Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

Are you considering a NP/PA career in critical care? We are excited to announce that Northwestern Lake Forest offers Chicagoland’s first APP Critical Care Fellowship.  

Northwestern Medicine has an exciting opportunity for an acute care nurse practitioner or physician assistant. We are seeking highly motivated new or recent graduates who would like to pursue a career providing acute care in the hospital setting. This is an intensive one-year training program that uses a multidisciplinary approach to prepare clinicians to step into the challenging and fast-paced role of a critical care Advanced Practice Provider (APP).

Northwestern Lake Forest (NLFH) APP Critical Care Fellowship (ACCF) Overview:  

• A yearlong fellowship opportunity with competitive pay and benefits  
• NLFH has a state-of-the-art institution, representing a perfect blend of academic medicine and community medicine.  
• APPs at NLFH are valued and given desired autonomy following completion of training  
• NLFH trained its first APP fellow in 2018 who now autonomously manages ICU patients overnight  
• Responsible for all admissions and acute issues in the ICU as well as cross coverage for the Pulmonary service  
• Able to perform critical care procedures  
• Responds to all code blues  
• Functions without in-house physician (approximately 50-75% of the year)  
• Incredible learning experience with both physician and APP preceptors  

ACCF Educational Opportunities:  

• Sponsored didactic training through Society of Critical Care Medicine  
• Weekly didactic sessions with assigned preceptor  
• Monthly APP Acute Care Management Education Lecture Series presentations given by NLFH subspecialty providers  
• Access to APP Education Series Library where established APPs/physicians have recorded lectures for your learning  
• Procedural Simulation Training   
• CHEST sponsored 2-day Critical Care Ultrasound Course
• Attend M&M Rounds; host 2 RN ‘Lunch & Learns’; present end of fellowship APP Education lecture (capstone)
• Opportunities to become involved in hospital wide APP activities such as the APP council and subcommittees     

ACCF Rotational Opportunities:  

• In addition to your 10 month ICU rotation, you will have opportunities in specialty rotations:  
  • Emergency Medicine – 1 month 
  • Hospital Medicine – 1 month 
  • Palliative Care – 2 weeks  
  • Infectious Disease – 2 weeks
  • Cardiology (including Interventional and Advanced Heart Failure Service) – 2 weeks 
  • Neurology +/- Neurosurgery – 1 week 
  • Anesthesiology & Interventional Radiology –  year-long procedural experience incorporated throughout critical care rotation    

ACCF Procedural Competencies:  

• Arterial line placement and management  
• Perform/interpret POC Ultrasounds  
• Insert/manage Central Venous Catheters  
• Arterial Puncture  
• Cardioversion  
• Oral/Nasal Tracheal Intubation  
• Ventilator Management  
• Tracheostomy Management  
• Lumbar Puncture  
• US-guided paracentesis/thoracentesis  
• Insert/manage chest tubes  
• Temporary vascular access placement for HD/CRRT  
• Moderate sedation  
• Thrombolytic administration for chest tubes and PEA arrest  

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Certified Nurse Practitioner (APRN-CNP) or Physician Assistant (PA) in the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellow role reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization's Code of Ethics, Corporate Compliance Program and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all regulatory and accreditation standards.

Schedule: 

• Primarily day shift
• Some weeks of night shift and some weekend rotations during the one year of training
• No on-call

Responsibilities:

• Complete all requirements for credentialing and privileging at NLFH for inpatient core privileges
• Attend all didactic lectures and educational opportunities scheduled for APP fellows
• Provide direct care to patients as assigned by clinical preceptors
• Collaborate and consult with physicians and other health care professionals as appropriate
• Develop organizational skills to manage a patient caseload
• Develop effective communication and presentation skills with the interdisciplinary team
• Develop a deep and broad knowledge base of the common disease processes for which patients are hospitalized through fellowship training and home study as appropriate
• Identify individual professional development needs and work w/ APP preceptors/mentors to create opportunities for learning and practice
• Participate in APP monthly mentoring meetings and monthly APP grand rounds.

Qualifications

Required:

• Master’s degree from an accredited school/college of nursing OR master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program  
• Acute care certification required for APRNs (inpatient experience as an NP will be considered in lieu of acute care certification)
• Current license as a Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Current license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Certification as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by a national certifying body as approved by the Illinois Department of Regulation APRN Board. Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number OR Master’s degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program/Current license as a Physician Assistant in the State of Illinois.  Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number
• Privileged and credentialed through the Northwestern Medicine Medical Staff Office (MSO)
• Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation – BLS, issued by the American Heart Association 

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.  Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. 

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.