Physician Assistant/Orthopedics
Description
The Lemuel Shattuck Hospital under the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking caring, dynamic, and attentive applicants to provide an exceptional patient care experience that promotes healing and recovery in a compassionate public health hospital environment.
Orthopedic physician assistant (PA) provides primary patient services for Orthopedics, within the Department of Surgery.
These services are provided in the orthopedic clinics, Telemedicine Clinic, medical clinics, and on the patient floors. These clinical services are performed under the supervision of the Chief of Orthopedics and orthopedic attending staff.
The PA provides both preoperative and postoperative care to orthopedic patients, which include taking medical histories, performing physical examinations, ordering, and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescribing medication, and providing wound care.
Also, orthopedic PA assists surgeons during surgical clinics, provides inpatient direct care and assist with inpatient consultations.
The orthopedic PA also assists in the operating suite. The time devoted to these clinical settings varies from week to week.
Please note : The shift hours for this position are between 8 : 30 a.m. to 5 : 30 p.m. (40 hours per week). Days off are weekends, with other days off as assigned.
Duties and Responsibilities (these are a general summary and not all inclusive) :
- Assesses patient health by interviewing patients; performing physical examinations; obtaining, updating, and studying comprehensive medical histories.
- Orders, interprets, and correlates laboratory, radiology, and diagnostic procedures in order to formulate a differential diagnosis and treatment plan.
- Implements therapeutic intervention for specific conditions when appropriate in the clinics and inpatient settings (i.
e., administering injections; suturing; casting; managing wounds and infections).
- Exercises judgment on problems requiring consultation, referral, or evaluation by the supervising orthopedic surgeon or other health care professionals.
- Assists in gathering and completing pre-procedural paperwork (i.e., history / physical, informed consent, site verification).
- When needed, arranges preoperative consultation / education from appropriate clinical services.
- Completes hospital billing forms for orthopedic consults and telemedicine.
- Documents patient care services by charting in the electronic medical record (EMR) and department records (i.e., orders, progress notes, procedure notes, discharge summaries, histories and physicals, and transfer notes).
- Performs minor surgical procedures as well as, but not limited to, digital blocks, wound closure, wound management, wound debridement, incision and drainage, injection of local anesthetics, removal of sutures / staples, removal of PICC lines, and VAC dressing application, cast, and splint applications.
- Assists with after-hours telephone call. No call-back requirements. Rounds on acute inpatient orthopedic service every other weekend.
- Renders emergency care, when appropriate.
- Orders, prescribes, dispenses, and administers medication. Handles prescription refills.
- Conducts daily hospital rounds with supervising orthopedic surgeon.
- Provides assistance in the operating room suite as requested, including scrubbing in on cases.
- Sees new clinic patients as well as patients in follow-up.
- Triages and returns phone calls from patients and physicians under the direction of the supervising surgeon.
- Available to see patients requiring same-day clinic visits.
- Evaluates pre- and postoperative patients and performs follow-up visits.
- Provides continuity of care by developing and implementing patient management plans and implementing physician directives.
- Other duties as delegated
Required Qualifications :
- Understanding of the laws and rules governing practice as a PA in Massachusetts.
- Knowledge of the techniques of physical diagnosis, including those used in taking a medical history, performing a physical examination, and arriving at an accurate evaluation of the patient.
- Know how to interpret and maintain a confidential medical record.
- An understanding of the standard methods of medical report preparation.
- Need to know terminology and standard abbreviations used in the field of medicine (includes knowledge of banned abbreviations).
- Knowledge of safety practices and procedures followed in a medical facility.
- Ability to perform basic surgical procedures including suturing or OR techniques preferred.
- Understanding of health promotion and maintenance.
Preferred Qualifications :
Suboxone Waiver
Special Requirements :
Physician Assistant must be a graduate from a program for the education and training of Physician Assistants which has been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Approval and Certification of Physician Assistant Programs, Department of Public Health (M.
G.L. Chapter 112, ss. 9C-9H)
About the Shattuck Hospital :
Shattuck provides a safety net for patients referred by teaching and community hospitals that require extended care and is an essential health care provider for patients facing challenges accessing high quality healthcare.
The hospital is on the front lines of the opiate epidemic, leading in the innovative treatment of substance use disorders.
Shattuck provides a full range of services including acute care supported by a Medical Intermediate Care Unit, surgical services, telemetry, anesthesiology, pulmonary services, orthopedics, rehabilitative medicine, PICC / central line placement, advanced wound care, chemotherapy, and telemedicine.
Comprehensive ancillaries and procedures include full clinical lab / pathology, CT and MRI, on-site pharmacy, sleep studies, EKG / ECHO and EEG.
In addition to the main hospital, 25 outpatient clinics coordinate one-stop medical and mental health care and offer the only ambulatory surgical service among the state hospitals.
The clinical environment is strictly governed by regulatory standards that mandate day to day interventions and services
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