Nurse Practitioner, Surgery, Cardiac
$72.90 - $109.36
Mid
Visalia, CA, USA
In Person
Medical, Clinical & VeterinaryAdvanced Practice Providers
About the job
Requirements
- A current California Nurse Practitioner license and California Nurse Practitioner Furnishing Number are required.
- Drug Enforcement Administration registration is required.
- A current California Registered Nurse license is required.
- Basic Life Support certification is required.
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification is required.
- One year of recent Registered Nurse specialty experience in an adult, critical care, or medical-surgical setting is required.
- Completion of credentialing through the Medical Staff Interdisciplinary Practice Committee is required.
- Computer literacy is required.
- Knowledge and understanding of Joint Commission standards, California's Nursing Practice Act, applicable sections of California Title 22 and 16, applicable federal guidelines and regulations including HIPAA, the American Nurses Association Scope and Standards of Practice, specialty-area policies and procedures, and national standards for the specialty area are required.
- The ability to provide care and services appropriate to the population served, with knowledge of growth and development across cultural, linguistic, spiritual, gender, and age-specific needs, is required.
- The ability to effectively communicate and care for patients and families as reflected in the Plan for Provision of Care is required.
Responsibilities
- Use patient knowledge and assessments to design, implement, and evaluate specialty-related patient care plans, applying advanced knowledge of physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health assessment.
- Manage populations with disease-state and non-disease-based etiologies to improve and promote healthcare outcomes.
- Collaborate consistently with the interdisciplinary team on the most complex patients within the specialty area.
- Focus on population health management across the care continuum.
- Collaborate among medical staff, nursing units, and ancillary departments to facilitate problem-solving.
- Design, implement, and evaluate innovative individual- and population-based care programs to achieve high-quality, cost-effective outcomes.
- Provide relevant patient instruction and education.
- Coordinate patient care, including ordering, interpreting, and evaluating laboratory tests and radiographic studies to expedite treatment, and follow up on abnormal findings.
- Order transfers within the hospital or to other facilities at the appropriate level of care.
- Consult with medical staff, medical residents, nursing, case management, social work, and clinical documentation staff as needed to meet documentation and throughput goals.
- Complete histories and physicals or medical screening exams, discharge summaries and instructions, and patient prescriptions as indicated to enhance throughput.
- Document necessary medical-record components to meet documentation standards for the assigned DRG or APR-DRG, including appropriate patient status and level of care.
- Document and order necessary components to meet CMS, core measure, and Value-Based Purchasing requirements.
- Use direct clinical practice to consult, educate, coach, and mentor staff nurses in achieving optimum patient outcomes.
- Develop high-quality healthcare standards, assist in implementing standards, order sets, and clinical pathways, facilitate goal setting, measure achievements, and evaluate outcomes as a change agent in healthcare settings.
- Advance nursing practice through evidence-based interventions, best-practice guidelines, and modification of professional standards and organizational policies directing care by nursing personnel and other healthcare providers.
- Use clinical inquiry and research in an advanced specialty area of practice.
- Promote the use and understanding of evidence-based practice.
- Review specialty-area practice standards and national guidelines to determine appropriateness and reflect current nursing practice.
- Lead multidisciplinary groups to facilitate collaboration across disciplines and achieve outcomes across the care continuum.
- Perform consultative functions and provide clinical expertise and recommendations to physicians, other healthcare providers, patients, and healthcare organizations.
- Attend appropriate medical staff committees.
- Complete and maintain procedural training appropriate to the population served, such as cardiac stress testing.
- When performing RN-first-assist duties, assist with cardiovascular surgical procedures as directed by the surgeon and function as first assistant in general and obstetric surgical suites.
- Assist surgeons with intraoperative tissue retraction, hemostasis, and tissue manipulation using surgical instruments and suture material as directed.
- Assist with intraoperative wound closure by suturing tissue with instruments and suture material as directed by the surgeon.
- For preoperative care, review the procedure, open and set up the operating room, perform preoperative counts or patient assessment as coordinated with the circulating RN, transfer and position the patient, and assist with anesthesia induction when requested by the circulating RN.
- For intraoperative care, scrub in, assist with patient draping and the surgeon within standardized-procedure parameters, and assist with counts as needed.
- For postoperative care, assist with dressings, transfer from the operating room bed, accompany the patient to the post-anesthesia care unit if required, and clean and turn over the operating room.
- Assist with specialty procedures, including minimally invasive vein or arterial harvesting, deep fascia closure, insertion of invasive monitoring lines, and cardiac sternal wound closure.
- When assisting with RN circulator duties, assess basic patient needs, recognize abnormal diagnostic data and potential problems related to the proposed surgical intervention, and communicate appropriate information to the physician and surgical team.
- Modify assessment criteria based on the patient's age and psychosocial and physical needs.
- Implement the patient's plan of care, evaluate the patient's response, and organize and adjust assignments according to patient needs.
- Facilitate transfer to the appropriate postoperative unit while ensuring patient safety and communication with receiving care staff.
- Demonstrate understanding of patient-care equipment and instrumentation, maintain knowledge of emergency equipment and supplies, and promptly refer malfunctioning or defective equipment in writing.
- Administer medications, including prescribed intravenous medications, correctly; know each drug's actions, indications, precautions, adverse reactions, dosage, and route before administration.
- Maintain clear communication and rapport with patients and families as appropriate, provide and document emotional support, and keep them informed of progress.
- Ensure patient hygiene needs are met and the immediate environment is clean and safe.
- Maintain a current and complete medical record; coordinate patient admission, transfer, and discharge; and document observations, assessments, treatments, and outcomes as necessary.
- For cardiac catheterization laboratory duties, coordinate the overall clinical program and ensure processes support smooth operations and patient flow for cardiology services involving heart valve devices (TAVR).
- Develop methods to ensure prompt access to care and coordinated patient flow across physicians' clinical sites.
- Develop collaborative partnerships with inpatient and outpatient facilities implementing the heart valve device.
- Develop and implement clinical guidelines and align the electronic medical record to support care delivery.
- Facilitate establishment of clinical trial protocols at all sites in partnership with the Valve Consortium.
- Provide clinical-program input to the marketing team to keep web and related marketing tools up to date.
- Develop and oversee the clinical program at affiliated hospitals.
- Direct the development of educational materials and develop education materials and training programs for inpatient and outpatient patient-care staff participating in the clinical trial.
- Help develop valve programs at affiliated hospitals that provide a patient referral base.
- Provide program and clinical input to quality assurance and quality-check teams to keep web and related marketing tools up to date.
- Adjust care and service approaches to the developmental level and needs of the population served; communicate respectfully, ensure a safe and secure environment, partner with patients, caregivers, and management in care decisions, individualize care plans, modify interventions based on the population, and provide education based on learners' assessed needs.
- Demonstrate professional citizenship and fiscal responsibility by focusing on health policy or resource management to ensure quality, cost-effective nursing-care outcomes.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Desired Qualifications
- National Nurse Practitioner certification from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
- Completion of a recognized Registered Nurse First Assistant training program.
- One year of recent Nurse Practitioner practice emphasizing adult assessment and management of medical or surgical conditions, and/or clinical experience in a cardiac surgery or cardiothoracic intensive care unit setting.
- Preferred education: Master of Science in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice.
- Strong written and oral communication skills and effective interpersonal relationships.
- Critical thinking, creative thinking, and creative problem-solving skills.
About the company
Kaweah Health is a public, not-for-profit health system based in Visalia, California, serving the Central Valley since 1963. It operates a 581-bed medical center, a large outpatient clinic, and several facilities, offering emergency care, cancer treatment, cardiovascular services, rehabilitation, and other medical services. It is the largest hospital system in Tulare County and a certified trauma center. As a not-for-profit, it reinvests earnings back into the community to fund new services, facilities, and programs, with a strategic focus on accessible, high-quality healthcare. The organization has launched an financial recovery plan, “Operation Back in Black,” to improve finances through revenue enhancement and cost reduction, and partners with Medline to enhance supply chain and operational efficiency. Its goal is to provide broad, high-quality healthcare to its community while strengthening financial sustainability and expanding services as needed.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Grant
Total Funding
$8.7M
Headquarters
Visalia, California
Founded
1963
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Kaweah reported $1.1 million profit for fiscal 2026's first six months.
- Vacant-position cuts, not layoffs, helped offset projected $25 million Medicaid pressure.
- Akers Clinic, Tulare therapy, and lab consolidation expand outpatient capacity in 2026.
What critics are saying
- Gary Herbst retires June 30, 2026, forcing a nationwide CEO search during recovery.
- Burger wrongful-death litigation and RN licensing actions spotlight emergency-department failures in 2025.
- One budget shock or payer-rate cut could revive 2023 default fears and closure talk.
What makes Kaweah Health unique
- Visalia's only trauma center and largest Tulare County hospital anchors regional care.
- 2026 youth mental-health expansion adds 22 beds and admits children as young as 12.
- Kaweah's residency, nursing, and clinic pipeline deepens local training and physician recruitment.
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Benefits
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Sick Leave
- Paid Holidays
- Flexible Work Hours