Advanced Practice Fellow - Medical/Surgical Weight Loss

Discover Vanderbilt University Medical Center:  Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Organization:

General Surgery Advanced Practice Providers

Job Summary:

The Vanderbilt Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Advanced Practice Fellowship is a 12-month postgraduate program focused on the field of obesity medicine and bariatric surgery. The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) will be exposed to all areas of obesity medicine, including outpatient services and procedures, inpatient services, and the operating room. There will be special emphasis on the outpatient clinics. The APP fellow will receive training and mentorship from obesity medicine specialists, bariatric surgeons, and advance practice providers.

The Advanced Practice Fellow works in collaboration with an interdisciplinary health care team and is an integral member of it. The Advanced Practice Fellow should have a basic foundation in evidence-based practice and demonstrate adequate medical and nursing knowledge, clinical/technical competence, sound clinical judgment, professional communication skills, and timely and compliant documentation. The Advanced Practice Fellow may function in a variety of inpatient and outpatient care settings throughout the fellowship to optimize learning experiences.

Focused learning experiences will be provided to enable the Advanced Practice Fellow to develop and refine essential specialty-specific clinical and critical-thinking skills that promote top-of-license practice. Immersion in an environment of collaborative interdisciplinary care will ensure cost-effective, high-quality, patient-centered care. Additionally, an expanded incorporation of evidence-based practice into care and the utilization of improvement processes will be demonstrated through the completion of a specialty-relevant project.

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Fellowship to start January 1, 2027

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assessment of Health Status:

  • Performs and documents in the medical record a complete history and physical examination.

  • Orders and collects data using appropriate assessment techniques, relevant supporting diagnostic information and diagnostic procedures where indicated.

  • Assesses for risks associated with care including: medication side effects, immobility, impaired nutrition, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, immunocompetence, invasive interventions and diagnostic procedures.

  • Participates in daily huddles or rounds with the interdisciplinary team as applicable and actively collaborates in formulating and evaluating ongoing plan of care across the continuum.

• Diagnosis:

  • Collaborates with interdisciplinary health care team in making accurate and diagnoses of acute and complex chronic conditions.

  • Manages diagnostic tests through ordering, interpretation, performance, and supervision.

  • Formulates differential diagnoses by priority.

  • Diagnoses complications and identifies appropriate interventions.

• Formulates Plan of Care:

  • Identifies expected outcomes from diagnosis, formulates and documents a plan of care to address acute and complex, chronic health care needs.

  • Utilizes evidenced-based practice guidelines or protocols in an individualized, dynamic plan of care that can be applied across the continuum.

• Implements and modifies plan of care:

  • Prescribes diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions both pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic and surgical (as needed) to achieve expected outcomes.

  • Manages further diagnostic tests through ordering, performance and interpretation.

  • May perform advanced procedures consistent with privileges and competency validation.

• Communication and Collaboration:

  • Maintains ongoing communication and collaboration with interdisciplinary health care team members.

  • Facilitates communication with patient, family and staff to promote continuity of care across the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care.

• Documentation:

  • Documents key components of patient's progress via daily progress note, transfer, and discharge summary and/or clinic note, where applicable.

  • Documentation will be timely and must meet compliance standards while accurately capturing patient acuity and/or complexity.

• Professional Practice:

  • Provides preceptor/mentoring, education and instruction of students and nursing staff as needed.

  • Seeks opportunities for active engagement in research and the analysis of evidenced based practice.

  • Attends Grand Rounds, AP Council meetings, faculty and unit meetings, MM & I presentations and other education opportunities as available.

  • Maintains continuing education to maintain licensure and certification requirements.

  • Actively participates in required professional development fellowship curriculum.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

 Our Nursing Philosophy:  

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families and communities reach excellent health and well-being. 

As a Vanderbilt University Medical Center employee, you make a difference to our patients and their families by bringing compassion and care to those in need of hope and healing. Please see our current employee benefits offered:

• Affordable High Quality Health Plan Options
• Dental and /or vision plan
• 403 (b) retirement plan
• Paid Time off (flex PTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)
• Short-Long term disability
• Subsidized backup childcare
• And many more... Ask us about our current inpatient nursing supplemental Pay Program!

Achieve the Remarkable: 

Learn more about VUMC Nursing here.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Delivers job responsibilities that impact own job area/team with some guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Uses existing procedures, research and analysis to solve standard job related problems that may require some judgement. Breadth of Knowledge: Requires subject matter knowledge within a professional area to meet job requirements. Team Interaction: Individually contributes to project/ work teams.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues: - Develops Self and Others: Continuously improves own skills by identifying development opportunities.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Seeks to understand colleagues priorities, working styles and develops relationships across areas. - Communicates Effectively: Openly shares information with others and communicates in a clear and courteous manner. Delivering Excellent Services: - Serves Others with Compassion: Invests time to understand the problems, needs of others and how to provide excellent service. - Solves Complex Problems: Seeks to understand issues, solves routine problems, and raises proper concerns to supervisors in a timely manner. - Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Listens carefully to understand the issues and provides accurate information and support. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Checks work quality before delivery and asks relevant questions to meet quality standards.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Shows eagerness to learn new knowledge, technologies, tools or systems and displays willingness to go above and beyond. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Demonstrates basic knowledge of conditions that affect safety and reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department. Managing Resources Effectively :- Demonstrates Accountability: Takes responsibility for completing assigned activities and thinks beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service. - Stewards Organizational Resources: Displays understanding of how personal actions will impact departmental resources. - Makes Data Driven Decisions: Uses accurate information and good decision making to consistently achieve results on time and without error. Fostering Innovation: - Generates New Ideas: Willingly proposes/accepts ideas or initiatives that will impact day-to-day operations by offering suggestions to enhance them.- Applies Technology: Absorbs new technology quickly; understands when to utilize the appropriate tools and procedures to ensure proper course of action. - Adapts to Change: Embraces changes by keeping an open mind to changing plans and incorporates change instructions into own area of work.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

Less than 1 year

Education:

Master's

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity.  EOE/Vets/Disabled.