Neonatal Intensive Care Unit APP - Neonatal Nurse Practitioner or Neonatal Physician Assistant

We are recruiting for a mission-driven Neonatal Intensive Care Unit APP (Neonatal Nurse Practitioner or Neonatal Physician Assistant) to join our team!

We're with you for life’s journey. At Denver Health, purpose isn’t just something we believe in—it’s something we live every day, for life’s journey.

Our Values

Respect | Belonging | Accountability | Transparency

Department

Pediatricians

Denver Health Medical Center is recruiting for a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner or Neonatal Physician Assistant to join our team.   

The selected provider must have completed NICU-specific training as an NP or PA. The practitioner will provide, under supervision of a Neonatologist, care for infants in our 25-bed, level IIIB NICU. Clinical responsibilities include leadership of high-risk deliveries, patient admissions, daily rounding, procedures, family communication, and discharge planning. DHMC is a teaching hospital; the practitioner will work closely with medical residents and occasionally medical students and have opportunities to teach. Contribution of the practitioner to the mission and vision of the institution is an expectation, and the role provides opportunities for interdisciplinary committee work, participation in quality improvement initiatives, and teaching trainees. 

Our Institution and the Department of Inpatient Pediatrics: 
The Department of Inpatient Pediatrics at Denver Health includes the NICU, PICU, Pediatric General Ward, and Well-Baby Nursery divisions; each with its own medical directorship reporting to the Chair of Inpatient Pediatrics. Inpatient Pediatrics is a training site for several residency training programs of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Denver Health offers exceptional exposure to complex pediatric patients in a supportive, team-oriented environment.  These experiences help cultivate outstanding clinical judgment, procedural skill, and professionalism. Advanced practice providers (NP’s and PA’s) are a vital part of the medical staff and have an influential institutional leadership presence as the APP Council. Our educational, research, and patient-care missions are unified by a commitment to health equity and service to underserved populations—core to our identity as a leading safety-net institution. All practitioners can apply for Clinical Instructor status at the University of Colorado School of Medicine if they desire a formal academic pathway. 

Our Neonatal ICU: 

The DHMC NICU is a 25-bed, level IIIB unit with ~450 admissions annually. We admit patients as young as 23 weeks and offer invasive mechanical ventilation, high-frequency ventilation, total-body hypothermia for HIE and nitric oxide therapy for PPHN. We have pediatric subspecialty care including pediatric neurology, general pediatric surgery, pediatric orthopedics and pediatric ophthalmology, and offer other subspecialty services through a care alliance with Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, CO. Our unit provides wraparound support for NICU families including a dedicated NICU psychologist, child life specialist, social worker, complex discharge coordinator and two full-time lactation consultants. Most of our patients receive follow-up care after discharge through Denver Health’s network of primary care clinics across the metro area, which facilitates great relationships with Denver Health’s outpatient pediatric and family practice physicians. We also have an integrated high-risk follow-up clinic for NICU graduates who receive comprehensive developmental services.

Provider Care Team & Schedule:
Our provider team includes 5 neonatologists, 3 pediatric hospitalists, and 5 APP’s, a group we are currently growing. Neonatologists cover the NICU service 1 week at a time and take call from home, APP’s and neonatal hospitalists work a combination of 24-hour shifts and night shifts to ensure that 2 trained NICU providers are always available to respond to high-risk deliveries and emergencies.  The DHMC Well-Baby Nursery is covered by a separate team of dedicated pediatricians and APP’s; our team provides only consultation in the Nursery. Our NICU participates in quality improvement initiatives as a member of the Vermont-Oxford Network, the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative, and EMBRACE, the regional NICU family engagement collaborative.  

Denver Health’s excellent benefits include:

• 7 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday each year

• Additional paid time off starting at 21 days/year and increasing with years of employment

• 9.5% retirement matching

• Dependent Care FSA and Health Care FSA available 

• Basic life and disability insurance fully covered by DHHA, with additional coverage available

• Occurrence-based malpractice insurance, fully covered by DHHA including tail coverage

• Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

• DEA Fee exemption

• 5 days of CME time and CME allowance of $3500/yr

• High-value, affordable health care through the Denver Health Employee Medical Plan
  

Essential Functions/Skills of the Neonatal APP include:

• Provide critical/intensive care and discharge planning for patients in the NICU as part of a multidisciplinary team (60%)

• Attend and lead high-risk deliveries in accordance with NRP (10%)

• Perform basic procedures of neonatal intensive care including but not limited to newborn resuscitation, umbilical line placement, endotracheal intubation, lumbar puncture, decompression of pneumothorax, circumcision. (5%)

• Provide consultation for antepartum birthing patients and patients in the nursery (5%)

• Navigate order entry, documentation and communication in the EPIC EHR (10%)

• Participate in “mission time” work including QI projects, medical education, committee work or other scholarly activity (10%)

• Computer skills required, including ability to navigate the electronic health record, complete timely documentation, respond to clinical messages during work hours and manage professional responsibilities via email and internet calendars. 

• BLS and NRP certification required; PALS optional but encouraged. 

Interested applicants must apply online and may submit CV to: 

Aaron Ortiz, Manager of Provider Recruitment, [email protected]

Education:

• Master's Degree Required

Work Experience:

• No previous experience required.

Licenses:

• PA-Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner NNP - State Medical Board Required and
• BLS-Basic Life Support (BLS/CPR) - AHA - American Heart Association or American Red Cross Required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of medical principals and procedures.
• Skill in performing physical exams and in formulation of assessments and treatment plans.
• Ability to order appropriate diagnostic studies to aid in diagnosis.
• Knowledge of appropriate administration and prescription of medications.
• Ability to exercise initiative and judgment in selecting proper treatment.
• Ability to respond appropriately in emergency situations.
• Desire ability to enhance professional growth and development through participation in educational programs and review of current literature.
• Knowledge and accountability for department's productivity, efficiency and financial viability.
• Computer skills required.

Shift

Varies (United States of America)

Work Type

Regular

Salary

$145,900.00 - $170,000.00 / yr

Benefits

At Denver Health, we take care of the people who take care of our community. Our benefits are built to support your life, your family, and your future — with generous paid time off, fully paid parental leave, exceptional retirement contributions, comprehensive health coverage, and nationally recognized well-being programs. We invest in your growth through tuition assistance, career advancement pathways, and professional development — while also offering meaningful financial advantages through loan forgiveness eligibility and employer contributions. When you join Denver Health, you’re joining a mission-driven organization that invests in you.

Here is a small list of our benefit programs:

• Paid time off starting at 28 days per year, inclusive of vacation, personal/sick, and 7 Holidays
• 100% paid parental leave up to 6 weeks
• Immediate eligibility for retirement plans with employer contribution up to 9.5%
• Generous medical, dental, vision plans in addition to employer paid disability and life insurance.
• Comprehensive well-being programs including on-site employee fitness center located on Denver Health main campus and nationally recognized RESTORE Center
• Free RTD EcoPass (public transportation)
• Childcare discount programs & exclusive perks on large brands, travel, and more
• Tuition reimbursement & assistance
• Education, coaching, and professional development opportunities through the Workforce Development Center (WFDC) that support internal career growth and advancement pathways
• Professional clinical advancement program & shared governance
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer+ free student loan coaching and assistance navigating the PSLF program
• National Health Service Corps (NHCS) and Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) eligible employer

About Denver Health

Denver Health is an integrated, high-quality academic healthcare system considered a model for the nation that includes a Level I Trauma Center, a 555-bed acute care medical center, Denver’s 911 emergency medical response system, 10 family health centers, 19 school-based health centers, Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety, the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, Denver Health Medical Plan and Denver Health Foundation.

As Colorado’s primary, and essential, safety-net healthcare system, Denver Health is a mission-driven organization that has provided millions in uncompensated care for the uninsured each year.

Located near downtown Denver, Denver Health is just minutes away from many of the cultural and recreational activities Denver has to offer.

Denver Health is an equal opportunity employer (EOE). We value the unique ideas, talents and contributions reflective of the needs of our community. All job applicants for safety-sensitive positions must pass a pre-employment drug test, once a conditional offer of employment has been made. Applicants will be considered until the position is filled.