Nurse Practitioner

The Nurse Practitioner having a specialty-based focus functions in an expanded role demonstrating a high level of autonomy and expert skill to formulate clinical decisions and appropriately manage acute/chronic illness and promote wellness. As a member of the Interprofessional Practice team the Nurse Practitioner (NP) will work in partnership with the Cardiac Heart Function, Cardiac and Renal team to utilize clinical expertise and an in-depth knowledge of Cardiac patients with heart failure and general Cardiology issues to plan patient care and evaluate clinical practice across the continuum of care, both the inpatient and outpatient areas. In addition, the NP will provide clinical leadership and promote a culture of excellence within the assigned program and across the organization. The NP will do this by providing expert clinical practice, education, consultation, participate in the development of policy and procedures and research within a family centered nursing approach. The NP role will support ongoing health care monitoring and will assist patients in accessing appropriate primary care in the community, serving as a key connection between community and inpatient services.

Responsibilities Include:

• Conducts in depth comprehensive assessments that integrate a wide range of complex information including patient, family and staff perspectives
• Initiates and evaluates selected medical and nursing therapies within the NP scope of practice, medical directives and practice guidelines
• Utilizes diagnostic reasoning to formulate a medical diagnosis within the specialty scope of practice and consistent with practice guidelines
• Collaborates with the physician when determining an acute or chronic diagnosis as appropriate
• Consults with and refers to other health care professionals and community services as needed
• Provide education informally and formally to internal and external teams/partners
• Participate in program evaluation, reporting requirements and quality improvement initiatives as required
• Performs other duties as required or assigned

Education/Certification:

• Current registered member with Extended Class (EC) in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario required
• Master’s Degree program in Nursing/Master of Science in Nursing or recognized equivalent is required
• Adult/ Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate required
• Current certification in Basic Cardiac Life Support required
• Successful completion of College of Nurses approved education to prescribe controlled substances required.
• Membership in the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) and/or Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario (NPAO) required
• Current certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support required
• Additional cardiovascular education and/or certification preferred or started within one year of start date of position
• Must maintain Certification once obtained

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience working in an advanced practice role as an NP in a hospital inpatient or outpatient program required
• 5 years relevant Cardiac experience required
• Advanced knowledge of the nursing process, the consultation process, program planning, nursing research methodology, discharge planning and community resources required.
• Experience in nursing research methodology
• Eligibility for cross-appointment to an academic institution preferred
• Demonstrated expertise in 12 lead ECG interpretation required

Competencies:

• Ability to perform duties in a professional and courteous manner
• Ability to produce high quality work while meeting deadlines in accordance with RVH standards
• Demonstrate initiative and good judgment with the ability to multi-task
• Compliance with confidentiality requirements
• Effective organizational, interpersonal and communication skills
• Patient centered service orientation with sensitivity to and appreciation for diversity
• Excellent decision making and problem solving skills
• Program planning and evaluation methodology skills required
• Collaborative approach to clinical work
• Ability to interpret, apply and communicate relevant policies and procedures
• Knowledge and proficiency in current evidence-based methods and practices with an emphasis on health promotion and risk reduction
• Demonstration commitment to continuous quality improvement
• Quality assurance project experience to support development of heart failure related initiatives
• Proficiency with Microsoft word and excel