, nursing staff, pathology, and other members of the perioperative team

• Participating in preoperative and postoperative surgical planning

The primary surgical focus will be endocrine procedures, with opportunities to expand procedural expertise based upon department needs, demonstrated competency, and institutional privileges.

Ambulatory Endocrine Surgery Practice

When not functioning in the operating room, the APC will provide ambulatory care for patients with a broad spectrum of thyroid and parathyroid disorders.

Clinical responsibilities may include:

Postoperative Surgical Care

• Postoperative evaluation following thyroid and parathyroid surgery

• Incision and wound assessment

• Evaluation for postoperative complications

• Assessment of voice and swallowing function

• Evaluation for symptoms of hypocalcemia and other postoperative metabolic concerns

• Review of surgical pathology

• Coordination of postoperative laboratory testing

• Medication management

• Patient education regarding recovery and activity

• Identification and escalation of postoperative concerns to the endocrine surgeon

• Longitudinal postoperative follow-up

Ultrasound and Office-Based Procedures

An important component of the position will be the opportunity to develop advanced competency in thyroid and neck ultrasound.

For candidates who demonstrate interest and aptitude, the department will provide opportunities for structured training in:

• Thyroid ultrasound

• Cervical lymph node ultrasound

• Ultrasound evaluation of thyroid nodules

• Ultrasound-guided procedures

• Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA), when appropriate and within institutional privileges

• Ultrasound-guided evaluation of postoperative or clinically concerning neck findings

Training and procedural privileges will be based upon formal education, supervised clinical experience, competency assessment, and institutional credentialing requirements.

This position provides an opportunity for a motivated APC to develop a specialized skill set in endocrine ultrasound and office-based procedures as part of their professional growth.

Multidisciplinary Endocrine Care

The APC will work collaboratively within an academic multidisciplinary environment and may interact with:

• Endocrine surgery

• Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery

• Endocrinology

• Radiology

• Pathology

• Nuclear medicine

• Oncology

• Speech-language pathology

• Primary care

• Other surgical and medical subspecialties

The APC will help facilitate coordinated care for patients whose diagnoses and treatment plans cross multiple specialties.

Academic Responsibilities

As a member of an academic Department of Otolaryngology, the APC will have opportunities to participate in the department's academic mission, including:

• Education of medical students, residents, fellows, and other learners

• Participation in departmental conferences

• Development of patient education materials

• Clinical quality improvement initiatives

• Clinical research and outcomes projects

• Development of clinical pathways and protocols

• Evidence-based practice initiatives

• Presentation of clinical topics

• Participation in professional development activities

• Mentorship and education of other APCs

Clinical Autonomy and Physician Collaboration

The APC will provide care with an appropriate degree of clinical autonomy based upon education, experience, demonstrated competency, licensure, and institutional privileges.

The APC will work closely with endocrine surgery faculty and will be expected to recognize situations requiring physician consultation or escalation.

The role is designed to promote continuity of care between the operating room and ambulatory practice, allowing the APC to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patient's surgical journey from initial evaluation through surgery and postoperative recovery.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with RNFA certification who is interested in developing a career focused on endocrine surgery.

The successful candidate may be an experienced endocrine APC or a motivated APC with strong surgical experience who is seeking to develop specialized expertise in thyroid and parathyroid disease.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

• Current RNFA certification

• Previous experience as a surgical first assistant

• Experience in otolaryngology, endocrine surgery, general surgery, or another surgical specialty

• Experience caring for postoperative surgical patients

• Familiarity with thyroid and parathyroid disease

• Strong interest in endocrine surgery

• Interest in developing expertise in thyroid and neck ultrasound

• Strong procedural skills and attention to detail

• Excellent clinical assessment and communication skills

• Ability to function independently while working collaboratively with surgeons and the multidisciplinary team

• Interest in academic medicine, teaching, quality improvement, or clinical research

Candidates without extensive endocrine experience will be considered if they demonstrate strong surgical skills, clinical judgment, and a genuine desire to learn and develop expertise in endocrine surgery.

The department is committed to providing structured mentorship and training to a motivated APC interested in building a career in this subspecialty.

Licensure, Certification & Credentialing Requirements

The successful candidate must meet all applicable state, federal, and institutional requirements for practice as an Advanced Practice Clinician.

Required:

• Graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program

• Current national board certification appropriate to the candidate's discipline

• Physician Assistant: Current NCCPA certification

• Acute Care Nurse Practitioner: Current national board certification through an appropriate recognized certifying organization

• Current RNFA certification

• Current BLS certification

• Current ACLS certification

• Current DEA registration, or eligibility to obtain DEA registration, as required by the position

• Eligibility for and successful completion of institutional credentialing and privileging

• Ability to obtain and maintainappropriate surgicalfirst-assist and ambulatory clinical privileges

• Maintenance of all required professional licenses, certifications, and continuing education requirements

Credentialing & Procedural Privileging

Procedural responsibilities will be based upon the APC's education, training, experience, demonstrated competency, and institutional credentialing requirements.

Potential privileges may include:

• Surgical first assisting for thyroid procedures

• Surgical first assisting for parathyroid procedures

• Thyroid and cervical ultrasound

• Ultrasound-guided thyroid FNA

• Ultrasound-guided cervical lymph node FNA

• Other office-based endocrine procedures as appropriate

New procedural privileges may be obtained through a structured process that may include education, supervised training, competency validation, proctoring, Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE), and ongoing competency assessment.

Position Highlights

This position offers the opportunity to:

• Build a specialized career in academic endocrine surgery

• Combine operating room and ambulatory clinical practice

• Function as an RNFA and surgical first assistant for thyroid and parathyroid procedures

• Develop longitudinal relationships with thyroid and parathyroid patients

• Manage postoperative surgical patients

• Develop expertise in nonsurgical thyroid disease

• Develop advanced knowledge of parathyroid disease and hyperparathyroidism

• Learn thyroid and cervical ultrasound

• Develop competency in ultrasound-guided FNA

• Work directly with experienced endocrine surgeons

• Participate in multidisciplinary academic care

• Teach residents, medical students, and other learners

• Participate in quality improvement, research, and academic activities

• Receive mentorship and structured training to advance endocrine surgery expertise

Position Summary

The Endocrine Surgery APC will serve as a key member of the academic otolaryngology endocrine surgery team, providing care across the full continuum.

This unique hybrid position combines RNFA-level operative responsibilities with specialized ambulatory endocrine care, allowing the APC to participate in thyroid and parathyroid surgery while providing longitudinal preoperative, postoperative, and nonsurgical management.

The position is particularly well suited for an APC who enjoys the operating room but also values longitudinal patient relationships, clinical autonomy, procedural medicine, and subspecialty expertise.

For the motivated candidate, this position provides a structured opportunity to develop advanced skills in endocrine surgery, thyroid and parathyroid disease, cervical ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided procedures within a supportive academic environment.