General Summary/Overview Statement:
Reporting to and under the general direction of the Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) Medical and Surgical Directors and administratively to the Senior Administrative Director of the Transplant Center and MCS programs, acts as the central point of contact to MCS surgeons, physicians, and other members of the Advanced Heart Failure Team for patients and their families who are managed with, or being considered for Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) therapy. Works to assist all MCS Surgeons and Cardiologists to perform initial pre-operative clinical evaluation of heart failure patients requiring or being considered for VAD intervention, and identifies areas requiring further pre-operative evaluation. Maintains open lines of communication between Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology, Inpatient Units, Outpatient Clinics, Nursing, and patients/families. Works with community public services including Police, Fire, hospitals and other specialists, and patients/families, to educate them about VADs and to promote MGH MCS services. Has a prime responsibility for maintaining and monitoring Joint Commission requirements for Disease Specific Certification for VADs, including educating and monitoring all relevant participants in the program. Works as a member of the Heart Failure Team and in concert with other Heart and Lung Transplant Coordinators.
Clinical Practice:
- Has a sound knowledge of nursing, medical, and scientific principles and appropriately applies those principles to practice.
- Performs and records the patient history and physical exam and discusses findings with the physician.
- Utilizes advanced nursing knowledge to identify, prevent, or solve complex and/or recurring patient care problems.
- Follows and manages patients enhancing continuity of care.
- Oversees/assures completion of specialized procedures particular to the select population mutually agreed upon.
- Collaborates with unit staff and physicians to facilitate a comprehensive plan of care and coordinator resources.
- Writes orders that are in accord with current guidelines.
- Orders, interprets and evaluates appropriate lab and diagnostic tests.
- Documents plan of care in patient’s medical record.
- Maintains and practices by practitioner guidelines per state and hospital regulations.
- Maintains patient’s right to privacy; assuring patient dignity in the provision of care.
VAD Support and Program Lead Responsibilities:
- Serves as point person for inquiries regarding information about the VAD program; answers questions distributes marketing materials, and conducts any needed follow-up. Plans and schedules meetings, information sessions, and presentations when necessary.
- Serves as liaison with internal/external clinicians and administrators. Works with department leadership to ensure effective working relationships, internal and external to the program.
- Serves as a resource to and provides VAD information and training/education to other disciplines within MGH and to the medical community as needed.
- Maintains information, files, and materials to support the administrative needs of the MCS program.
- Identifies and resolves service delivery problems, escalating complex clinical or program matters to the Program Directors.
- Collaborates with nursing leadership on inpatient units as well as other areas as appropriate to ensure quality patient care and consistency with clinical guidelines, policies, protocols, and service standards. Addresses any nursing issues, working with the VAD team and others to modify and improve practice as needed.
- Works with Program Directors and Sr. Administrative Director on programmatic performance improvement and in the development and implementation of new VAD initiatives based on MGH outcomes and research. Evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives and recommend/implement changes.
- Adheres to quality and performance improvement standards and provides feedback regarding further needs.
- Manages and leads meetings as needed, including VAD weekly meetings, quarterly VAD team meetings, and organizational meetings.
- May attend meetings on behalf of program leadership, including at off-site locations.
Coordinating VAD care:
- Teaming with Cardiologists, Cardiac Surgeons, Transplant Coordinators, Outpatient and Inpatient Coordinators, and support staff while performing coordinator care activity for all patients at MGH who are being treated with or being evaluated for VAD treatment options.
o Serves as a coordinator for accepting and triaging VAD referrals from referring providers/entities or self-referred patients.
o Coordinates multi-disciplinary patient teams that can include, but are not limited to, physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, physical therapists, case managers, perfusionists, palliative care staff, and VAD equipment technicians/perfusionists.
o Coordinates VAD patient care and education as well as follow-up care for patients discharged to home or a rehabilitation facility.
o Maintains continuous communication with community agencies regarding ongoing care and support.
o Maintains all VAD-related information that supports the management of the VAD program.
o Communicates anticipated patient needs to appropriate physicians, nurses, and admitting departments.
o Identifies and resolves service delivery problems and recommends methods to improve and streamline services.
Liaison with VAD vendors:
- Works in concert with the MGH Cardiac Procedure Services and vendors:
o Communicates on a timely basis the status of all VAD patients.
o Reports equipment-related problems and seeks resolution.
VAD Outreach/Education/Promotion:
- In collaboration with Medical and Surgical Directors of the VAD program, is responsible for developing and implementing an outreach initiative for patients’ community public agencies including referring physician, family, and clinical education.
o Provides VAD education to patients and their family members.
o Communicates with referring and primary care physicians inside and outside of MGH.
o Meets with community services and provides education about VAD care in the event of an emergency, including Police/Fire departments, local hospitals, local EMTs, home health agencies, cardiac rehabilitation facilities, and outside emergency departments.
- Attends appropriate cardiac-related events to meet new potential referring providers.
- Meets with existing and potential referring physicians to communicate and promote the MGH VAD program.
- Develops and provides patient and community education materials related to VADs (with assistance from the MGH Marketing department).
VAD Joint Commission Disease-Specific Certification:
- Working with the Sr. Administrative Director, MGH Compliance, and the MGH Center for Quality and Safety, in conjunction with the VAD Coordinator team, the APP VAD Coordinator will be responsible for:
o Maintains and fosters JC standards for VADs.
o Coordinates JC site visits and assures MGH meets the JC standards for VADs.
o Coordinates and oversees Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement initiatives as required by the JC and reports to the JC as required.
o Is responsible for facilitating mid-cycle reporting to the JC.
o Assists each member of the expanded VAD team with their role related to certification requirements.
o Maintains and updates Clinical Practice Guidelines and educates other providers as needed.
o Assists with the management of the VAD Sharepoint site for VAD resources.
o Coordinates VAD multidisciplinary teams that include all of the providers who participate in the management and care of VAD patients.
o Maintains VAD patient-related information that is required by the program.
o Viewed as an expert in VAD education, monitoring and reporting program, quality metrics, and other requirements/regulations to support the JC VAD regulations.
Quality Assurance/Process Improvement:
- Meets routinely with MCS Physician Directors to report on patient activities, problems, and recommendations.
- Evaluates program effectiveness/performance by comparing actual outcomes to expectations.
- Assures that quality and performance improvement standards are developed, implemented, and maintained.
- Participates in and coordinates initiatives for VAD-related research.
Professional Conduct:
- Adheres to the profession’s clinical standards and Code of Ethics and upholds practice and programmatic standards.
- Adheres to the Department and Hospital standards, policies, and procedures.
- Promotes Departmental and Hospital public relations/risk management.
Professional Development:
- Initiates, participates and contributes to educational programs for staff at the unit/service/interdepartmental levels.
- Reviews and integrates into practice the current professional literature and research findings for related clinical specialty topics.
- Shares knowledge through mentoring/precepting newly hired coordinators, transplant staff, nursing staff, and other staff as needed.
- Identifies personal learning needs and goals and develops a plan to meet them.
Qualifications:
- Current licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Nurse Practitioner.
- Master’s Degree in Nursing.
- Minimum of 3-5 years of clinical nursing practice with a background in Cardiac Care.
- Experience in VAD Joint Commission Disease Specific Certification.
Skills/Abilities/Competencies Required:
- Current certification as a Nurse Practitioner
- Minimum of two years of experience working in cardiology or critical care
- Experience working with VADs is highly preferred
- Excellent clinical assessment and diagnostic skills are required
- Strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to work collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to effectively educate patients and their families
- Knowledge of research methodology and evidence-based practice
Working Conditions:
Normal office conditions; Monday through Friday with the potential for four 10-hour days with one of these days as a remote option. Will require travel to the community to represent the MGH VAD Program when applicable. Must have own automobile for local travel. Will require attendance at meetings when applicable. Will be required to carry pager/cell phone during business hours. Is allowed set administrative time to work on programmatic needs, to be used during remote work when there are no outstanding patient care needs.
Supervisory Responsibility:
Directly supervises 3.0 FTE VAD Coordinators. Facilitates and schedules yearly performance evaluations with Program Directors and the VAD Coordinator team. Manages and finalizes vacation schedule for the VAD Coordinator team, ensuring fairness amongst staff while guaranteeing that coverage is sufficient for high-quality patient care. Oversees day-to-day staffing (i.e. call-ins, resource utilization, etc.). Serves as a liaison between the VAD Coordinator team and Program Directors to maintain open and transparent programmatic communication on a regular and frequent basis.
Fiscal Responsibility:
Responsible for prudent fiscal management of program resources (e.g. supplies, etc.)