Orthopedic Surgical Physician Assistant

Description

Job Summary

Responsible for the delivery of quality patient care, working under the indirect or direct supervision of a Physician as licensure requires.  

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for leading and collaborating with a team of health care professionals to provide surgical services and comprehensive care.
• Sees patients, review patients’ history, and performs physical exams to diagnose the problem in the clinic and hospital setting, as appropriate.  
• Functions as an orthopedic surgical physician assistant in the operating room who is well versed in surgical aspects of care, including proficient knowledge of anatomy and physiology.
• Evaluate and clarify clinical conditions, formulate and implement a treatment for therapeutic plan for hospitalized patients, dictate discharge summaries, histories, and physicals.
• Order, prescribe, dispense, and administer medication, orthosis, orthotics, braces, and other orthopedic devices as may be allowed by state and federal regulation.
• Performs casting and splinting and a variety of brace applications.
• Addresses a large majority of personal health care needs and collaborates with the surgical team to manage care.
• Order, collect, and perform appropriate laboratory or diagnostic procedures, and studies.
• Ordering diagnostic studies such as but no limited to EMG, electrocardiogram, compartment pressure measurements, and x-ray examinations including special x-ray examinations CT, MRI, and bone scans, etc.
• Performing procedures such as but not limited to, digital blocks, regional anesthesia, and minor outpatient surgical procedures such as but not limited to tendon repair, wound closure, wound management, wound debridement, incision and drainage, needle biopsy, percutaneous pinning of fractures, k-wire removal and hardware removal.
• Perform diagnostic and therapeutic procedures including but not limited to joint and bursa aspirations, closed reduction of fractures and dislocations, injections of joints, tendons, trigger points and bursa, as well as brace, cast and splint applications.
• When appropriate, performance of perioperative procedure/interventions.
• Ensure that all needed equipment and supplies are present.
• Post-ops – write orders in the recovery room, talks with family, visits patients, performs post-op procedures.
• Dictates discharge summaries, writes prescriptions, explains discharge instructions, and confirms follow-up appointments.
• Responsible for rendering professional clinical care to such patients that may be assigned to them by the Employer or physician.  
• While rendering clinical care to those assigned patients, the Employee shall comply with all policies, standards of care, and applicable procedures commensurate with the standard practice that is appropriate with regard to patients in this field of practice.  
• Will work with the administrative and medical staff to ensure the proper posting of all charges for services, follow up with regard to any diagnostic testing performed, and the writing of prescriptions. 
• Evaluate all physical and psycho-social health status by way of a comprehensive health history and physical examination upon first contact with the patient during a scheduled appointment.  
• Initiate appropriate laboratory and /or diagnostic studies to evaluate the patient’s health status and interpret the resulting information according to standard practice protocols.  
• Actively engage in quality improvement activities.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Graduate of approved School of Physician Assistant Program and successfully passed the PA National Certifying Exam.
• Licensed/Registered as an Advance Practice Providers.
• Current Idaho License.
• Experience in Orthopedic Surgery  

Preferred Requirements

• 3 years as a midlevel practitioner.
• Bilingual: English and Spanish

Skills/Competencies

• Able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing
• Ability to maintain proper levels of confidentiality
• Ability to deal tactfully and effectively with patients (and their families), co-workers, hospital staff and the physician.
• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible, organized and function under stressful situations.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.  
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.
• Stays current with medical advancements, new technology, new drugs through continuing education classes, society meetings, professional journals etc.
• Follows the seven (7) medication rights and reduces the potential for medication errors.
• Able to make efficient use of Clinical Assistants and Medical Assistants skills and abilities.  

Physical Requirements

Perceive the nature of sounds by the ear, express or exchange ideas by means of spoken word, perceive characteristics of objects through the eyes, extend arms and hands in any direction, seize, hold, grasp, turn, or otherwise work with hands, pick, pinch, or otherwise work with fingers, perceive such attributes of objects or materials as size, shape, temperature, or texture; and stoop, kneel crouch, and crawl. Must be able to lift 50 pounds maximum with frequent lifting, carrying pushing, and pulling of objects weighing up to 100 pounds. Continuous walking and standing. Must be able to identify, match, and distinguish colors.