Neurology APP

Position Summary

The Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) in Inpatient Neurology is an essential member of the hospital-based neurology service, providing high-quality, evidencebased care to patients with acute and complex neurologic conditions. This role supports a 24/7 coverage model and includes responsibility for admissions, inpatient management, neurology consultations throughout the hospital, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. The APP provides expert clinical assessment, diagnostic reasoning, care planning, and coordination while contributing to patient safety, communication, and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

Inpatient Clinical Care

• Perform comprehensive neurologic assessments for new admissions, transfers, and daily follow-up patients on the inpatient neurology service.
• Develop and implement individualized care plans for patients with diverse neurologic conditions, including:
• Seizures and status epilepticus
• Neuromuscular disorders
• Demyelinating diseases
• CNS infections
• Brain tumors
• Movement disorders
• Encephalopathy and altered mental status
• Order, interpret, and integrate diagnostic studies including labs, neuroimaging, EEG data, lumbar puncture results, and neurodiagnostic testing.
• Manage acute neurologic and general medical issues in collaboration with attending neurologists.
• Support transitions of care including ICU-to-floor transfers, inter-facility transfers, and discharge planning (medication reconciliation, follow-up coordination, patient and family education).

Neurology Consultation Service

• Respond to neurology consultation requests from ED, inpatient floors, and critical care units.
• Evaluate and diagnose acute neurologic presentations such as seizure activity, focal deficits, headache, dizziness/vertigo, neuropathies, and encephalopathy.
• Provide recommendations to primary teams and document consult findings, diagnostic impressions, and treatment plans.
• Communicate urgent findings promptly to consulting teams and supervising neurologists.
• Coordinate timely neurologic follow-up and re-evaluations throughout the admission.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Participate in daily rounds with neurologists, residents, and interprofessional teams.
• Communicate effectively with nursing staff, case management, pharmacy, PT/OT/SLP, and other specialties.
• Provide family updates, education, and support regarding neurologic conditions, prognosis, and care plans.

Education, Quality, and Leadership

• Serve as a resource and mentor for nurses, residents, students, and newly onboarding APPs.
• Engage in ongoing professional development and maintain current knowledge of neurology guidelines, therapies, and diagnostic tools.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives related to neurology care pathways, stroke metrics, patient safety, and operational workflows.
• Contribute to morbidity & mortality reviews, case conferences, and departmental meetings.

Documentation & Compliance

• Complete timely, accurate documentation in the electronic medical record.
• Ensure compliance with APP scope of practice regulations, hospital policies, and accreditation standards.
• Assist with metrics and data collection related to neurology service performance (e.g., stroke quality measures, consult response times).

Qualifications

Required

• Master's or Doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA).
• Current national certification (ACNP/AGACNP/ANP for NPs; NCCPA for PAs).
• Active state license and prescriptive authority, including DEA as applicable.
• BLS and ACLS certification.

Preferred

• New Grads accepted
• 1-2 years of experience in neurology, critical care, hospital medicine, or emergency medicine.
• Experience performing neurologic assessments and interpreting neurodiagnostic studies.
• ENLS certification, NIHSS certification, or stroke program experience.

Core Competencies

• Advanced neurologic assessment and diagnostic reasoning
• Excellent communication and interdisciplinary collaboration
• Ability to function independently while working closely with supervising physicians
• Strong organizational skills and multitasking in a high-acuity, high-volume environment
• Commitment to patient-centered, evidence-based neurologic care

• 1. Clinical Care * The Physician Assistant (PA) or the Nurse Practitioner (NP) provides assessment, triage, and therapeutic management of patient/family needs throughout the disease process as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team. The NP/PA, whether the practice setting is the inpatient, ambulatory, or outpatient settings, provides optimal patient care, from diagnostic to prognostic matters. This individual works in collaboration with the attending supervising/collaborating physician(s) in accordance with state law and hospital regulations, hospital policy, protocols and clinical pathways and may provide autonomous team based care. * Obtains medical histories, performs physical examinations, reviews/orders diagnostic/therapeutic tests and radiologic results, formulates and manages patient treatment plans. The NP/PA may perform procedures, prescribe treatment and medications in accordance with institutional and state guidelines, as well as, when necessary for scope within specialty or professional competency standards. In some clinical specialties, the NP/PA may have autonomous practice managing certain patient populations. * The NP/PA may also function as first or second assistant on operative cases (as long as within position scope and job educational prerequisites are in place), using fine motor skills and manual dexterity. * Other clinical job duties may be applied in accordance with departmental and operational goals, training related to profession and practice necessitated guidelines and responsibilities, inclusive but not limited to responding to emergency situations within the YNHHS parameters
• 2. Patient Education & Psychosocial Support * The NP/PA will educate patients/families on care and recommended or available resources. In collaboration with the supervising/collaborating MD, this may be inclusive of admitting instructions, treatment plan, actual and potential side effects of treatments/medications, and discharge plan. * The NP/PA, as part of a multidisciplinary team, provides psychosocial support to patients, their family members, and significant others in a caring, ethical, and professional manner.
• 3. Information Management * The NP/PA ensures appropriate documentation within the accordance of hospital and regulatory requirements and protects information of all forms, whether computer-based, paper, film, voice, or other media from unauthorized access modification, destruction, or intentional or accidental disclosure.
• 4. Quality Management * The NP/PA is expected to demonstrate a high standard of moral and ethical behavior, professionalism, compassion, and commitment to patient care. * Ensures compliance with patient related healthcare regulatory requirements, standards and recommendations.
• 5. Professional Development * The NP/PA continuously engages in projects that maintain and advance professional competency. * The NP/PA serves as a clinical resource for new house staff and may provide service specific orientation pertinent to clinical education * Consistently demonstrates high reliability organizational behaviors through reporting safety events as well as near misses. * The NP/PA continuously engages in projects that maintain and advance professional competency. * Maintains all employee requirements determined by hospital policy. * The NP/PA may serve as a clinical preceptor for NP/PA students and other health care professionals and may serve as a mentor to pre-PA/NP candidates. * The NP/PA may collaborate on research, quality assurance and performance improvement projects, and assist with the formation of protocols that will be applied to clinical practice or further their educational and clinical expertise.

EDUCATION

• Graduate from an accredited Nurse Practitioner or an accredited Physician Assistant Program.

EXPERIENCE

• Clinical working experience as an NP/PA in the specialty/service line is preferred but not required.
• APRNs, PAs, CRNAs, and CNMs must be appointed to the Affiliated Medical Staff of a YNHHS hospital and go through the Medical Staff credentialing process. To be eligible, evidence of current competence to practice as an APRN, PA, CRNA, or CNM must be provided. This includes obtaining appropriate reference letters from physicians and other practitioners during the Medical Staff appointment process.

LICENSURE

• Active PA Certification by the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), Connecticut State Physician Assistant License, ACLS/BLS Certified, when indicated for position profile DEA License.
• Pediatric position profile PALS, when indicated for neonatal care NRP Certification.
• Additional licensure, certifications and/or continuing education credits may be required during employment based on position and area of specialty. OR Connecticut State Registered Nurse License, Connecticut State Nurse Practitioner License, Board specialty certification, as appropriate for position profile ACLS/BLS Certified, when indicated for position profile DEA License.

To learn more, please email our In-House Physician Recruiter

Nathalie Martinez at Nathalie.Martinez@YNHH.org

Websites: www.northeastmedicalgroup.org/careers www.ynhhs.org

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