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Organization:
VUH Advanced Practice Provider
Job Summary:
The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a key member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, collaborating closely with physicians and other care providers to manage a distinct patient population in the inpatient acute care setting. Working with hospitalized patients, the APP provides specialized care and supports the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based medical services. This role requires a strong foundation in evidence-based practice and clinical education, with the APP responsible for adhering to established clinical pathways and protocols to ensure safe and effective patient care. The APP will demonstrate advanced medical knowledge, clinical and technical competence, sound clinical judgment, and professional communication skills. In addition, the APP is accountable for timely and compliant documentation and actively participates in professional development and competency validation to maintain high standards of care. .
Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Department of Thoracic Surgery focuses on non-cardiac chest surgery, lung transplantation, and complex oncologic care.
Conditions Treated in the Department of Thoracic Surgery:
Lung cancer, pulmonary nodules, and metastases.
Esophageal cancer, achalasia, and reflux/hernia repairs.
Pleural and mediastinal diseases (including mesothelioma and thymomas).
Tracheal disorders and chest wall tumors/deformities (e.g., Nuss/Ravitch procedures for pectus excavatum).
End-stage lung disease, lung transplantation, and ECMO management
Job duties for the Advanced Practice Provider role generally involve rounding, calls from the floor regarding patients, admissions/discharge, pulling chest tubes, and more. This is not an OR position, but is a role caring for inpatient thoracic surgery patients.
SHIFT
- Night shift role - 13-hour shifts - typically 3 shifts per week
Working as an Advanced Practice Provider (APP)—either an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant—in the Thoracic Surgery division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) offers several distinct personal and professional advantages:
High Autonomy and Top-of-License Practice
VUMC has a well-established Advanced Practice Culture where APPs are deeply integrated into the medical team. Attending surgeons heavily rely on APPs to run inpatient rounds, evaluate postoperative patients in the PACU, manage complex high-acuity surgical cases, and handle consultations. APPs consistently are practicing at the absolute top of their license with strong professional respect from attending physicians.
Because VUMC houses the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and operates one of the busiest lung transplant programs in the world, thoracic surgery APPs manage incredibly unique pathologies.
QUALIFICATIONS
Critical care background highly preferred
Master's or Doctorate degree in nursing or physician assistant studies
National Board Certification as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), or Physician Assistant (PA)
TN License/Certificate of Fitness to Prescribe, eligible for NPI and DEA
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Obtains and documents a health history; performs and documents complete, system-focused, or…