Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant - Cardiology - Paducah, Kentucky

BHS; Paducah (KY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Baptist Health is seeking an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) to provide expert care for patients with heart failure and complex cardiovascular conditions in the Hospital Outpatient Department.

You will evaluate patients, develop and manage treatment plans, order and interpret tests, prescribe medications, and drive disease management with clinical independence under the KBML collaborative agreement.

Qualifications

• BSN and MSN are required.
• Successful completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program.
• National certification as an APRN.
• Current Kentucky APRN license.
• DEA registration or eligibility and prescriptive authority as required.
• BLS and ACLS certification.
• Prior cardiology/heart failure experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate new patient consultations and follow-up visits for heart failure and advanced cardiovascular disease.
• Perform comprehensive history and physical examinations.
• Order, review, and interpret labs, imaging, ECGs, echocardiograms and other studies.
• Initiate, titrate, and optimize GDMT per guidelines.
• Monitor disease progression, therapy effectiveness, and adverse effects.
• Coordinate care with cardiology, primary care, electrophysiology, surgery, pharmacy, home health, and other specialists.
• Educate patients and families on heart failure, medications, diet, and self-management.
• Coordinate transitions of care post-hospitalization to reduce readmissions and improve outcomes.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives for heart failure outcomes.

Skills

New patient consultations

History and physical exams

Order and interpret tests

GDMT optimization

Care coordination

Patient education

Transitions of care

Weekend coverage

Education

BSN

MSN

APRN program

National APRN certification

KY APRN license

DEA registration/authority

BLS/ACLS

Job description

Summary

Job Description:

The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) is responsible for providing advanced practice care to patients with heart failure and other complex cardiovascular conditions. This includes conducting comprehensive patient evaluations, developing and managing treatment plans, ordering and interpreting diagnostic testing, prescribing medications, and providing ongoing disease management. Care is delivered in a Hospital Outpatient Department (HOPD). The APRN exercises clinical autonomy in medical decision-making within the scope of the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure (KBML) collaborative agreement and organizational policies. He or she is a proficient user of all information systems involved in patient care, provides exceptional customer service to patients and colleagues, and maintains the highest standards of professionalism.

The individual may perform other duties, both major and minor, which are not listed below, and responsibilities may evolve over time based on the needs of the practice.

You will provide direct patient care to individuals with acute and chronic heart failure, cardiomyopathies, and other advanced cardiovascular conditions. Responsibilities include evaluating patient symptoms, performing comprehensive physical examinations, ordering and interpreting diagnostic studies, optimizing guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), monitoring response to treatment, and developing individualized care plans. You will collaborate closely with heart failure cardiologists, electrophysiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons, primary care providers, and other multidisciplinary team members to coordinate comprehensive patient care across the continuum. This role also includes patient education, medication management, coordination of outpatient and inpatient transitions of care, and helping reduce heart failure readmissions through proactive disease management. Participation in outreach, patient education initiatives, and occasional inpatient or weekend coverage may be required.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Facilitate new patient consultations and follow-up visits for patients with heart failure and advanced cardiovascular disease.
• Perform comprehensive history and physical examinations.
• Order, review, and interpret laboratory studies, imaging, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, and other diagnostic testing as appropriate.
• Initiate, titrate, and optimize guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for heart failure in accordance with current evidence-based guidelines.
• Monitor patients for disease progression, medication effectiveness, and adverse effects.
• Coordinate care with cardiologists, primary care providers, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, pharmacy, home health, and other specialists.
• Educate patients and families regarding heart failure diagnosis, medications, diet, sodium and fluid restrictions, weight monitoring, symptom recognition, and self-management strategies.
• Coordinate transitions of care following hospitalization to reduce readmissions and improve patient outcomes.
• Refer patients for advanced heart failure therapies, including mechanical circulatory support, structural heart evaluation, or heart transplant evaluation when appropriate.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives focused on heart failure outcomes and patient education.
• Assist with inpatient consultation and weekend coverage as needed.

The following qualifications are the minimum requirements necessary to adequately perform this job.

• BSN required; MSN required.
• Successful completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant program.
• National certification as an APRN.
• Current, valid, and unrestricted license to practice as an APRN in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
• DEA registration (or eligibility) and prescriptive authority as required.
• Current BLS and ACLS certification.
• Prior experience in cardiology or heart failure management preferred.

Baptist Health is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.