Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post presents detailed information on the hospitalist nurse practitioner job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements that you may be expected to meet to be hired for the hospitalist nurse practitioner role.

What Does a Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner Do?

A hospitalist nurse practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse specialized in managing acute and chronic medical conditions, both physical and mental, through history and physical exam of patients, and the ordering of diagnostic tests and medical treatments.

They work in hospitals, private offices, clinics, and nursing homes/long term care facilities.

Some nurse practitioners provide contract services for private duty, and that may include working for private agencies that provide medical staffing to clinics or hospitals.

The hospitalist nurse practitioner job description entails assessing patient needs, ordering and interpreting diagnostic and laboratory tests; diagnosing illness and disease, prescribing medication and formulating treatment plans.

Their role also involves diagnosing medical problems, ordering treatments, and performing non-surgical procedures as well as minor surgical procedures (such as dermatological biopsies/procedures, suturing, casting, etc).

Hospitalist nurse practitioners can also prescribe medications or make referrals in a wide range of acute and chronic medical conditions within their scope of practice.

They round on inpatients, including patients on observation status, provide consultation services to surgical colleagues, and take un-assigned patients from the emergency room.

They can also prepare relevant documents to discharge patients from the hospital when working on overnight shifts.

Their duties also involve admitting patients and carrying out consultation for collaborative management of surgical patients when necessary.

To work as a hospitalist nurse practitioner, you require a combination of experience and expertise to give you a special approach in providing patient care.

You should posses at minimum a Master’s degree and NP training covering basic disease prevention, coordination of care, and health promotion.

Nursing Practitioners’ may specialize in areas such as cardiology, dermatology, oncology, pain management, surgical services, orthopedics, women’s health, and other specialties.

To be successful in performing their work description, hospitalist nurse practitioners should have strong focus on clinical excellence and patient satisfaction.

They should possess exceptional interpersonal, communication, and documentation skills.

Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner Job Description Example/Sample/Template

The hospitalist nurse practitioner performs various functions in their quest to provide patient care, ranging from primary to chronic, as well as specialty care to patients of all ages.

Their focus is on utilizing a holistic approach to patient care with emphasis on health promotion, patient education/counseling, and prevention of diseases.

The specific tasks, obligations, duties, and responsibilities majorly performed by the hospitalist nurse practitioners are highlighted in the job description example below:

• Obtain patient’s medical history
• Perform a physical examination and privileged procedures on patients, and document findings on their medical record
• Diagnose and treat patients who are present for treatment
• Develop, implement, and evaluate the clinical collaborative practice agreements in the specific clinical area
• Prescribe or administer medication and IV Fluids where applicable
• Instruct for and evaluate laboratory and other diagnostic tests
• Perform health assessment of patients with primary, acute, and chronic health issues
• Refer patients to specialty services to foster continuity of care when necessary
• Instruct patients on selected therapeutic and diagnostic procedures, consultation, and laboratory examinations relevant to their case
• Deduce findings and plans of care in line with shared practice agreements and protocols in designated areas
• Educate and counsel patient and family members concerning health promotion, self-care skills, disease prevention, and treatment options in coordination with occupational therapists and other healthcare providers
• Partake in meetings and conferences that enhance an interdisciplinary approach to primary health care delivery
• Serve as an effective member on departmental and multidisciplinary committees which impact or determine policies affecting nursing practice
• Act as a health care advocate serving as a liaison officer between patients and the clients
• Identify quality improvement issues with respect to patient care and nursing practice standards, and develop unit-based quality improvement programs
• Maintain a current level of knowledge relative to professional practice, and partake in approved medical and nursing research studies
• Implement educational programs and act as a resource to staff
• Evaluate the cost effectiveness of services provided to patients
• Request diagnostic imaging and perform diagnostic studies such as lab tests and EKGs
• Request for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other rehabilitation treatments where applicable
• Provide prenatal care and family planning services for women
• Provide well-child care including screening and immunizations for young children
• Provide primary as well as specialty care services and health-maintenance care for adults.

Hospitalist Nurse Practitioner Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Career Success

When hiring for the hospitalist nurse practitioner job, employers expect candidates to meet certain requirements that will allow them to effectively carry out the objective, purpose, and responsibilities of the role.
Shown below are major employers’ requirements for the hospitalist nurse practitioner role:

• Education: Master’s degree in a Nurse Practitioner Program
• License: Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner License is required
• Certification: National Board Certification in specialty area, ACLS certification, and prescriptive authority
• Knowledge: Completion of a pharmacology component of not less than three semester hours or the equivalent; and strong knowledge of state and federal laws relating to prescription and record keeping (3 hour course)
• Experience: Previous experience relevant to the area of clinical practice, Inpatient and critical care experience; and experience in an advanced practice role is preferred.
• Team player: Nurse practitioners are required to be good team players to be able to work in a team-oriented environment, and to be able to work with other healthcare professionals to provide a collaborative patient care
• Coaching skills: Hospitalist professionals also provide education and counseling to patients and their significant others, hence it is important for them to possess coaching skills to play the role of an educator effectively
• Communication skills: They require strong writing and oral communication skills because their job description requires them to relate to people of diverse personalities and background. It is also important because their job requires the documentation of patients’ information
• Interpersonal skills: They should posses interpersonal skills to enable them build relationship and develop strong ties with the community and existing medical staff.

Conclusion

When hiring for the position of hospitalist nurse practitioner, HR managers, recruiters, and employers can apply the sample job description and other information about the role provided in this article in making the perfect description for the position in their organizations.

They will be able to increase their chances of attracting the best nurse practitioners to their facilities if they published a comprehensive description of the job, consisting of all the duties and responsibilities the successful candidates will perform.

You will also find this post helpful if you are interested in the hospitalist nurse practitioner career; you will be able to learn about what the role entails and what you require to succeed in the career.

Did this post help improve your knowledge of what hospitalist nurse practitioners do? Please, make a comment in the box below. Do also discuss your job description if you work as a hospitalist nurse practitioner.