About Children’s Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit system since 1924, Children’s Minnesota is one system serving kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two free-standing hospitals, nine primary care clinics, multiple specialty clinics and seven rehabilitation sites. As The Kids Experts™ in our region, Children’s Minnesota is regularly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital. Find us on Facebook @childrensminnesota or on Twitter and Instagram @childrensmn.

Children’s Minnesota is proud to be recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2023’s Top Diversity Leaders. The national honor recognizes the top diverse healthcare executives and organizations influencing public policy, care delivery, and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and the industry.

Program Overview

As a leader in pediatric neurosurgery in the region, the Children’s Minnesota Neurosurgery team provides high-quality, comprehensive, and compassionate neurosurgical care to improve the lives of children and their families. The Neurosurgical team, comprised of five Neurosurgeons, five PAs, and one PNP, is committed to the constant pursuit of better care with adoption of the latest techniques, training, and technology.

Commonly treated conditions include hydrocephalus, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, neurological tumors, head, spine, and peripheral nerve trauma, infections, craniosynostosis, fetal surgery, epilepsy, peripheral nerve disorders, and other congenital disorders.

The neurosurgical team works closely and collaboratively with critical care, neonatology, hospital medicine, hematology/oncology, trauma, neurology, epileptology, ENT, infectious disease, endocrine, neuroradiology, genetics, and additional subspecialty teams to provide the highest level of care for patients of all levels of complexity.

We are seeking a well-rounded Neurosurgery Advanced Practice Provider (APP) to join our dynamic team. This role offers the opportunity to participate in various settings, including inpatient, outpatient, operative, and procedural tasks. The Neurosurgery APP will work collaboratively with the Neurosurgery APP team to ensure a shared division of call coverage and comprehensive support for all surgeons and patient care.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide inpatient, outpatient, operative, and procedural care.
• Support all surgeons to ensure seamless surgical and patient care.
• The Neurosurgery APP participates in call coverage, with a rotation of 1 in 7 weeknights and weekends at full staffing.
• Primary location for care is the Children’s Minnesota Minneapolis campus, with occasional travel to the Children’s Minnesota St. Paul campus. Intermittent travel to satellite clinic locations for outpatient clinics.
• The Children’s Neurosurgery team does not have fellows or residents.
  
  

Inpatient Care:

• The Neurosurgery APP team is responsible for patient rounding throughout all units of the hospital including the PICU, NICU, neuroscience, oncology, and med/surg units.
• Perform patient examinations, diagnostic interpretation, and formulation of assessment and plan in collaboration with the neurosurgeons.
• Inpatient procedures performed include shunt taps, shunt interrogation and programming, nuclear medicine studies, drain management, drain removal, suturing, removal of staples and sutures, dressing changes, and wound care.
• Other inpatient responsibilities include evaluation of patients in the emergency room, consultations throughout all units of the hospital, and consultations for patients at outside institutions.
  
  

Operative care:

• The Neurosurgery APP team ensures First Assist coverage for all neurosurgeries and plays an integral role in assisting with patient positioning, draping, suctioning, hemostasis, irrigation, incisional closure, and dressing placement.
• Proficiency in operating under the microscope is required - training will be provided.
  
  

Outpatient Care:

• Examine and manage new patient consults, postoperative follow-ups, and acute concern visits independently in the clinic setting.
• Participate in tandem clinic with the neurosurgeon.
• Clinic procedures performed by the Neurosurgery APP include shunt reprogramming and interrogation, shunt taps, suturing, suture and staple removal, and wound care.
• Outpatient evaluations may require radiographic interpretation, recommendations for additional diagnostic testing, consultation/referral to other specialty services, and admission to the hospital.
• Manage triage calls and outpatient referrals
  
  

Program Development:

• Each clinician actively works to advance overall care provided by the Children’s Neurosurgery team through involvement and participation in quality improvement efforts, projects, research, journal review, continuing education, interprofessional education and presentations, and conferences.
  
  

As an APRN

• Current MN RN/APRN License
• Nationally Board Certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with either the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) or American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Acute Care certification or doctorate degree in Nursing Practice preferred
• Must possess or have the ability to obtain DEA registration.
• Current BLS Certification.
• Successfully complete Hospital and Payer credentialing process required
  
  

As a Physician Assistant:

• Master’s Degree / Graduate of an accredited Physician Assistant program.
• Physician Assistant Certification by the NCCPA Certification Board and MN Medical Board license required.
• Must possess or have the ability to obtain DEA registration.
• Maintain current BLS certification.
• Successfully complete Hospital and Payer credentialing process required
  
  

APRN Or PA-C EXPERIENCE

• 3 years (minimum) clinical experience.
• 3 to 6 months training on the job to achieve performance.
• Knowledge of pediatric development.
• At least 2 years surgical/First Assist experience preferred. If the candidate does not have First Assist certification, the candidate must be willing to complete formal First Assist certification.
  
  

All job offers are contingent upon successful completion of an occupational health assessment, drug screen, background investigation, and compliance with the U.S. Government Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.

Children’s Minnesota is proud to be an equal opportunity employer whose staff is representative of its community and considers qualified applicants for open positions without regard to race, color, creed, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, disability, pregnancy, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.