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Job Description

Lesley Davidson

Wright State University

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Job Description

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) Nurse Practitioner

 “The focus of the CVICU NP includes clinical expertise along with continuity of care;

from the initial clinic or inpatient visit through discharge, the NP has a holistic approach

that includes medical decision making as well as aspects of nursing care such as

education and careful communication” (Foster, 2012).

Requirements/ Qualifications:

 Graduate from an AGACNP educational program at the Master of Science Degree or

DNP level.

 Must successfully pass a national certification examination for licensure.

 Current ACLS certification.

 Facilitate a collaborative process within the interprofessional health care team.

 Continuing education to maintain licensure.

 3-5 years of critical care experience

 Evidence of malpractice insurance

 Report to collaborative physician

Physician’s statement

Patient population:

 Adult patients who are critically ill, with rapidly changing conditions who require

medical intensive care.

 Adults patients who require planned or emergent coronary artery bypass

graft/endarterectomy.

CVICU NP Responsibilities:
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 Clinical

o Hospital Rounds

 Preview EMR, communicate changes/concerns during rounds.

 Facilitate order entry.

 Follow up on key diagnostics and patient status later in the day and report

findings to the physician.

o Pre-evaluate consults

 Provides initial evaluation of surgical consultation.

 Assess and evaluate patients in their preoperative status.

 Discuss initial planning with the physician.

o Assist in the evaluation of hospital follow-ups.

o Facilitate care coordination for all hospitalized patients.

 Provides perioperative support for patients and their families.

 Provides postoperative instruction to patients and their families

 Consults other healthcare team members in providing sensitive and

comprehensive care.

 Acts as a liaison between surgeons, nursing staff, patients, and their

families regarding pre and post-operative changes.

 Education

o Clinical preceptor for other nursing students.

o Participates in formal and informal nursing activities.

o Makes rounds with surgeons to increase and validate knowledge and assessment

skills.
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o Participates in pertinent continuing education activities.

 Research

o Participates in clinical research.

o Identifies clinical problems for inquiry.

o Shares responsibility for the collection and analysis of data for clinical inquiry

and quality assurance.

 Leadership

 Consultation

 General

o Maintains own professional growth.

o Completes yearly self-evaluation.

o Actively participate in professional organizations.

CVICU nurse practitioner role:

 Independently elicits, selects, and integrates, information concerning patients with acute,

critical, and/or complex chronic illnesses.

 Independently analyzes and synthesizes the assessment data in determining differential

diagnoses for patients with acute, critical, and/or complex chronic illnesses.

 Identifies individualized goals and outcomes for patients with acute, critical, and/or

complex chronic illnesses.

 Independently develops an outcome- focused plan of care that prescribes interventions

for patients with acute, critical, and/or complex chronic illnesses

 Implements the interventions identified in the interprofessional plan of care for patients

with acute, critical, and/or complex critical illnesses.

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 Evaluates the patient’s progress toward the attainment of goals and outcomes.

 Evaluates his or her clinical practice in relationship to institutional guidelines,

professional practice standards, and relevant statutes and regulations.

 Acquires and maintains current knowledge in advanced nursing practice.

 Collaborates with the patient, family, and other health care providers in the delivery of

patient care.
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References

Kleinpell, R. M., Hudspeth, R., Scordo, K. A., & Magdic, K. (2012). Defining NP scope of

practice and associated regulations: Focus on acute care. Journal of The American

Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 24(1), 11-18. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2011.00683.x

Foster, S. S. (2012). Core competencies required for the cardiac surgical nurse

practitioner. Journal of The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 24(8), 472-475.

doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2012. 00727.x

Haut, C., & Madden, M. (2015). Hiring Appropriate Providers for Different Populations: Acute

Care Nurse Practitioners. Critical Care Nurse, 35(3), e1-e8. doi:10.4037/ccn2015972

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.aacn.org