Career Center

Duke University Hospital is consistently rated as one of the best in the United States and is known around the world for its outstanding care and groundbreaking research. Duke University Hospital has 957 inpatient beds and offers comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center; a major surgery suite containing 51 operating rooms; an endo-surgery center; an Ambulatory Surgery Center with nine operating rooms and an extensive diagnostic and interventional radiology area. In fiscal year 2018, Duke University Hospital admitted 42,916 patients and had 1,085,740 outpatient visits in fiscal year 2017.

U.S News & World Report named Duke University Hospital #1 in North Carolina and #1 in the Raleigh-Durham area in 2018-19.

Duke University Hospital is ranked in the top 20 nationally for seven adult specialties, including cardiology and heart surgery, nephrology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pulmonology, rheumatology, and urology.

In addition to its hospitals, Duke Health has an extensive, geographically dispersed network of outpatient facilities that include primary care offices, urgent care centers, multi-specialty clinics and outpatient surgery centers.

Duke Nursing Highlights:

• Duke University Health System is designated as a Magnet® organization
• Nurses from each hospital are consistently recognized each year as North Carolina’s Great 100 Nurses.
• Duke University Health System was awarded the American Board of Nursing Specialties Award for Nursing Certification Advocacy for being strong advocates of specialty nursing certification.
• Duke University Health System has 6000 + registered nurses
• Quality of Life: Living in the Triangle!
• Relocation Assistance!

Nurse Clinician/VAD coordinator 
The Nurse Clinician is responsible and accountable for clinical expertise for patients with heart failure treated with mechanical circulatory support devices, including Left Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD). The incumbent functions as clinician, educator, consultant and leader.  Clinical judgements are based on a syntheses of current research, concepts, principles, theories, and outcomes to solve complex problems.  The Nurse Clinician functions as an integral part of an interdisciplinary team, contributing to excellence in patient care, research, teaching, and in providing leadership in the organization.

Specific Job Responsibilities and Standards

1. Direct Care
   1. Assessment of outpatient and inpatient VAD patients
   2. Participate in phone triage/on call pager coverage for Duke VAD emergency pager
   3. Provide patient follow up via faxes, phone calls, emails and electronic medical record communication
   4. Complete paperwork for prescription prior authorizations in collaboration with physician and/or advanced practice provider
   5. Remain up to date with clinical resources and most recent guidelines pertaining to the care of the VAD population

2. Coaching / Education, in coordination with multidisciplinary team
   1. Serve as a VAD resource for patients and families by providing pre-operative evaluations and counseling
   2. Identify patient/family education needs and priorities
   3. Coach patients and families to help them prepare for discharge from hospital after index VAD implant
   4. Provide ongoing VAD education for patients and families
   5. Participate in developing, implementing and evaluating patient education resources and programs
   6. Assess learning needs of nursing staff and multidisciplinary team; plan and implement appropriate educational forums and opportunities to address critical learning needs and skills

3. Collaboration
   1. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships within and across departments that promote patient safety, culturally competent care, and clinical excellence in the care of patients with VADs
   2. Practices collegially with with multidisciplinary team including but not limited to medical staff, advanced practice providers and other members of the healthcare team
   3. Role model professional nursing through conduct, appearance, communication, mutual respect, leadership, ethical decision-making, critical thinking, continuous learning and problem-solving skills
   4. Provides clinical experience in a preceptor roles for nursing students attending institutions that have contractual agreements with DUHS.  Participates in the orientation of new nursing staff and provides expert coaching and guidance through both formal and informal one-on-one teaching with nursing staff

4. Evidence based practice, Quality Improvement and Research
   1. Employs evidence-based clinical practice guidelines tailored to the individual
   2. Integrates evidence in the management of patients, families and groups
   3. Collaborates in quality/performance improvement programs and projects, product evaluation, outcomes evaluation studies and/or clinical research
   4. Assists with clinical research when appropriate

The work environment involves risk discomfort that are typical of an acute care setting to include working with patients under isolation and universal precautions.  IT requires safety precautions, ongoing education and health risk monitoring.  Contact with specimens, chemicals, sharps, radiation, technical equipment and fumes are possible.  Employees are required to wear personal protective attire according to hospital policies and OSHA guidelines.  The work activity and patient activity levels can create a stressful atmosphere.

Required Qualifications:
BSN required

Experience:        
3 years of nursing experience required

VAD experience strongly preferred

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification:  
Current or compact RN Licensure in the state of North Carolina required.  AHA BLS and ACLS required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:    

Must have basic computer skills including use of excel and powerpoint. Should have experience with electronic medical record use, Epic preferred.  

Work Hours and Shift:

Full time: Day Shift, Monday to Friday 8-5

Includes call

Updated 2.8.2021

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.