Your Career. Our Company. Together, We Grow. 

At Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH), we realize that in order to provide our surrounding communities with excellent care, we must begin by providing our employees with that same care and appreciation. We offer rich opportunities to develop and grow professionally, an environment of excellence in patient care, and the awareness that everything we accomplish is a direct outgrowth of the superb efforts and dedication of our employees.

As a non-profit system of almost 4000 employees, we have won national acclaim for our cancer, cardiac, stroke, bariatric, breast imaging, and rehabilitation services.

Responsible for patient care within the hospital under the supervision of an attending physician.

Role Specific Responsibilities
o Responsible for patient care under the supervision of an attending physician.
o Discharge planning for orthopedic patients such as; medication reconciliation, dietary instructions, DME orders, referrals, and continuing care instructions.
o Educates staff on orthopedic care and joint camp guidelines and protocols.
o Facilitates safe care of joint camp patients through the Group Physical Therapy processes.
o Expedites admission of ortho patients both ED and direct admits by ordering appropriate diagnostics and initiating treatment.
o Takes first line of calls from ED and Nursing homes-questions and concerns.
o Participates in service line planning and coordination.
o Provides liaison between joint camp and other services.
o Maintains all required records, reports, statistics, logs, files and other documents as required, including but not limited to payroll, schedules and status changes.
o Provides ortho care to non-surgical patients within their scope of practice.
o Apply and remove orthopedic casts and traction for non-surgical patients.
o Apply, remove and change dressings and bandages.
o Assist in positioning patients in operating room; help with intraoperative care.
o Assist in surgery to include, but limited to, first assist, deep and simplified tissue closures, application of appliances, and any other action delegated by the surgeon.
o Counsel and instruct patients and significant others as appropriate.
o General care for superficial wounds and minor superficial procedures, unrelated to surgical procedures.
o Responsible for patient care under the supervision of an attending physician.
o Discharge planning for orthopedic patients such as; medication reconciliation, dietary instructions, DME orders, referrals, and continuing care instructions.
o Educates staff on orthopedic care and joint camp guidelines and protocols.
o Facilitates safe care of joint camp patients through the Group Physical Therapy processes.
o Expedites admission of ortho patients both ED and direct admits by ordering appropriate diagnostics and initiating treatment.
o Takes first line of calls from ED and Nursing homes-questions and concerns.
o Participates in service line planning and coordination.
o Provides liaison between joint camp and other services.
o Maintains all required records, reports, statistics, logs, files and other documents as required, including but not limited to payroll, schedules and status changes.
o Provides ortho care to non-surgical patients within their scope of practice.
o Apply and remove orthopedic casts and traction for non-surgical patients.
o Apply, remove and change dressings and bandages.
o Assist in positioning patients in operating room; help with intraoperative care.
o Assist in surgery to include, but limited to, first assist, deep and simplified tissue closures, application of appliances, and any other action delegated by the surgeon.
o Counsel and instruct patients and significant others as appropriate.
o General care for superficial wounds and minor superficial procedures, unrelated to surgical procedures.

o Initiate referral to appropriate physician or other health care professional of problems that exceed the PA’s scope of practice after consultation with surgeon.
o Make daily rounds on hospitalized patients with the attending physician. (Does not satisfy or change the supervising physician’s responsibility to make rounds and write the progress notes.)
o Order diagnostic testing and therapeutic modalities such as medications, treatments, IV fluids and electrolytes, etc. after consultation with surgeon.
o Perform acts of diagnosis and treatment, unrelated to surgery, as determined by PA’s scope of knowledge and training.
o Perform minor outpatient surgical procedures such as, but not limited to, incision and drainage of superficial abscesses, tendon repairs, would closure, wound management, wound debridement, irrigation and debridement, needle biopsy, percutaneous pinning of fractures, k-wire removal, and hardware removal, unrelated to surgery.
o Perform venous punctures for blood sampling, cultures and IV catheterization as ordered by surgeon.
o Record progress notes when rounding with surgeon. Surgeon must sign progress note.
o Take physician verbal orders including admit/discharge orders.
o Document the discharge summary after consult with the surgeon. The surgeon must sign the discharge summary. The intent is NOT to have the Physician Assistant or Advanced Practice Nurse do the work, but to collect the information from the physician, document this and then have the physician to sign, such that the discharge may be expedited.

Education
• Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Physician Assistant Studies from a CAHEA accredited program
• Master’s Degree in Advanced Practice Nursing Studies from a CCNEA accredited program.

Licenses and Certification

• Current Illinois Licensed Physician Assistant or Advanced Practice Nurse
• Current NCCPA certificate as a Physician Assistant or AACC certificate as an Advanced Practice Nurse
• Physician Assistant or Advanced Practice Nurse practitioner controlled substance licensure

Experience
• Technical Experience: 2 years