Advance Practice Clinician New

In addition to hands-on clinical responsibilities, the Advanced Practice Clinician will work closely with the Clinical Leadership team to develop and implement training materials, competency assessments, and performance standards for Organ Recovery Coordinators (ORCs) and clinical practice specialists (CPSs). By integrating advanced practice clinical expertise with leadership duties, this position ensures that the organization maintains the highest standards of care and operational efficiency while driving continuous improvement in donor management practices. With these foci, the Advanced Practice Clinician serves as a key liaison between clinical operations, hospital partners, and external stakeholders. 

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Collaborative Partnerships and Leadership 
  • Partner with the CMO, Clinical Leadership, and Education to maintain an effective, cohesive clinical team 
  • Provide expertise on donor suitability, medical ethics, and procedural considerations to the organ recovery staff, ensuring ethical, effective, and high-quality donor management 
  • Meet regularly with clinical staff and operations leads to review activities, identify opportunities for improvement, and resolve emerging challenges 
  • Lead the creation and refinement of policies and procedures related to donor evaluation, donor management and optimization, and collaborate with the Clinical Director on compliance with policies to ensure best practice and regulatory compliance 
  • Act as a liaison between physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other stakeholders engaged in the multiple components of organ recovery and transplantation 
  • Collaborate with Hospital Services to assist in educational initiatives for physicians, advanced practice providers, and nursing staff, promoting increased hospital participation in the donation process.  
  • Represent the organization at local, state, regional, and national meetings when appropriate 
• Clinical Oversight and Case Review 
  • Provide clinical oversight during donor management, ensuring optimal organ function and maximizing the number of viable transplantable organs per donor. Collaborate closely with the clinical team to guide donor management decisions in real-time. 
  • Lead and participate in case reviews, assessing donor management protocols, and identifying areas for improvement. Take the lead on discussions regarding research and innovation in clinical practices. 
  • Serve as a proxy for the CMO during donor case reviews, implementation of EMR order sets, and when liaising with hospital administrators on policy matters. 
  • Engage in post-case quality reviews and assist with developing quality improvement initiatives, ensuring feedback loops and data-driven outcomes. 
  • Facilitate the performance of advanced procedures, including (but not limited to) bronchoscopy, invasive line placement, and liver biopsy. Help facilitate the training, education, and competency evaluation of staff performing these procedures. 
• Education and Competency Development 
  • Collaborate with leadership to design, implement, and review training programs, annual competency evaluations, and ongoing professional development opportunities for clinical staff. 
  • Work with team members to ensure staff demonstrate high levels of competency and remain current with new procedures, technologies, and regulatory requirements 
  • Provide medical support to donor families as requested by answering questions of a medical nature, ensuring compassionate, clear communication during the donation process 
• Process Improvement and Innovation 
  • Partner with organizational leadership to lead and contribute to process improvement initiatives, focusing on enhancing clinical management and operational efficiency 
  • Identify and pursue research opportunities related to donor management, clinical care advancements, and innovative technologies in the organ donation process 
  • Offer strategic and operational support to directors and executive leadership on special projects and other matters as requested. 
• Oversight of Contracting Organizations 
  • Provide leadership and guidance over the cardiac catheterization lab to ensure quality and safety in all procedures 
  • Serve as STA representative in discussions and activities within centralized DCD process at the contracted facility. 
  • Review protocols and policies to ensure alignment with best practices 
  • Support education initiatives for staff on technique and protocols 
  • Maintain compliance with regulatory standards and engage in case review to drive continuous improvement 
  • Coordinate with contracted cardiologists to ensure compliance with organizational standards  
• On-Call Responsibilities 
  • Participate in the on-call rotation as a representative of the Medical Director/CMO 
• Additional Clinical Decisions Resulting from RACI 
  • Manage intraoperative organ declines
  • Work collaboratively with case specialist team to deviate from typical organ allocation policy when appropriate 
  • Assist with developing processes related to biopsies of tissue or organs as appropriate 
  • Collaborate with hospital services and AOC to solve issues related to barriers with external partners and their management of potential donors 
  • Work alongside referral specialist team to review candidacy of potential donors as well as developing guidelines for candidacy 
• Perform other duties as required.

Compliance:

• OSHA CATEGORY DEFINITION: Category 1 - The incumbent in this position has the potential of occupational exposure.
• The incumbent will have access to confidential material and is required to use discretion with this information and comply with STA Confidentiality policy.

Education, Experience, and Licensing Requirements:

• Master or Doctorate in Nursing with an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner board certification or relevant OPO experience.  Pursuance of nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant degree expected within two years of hire. A combination of alternative education and experience may be considered in lieu of the formal education requirements.
• CPTC certification and a minimum of five (5) years of OPO experience in an organ recovery type clinical role or clinical bedside care is required. Excellent knowledge of OPTN policy required.
• Basic Live Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider certifications are required.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Direct experience in healthcare with critical care or transplant medicine.
• Experience in organ procurement organizations.
• Knowledge of simulation, e-Learning technologies, MS Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint preferred.
• Excellent communication skills are required. Must communicate effectively with all personnel levels and represent the organization publicly.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team required.
• Ability to cope with high levels of stress and able to handle a heavy workload.
• Ability to travel in light and commercial aircraft or drive his/her personal auto in order to meet all job duties and responsibilities.
• Current Driver’s license required.

Physical Environment / Working Conditions:

Normal office environment, travel in light and commercial aircraft, or automobile in order to meet all the duties and responsibilities of the position.

Other: 

Southwest Transplant Alliance maintains a policy of nondiscrimination with employees and applicants for employment. No aspect of employment will be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other basis prohibited by statute. In addition to federal law requirements, STA complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the STA has staff.

Disclaimer: The preceding description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required of the Director of People Services.