- Job Objective:A brief overview of the position.
- The Physician Assistant (PA) assists in OR and is responsible for the management of care of the cardiac surgery patient across inpatient healthcare Continuum.
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- Reports to
- Administrative Director, Surgical Services and Supervising Cardiac Surgeon
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- Qualifications
- Education
- Licensure/Certification
- Required: Physician Assistant license by PA’s Examining Committee of the Medical Board of California; and American Heart Association BLS and ACLS.
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- Experience
- Preferred: Acute cardiac pre to post-op management.
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- Essential Responsibilities
- Demonstrates compliance with Code of Conduct and compliance policies, and takes action to resolve compliance questions or concerns and report suspected violations.
- Utilizes the medical model to manage patient care. Completes management of care by:
- Providing evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
- Health promotion and disease prevention-based goals for self-care skills.
- Provide counseling and education Offer collaborative practice-based setting.
- Provide risk assessment to families and community.
- Primary and acute care level of intervention.
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- Assesses the health status of patients by completing the following:
- Obtains a relevant health and medical history
- Performs a physical examination based on age and history.
- Performs or orders diagnostic procedures based on the client’s needs.
- Identifies health and medical risk factors.
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- Makes accurate diagnosis by:
- Utilizing critical thinking in the diagnostic process.
- Synthesizing and analyzing the collected data.
- Formulating a differential diagnosis based on the history, physical examination, and diagnostic test results.
- Establishing priorities to meet the health and medical needs of the client.
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- Develops a treatment plan under the supervising physician to maximize health potential.
- Selecting appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions.
- Developing a patient education plan and providing patient teaching.
- Appropriate consultation/referral.
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- Interventions are based on priorities and are individualized and consistent with plan of care.
- Evaluates and follows up on patient status making modifications in the treatment plan as necessary based on reassessment.
- Recognizes priorities in critical situations and acts in a timely manner.
- Demonstrates knowledge of surgical anatomy, physiology, and operative techniques.
- Provides intra-operative exposure and retraction.
- Retracts tissues or organs by use of the hand.
- Places and holds surgical retractors.
- Packs sponges or laparotomy pads into body cavities to hold tissues or organs out of the operative field.
- Manages all instruments in the operative field to prevent obstruction of the surgeon’s view.
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- Sutures tissue, using instruments and suture material.
- Correctly approximates tissue layers.
- Approximates tissue appropriately to avoid excess tension and tissue necrosis.
- Ties knots firmly to avoid slipping.
- Uses staples, clips or other devices to approximate tissue.
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- Handles tissues and manipulates instruments to perform:
- Superficial dissection.
- Harvesting of saphenousvein 1. open 2. bridging 3. endoscopic Provides hemostasis by:
- Aspirating and sponging of blood and other fluids from the operative site.
- Applying clamps on superficial vessels and typing them or electrocoagulation of them as directed.
- Placing suture ligatures in the muscle, subcutaneous and skin layers.
- Placing hemoclips or other ligating devices on bleeders.
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- Facilitates patient participation in health and medical care by providing education needed to make decisions and choices about:
- Promotion, maintenance and restoration of health.
- Consultation with other appropriate health care personnel.
- Appropriate utilization of health care resources.
- Facilitation of entry into the healthcare system; admission to facility under direction of Supervising Physician.
- The promotion of a safe, realistic discharge plan.
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- Completes patient rounds on all Cardiovascular Surgery inpatients.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
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