Summary:
The IM Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice Registered Nurse in an expanded role that provides health
care to adults. The NP provides routine checkups, including history and physical examinations, acute and chronic
illness care, and health education to patients and their families, as well as promotes health and wellness. The NP
works under the supervision and direction of a physician. The NP represents Esse Health by providing health care
information to Esse patients and the community through individual and group encounters.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Qualifications:
• Education: Formal training which will probably be indicated by a Master’s degree of Science in Nursing.
• Licensure/Certification: A Missouri Registered Professional Nursing license, if not already, must become
board certified within 2 years of employment date. The NP will maintain active certification as defined by
either the National Certification Board or Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses
Association Certification Board.
• Years of Experience: At least one year of experience and board certified, or board eligible for certification
by the National Certification Board of Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners and Nurses or American Nurses
Association.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
– Possess knowledge of Family health issues including: normal versus abnormal physical findings, normal
versus abnormal diagnostic test findings, nutrition, assessment and treatment of minor episodic chronic
illness, family and community dynamics.
– Medical coding proficiency.
– Posses the skills of physical exam and developmental screening.
– Thorough knowledge of medical terminology.
– Advanced knowledge of pharmacology.
– Understanding of insurance coverage.
– The ability to provide individual and group health education and participate in health care research.
– The ability to interact professionally with the patient and their families, other health care providers, and
community members.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Physical Requirements:
Physical guidelines include ability to:
– ability to stand/walk for up to eight hours/day
– bend, stoop, twist
– assist patients in turning
– assist patient in arising from exam table
– push wheelchair patients
– assist patient in arising from and returning to wheelchair
Duties & Responsibilities:
1. Elicits a comprehensive health history, including nutritional, behavioral and social factors.
2. Performs routine physical examinations.
3. Orders and/or performs appropriate diagnostic testing.
4. Analyzes data collected to determine health status and formulates a problem list.
5. Develops and implements with the family, a plan of care to promote, maintain, or restore health.
Provides anticipatory guidance.
6. Consults with physician, as appropriate, to develop and implement treatment plan for minor illness
care. Appropriate medications will be prescribed by the physician.
7. Evaluates with the family, the response to plan of care and adapts it as necessary. These evaluations
may be done through both repeat visits and/or telephone follow-up.
8. Collaborates with other professionals, when necessary, to meet the family’s needs.
9. Refers patients to physician and other resources as appropriate when patient needs specialty services
that are beyond the scope of the NP’s practice.
10. Records all pertinent data regarding services rendered to the patients.
11. Acts as a clinical resource to the nursing staff formally (providing in-service education when requested)
and informally.
12. Represents Esse Health at community events as requested.
13. Participates in clinical and health service research as appropriate.
14. Participates in development and implementation of patient education programs as appropriate.
15. Provides counseling and health care information by telephone as requested.
16. If directed by the department or by an individual office, will be involved in the on-call service.
17. Other duties as assigned.
Other Functions & Responsibilities:
1. Esse Health’s healthcare delivery business model is the Patient Centered Medical Home as defined by the
National Committee for Quality Assurance
2. Office staff are all part of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) team
3. PCMH team members are responsible for:
a. Care Coordination: Obtaining test and referral results; following-up with patients when they
have not kept important test and referral appointments; communicating with health plans, other
providers, facilities and community organizations to coordinate the care of the patient/customer
b. Referring patients/customers to the Esse Health Care Management team when patients have
demonstrated barriers to obtaining clinical goals or require transition of care intervention
c. Engaging in, and/or conducting, a daily huddle with all team members in order to prepare for
each day’s patient/customer appointments and specific care needs
d. Utilizing the NextGen EMR System to communicate with all other team members in order to
facilitate communication of critical patient care data among all team members
e. Utilizing standing orders approved by Esse Health physicians through the Performance
Improvement Committee
f. Using Evidenced Based Medicine protocols to provide care for all patients/customers, especially
high-risk and vulnerable populations
g. Utilizing gaps in care data and information to engage patients/customers in order to close the
gaps in care
h. Engaging in performance improvement efforts through and as facilitated by the Performance
Improvement Committee