Advanced Practice Fellow - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

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: In-Patient Nrs Practnrs 30 Job Summary: The Advanced Practice Fellow works in collaboration with and is an integral member of a interdisciplinary health care team. 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, 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 that enable the Advanced Practice Fellow to develop and refine essential specialty specific clinical and critical thinking skills promoting top of license practice. Immersion into an environment of collaborative interdisciplinary care will assure cost effective, quality, patient centered care. Additionally, an expanded incorporation of evidenced-based practice into care and utilization of improvement processes will be demonstrated by completion of a specialty-relevant project. . During the Neonatal APP Fellowship, the Advanced Practice Provider will complete courses through the Neonatal Program at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing, while they complete clinical hours in the NICU at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. This Fellowship is a 13 month Fellowship that will begin on January 1, 2027. Department Summary In the NICU at the Monroe Carell Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt we are committed to providing the highest standard of care to our newborns and their families. Our state-of-the-art NICU is equipped with advanced technology and staffed by a compassionate team of experts who work tirelessly to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.  We are the largest unit within Vanderbilt University Hospital system with 116 beds, with an increase to 131 beds in Summer 2025.  We are a level IV tertiary care NICU that attends to the complex care needs of more than 1400 fragile newborns per year. Neonatal Nurse Practitioner NNP or Physician Assistant PA 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, educa