Supervisor - PA or CRNP (ACNP) - UPP Neurosurgery UPMC Mercy

Hours: Full-time 40 hours per week - 13-hour shifts nights/days
Location: UPMC Mercy
The Neurosurgery APP Supervisor is an experienced Advanced Practice Provider responsible for the clinical and operational leadership of the inpatient and outpatient APP teams at UPMC Mercy. This is a highly autonomous, clinically active leadership position requiring advanced neurosurgical knowledge, strong independent clinical judgment, and demonstrated expertise in the education and professional development of neurosurgical APPs.
The supervisor must be comfortable practicing in a Level I Trauma Center and managing complex, acutely ill neurosurgical patients across the continuum of care. The role requires the ability to move between inpatient and outpatient settings based on clinical and operational needs and to provide hands-on support when patient acuity, staffing, or service demands require it. The Mercy inpatient environment includes ICU, stepdown, acute care, rehabilitation, and emergency consult management.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Leadership

• Function as a highly independent and experienced neurosurgical APP.
• Provide direct patient care in both the inpatient and outpatient settings as needed.
• Evaluate and manage complex neurosurgical patients, including critically ill, trauma, perioperative, and postoperative patients.
• Perform and oversee neurosurgical consultations throughout the hospital.
• Recognize acute neurologic deterioration and initiate appropriate evaluation, treatment, and escalation of care.
• Serve as a clinical resource for APPs managing difficult or high-acuity cases.
• Maintain the ability to rapidly prioritize competing clinical needs within a busy trauma environment.

APP Education and Professional Development

• Lead clinical education, onboarding, orientation, and ongoing competency development of neurosurgical APPs.
• Develop and standardize educational resources, clinical expectations, workflows, and practice standards.
• Provide direct clinical teaching, mentorship, and case-based education.
• Identify knowledge or competency gaps and develop targeted education to address them.
• Support new APPs in progressing toward safe, independent neurosurgical practice.
• Promote evidence-based practice and continued development of advanced neurosurgical knowledge.
• Partner with physicians and APP leadership to ensure APP education aligns with service needs and standards of care.

Team Leadership and Operations

• Provide day-to-day leadership and clinical oversight for Mercy inpatient and outpatient neurosurgical APPs.
• Promote accountability, communication, collaboration, and consistent clinical practice across the team.
• Coordinate APP resources across inpatient and outpatient services based on volume, acuity, staffing, and operational needs.
• Assist with recruitment, onboarding, retention, scheduling, and workforce planning.
• Participate in quality improvement, patient safety, workflow development, and other departmental initiatives.
• Serve as the primary APP leadership presence for the Mercy neurosurgery service and facilitate communication between APPs, attending neurosurgeons, residents, nursing, and departmental leadership.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• PA-C or CRNP with active Pennsylvania licensure and appropriate national certification.
• Significant clinical experience in neurosurgery or a closely related high-acuity surgical/neurocritical care environment.
• Demonstrated ability to practice with a high degree of clinical independence.
• Experience managing complex and acutely deteriorating patients in an inpatient setting.
• Demonstrated experience in APP education, onboarding, mentorship, precepting, or professional development, with a strong preference for experience specifically educating neurosurgical APPs.
• Ability and willingness to practice in both inpatient and outpatient neurosurgery.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to remain effective and make sound clinical decisions in a fast-paced Level I Trauma Center environment.

Purpose:
The Supervisor, APP is a Physician Assistant or Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner and a member of the care delivery team. The Supervisor, APP is responsible to set the standards for the level and quality of care. The Supervisor, APP coordinates and oversees all physician assistant and certified nurse practitioner functions. The Supervisor, APP has responsibility, authority and accountability for the provision of care through supervision by and collaboration with a physician. The Supervisor, APP manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication and collaboration with all team members. The role of the Supervisor, APP encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration and supervision. The Supervisor, APP establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Supervisor, APP demonstrates a commitment to the community and to their healthcare profession.

Responsibilities:

• Actively participates in department or practice-specific quality improvement efforts. Identifies opportunity for quality improvement to colleagues, management, and members of the healthcare team. Takes personal responsibility in improving patient satisfaction with the quality of care and service. Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support improvement in clinical care: identifies research issues or articles related to clinical specialty or areas of interest, discusses opportunities for quality improvement at multidisciplinary rounds, and influences patients' plans of care.
• Applies basic educational principles in teaching of patients, families, students and new staff. Provides education to patients and families to effectively guide them through the episode of care as well as transition to another level of care and/or home. Supports the development of students, staff and colleagues, may serve as a preceptor. Creates an environment of open dialogue, inquiry and continuous development by asking for feedback and improving practice.
• Applies principles of acceptable professional practice. Formulates a plan of care for patients that involves the patient as partner and considers the individual needs of the patient. Demonstrates critical thinking in all areas of professional practice. Practices solid communication skills, and is able to articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and clinical practice. Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers. Incorporates acceptable standards of professional practice as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction Builds relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by demonstrating accountability for actions, enthusiasm, motivation and commitment to patients and colleagues. Demonstrates an understanding of cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships. Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life. Models safe work hours, time management and healthy lifestyle. Communicates with peers, members of the healthcare team, and management any safety hazards identified in the workplace.
• Provides departmental leadership to direct, supervise, and manage daily activities of the PAs and CRNPs; completes annual performance evaluations in conjunction with support staff. Participates in recruitment, evaluation, and management of PA and CRNP employees. Implements, maintains, monitors, and communicates Human Resources policies pertaining to PAs and CRNPs. Facilitates training of staff for all PAs and CRNPs. Oversee staff adherence to compliance requirements including documentation, coding, licensure, internal and external audits, compliance and safety training (OSHA). Organize and oversee staffing of clinical sites with attending physician and Director of Operations. Troubleshoot problems in clinical areas. Work in conjunction with clinical staff to resolve issues. Liaison for all advanced practice providers for each site. This would include communication to the division management and physicians on behalf of the advanced practice providers, as well as communication to the APPs from management. Primary contact for patient complaints or other clinical issues on behalf of the physician in his/her absence. Act as a liaison to and preceptor for PA and CRNP students. Assist staff in preparation of conferences.
• Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care. Actively participates in practice and clinical setting specific goal setting and supports the change and transition process to improve quality of care and the practice environment. Serves as a highly engaged and full partner on the care team and responds willingly to care team member needs for assistance and partnership. Participates in work that improves patient care and the professional practice environment. Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility with the change process.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and/or interact appropriately with the patients served as specified below
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span
• Possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age-specific needs
• Provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures

Special Skills and Abilities Required

• Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families
• Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment
• Handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment
• Critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care
• Good clinical judgment
• Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and lead others in application of acceptable standards of practice
• Mobility and visual manual dexterity
• Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients

This position is dependent upon successful attainment and maintenance of hospital privileges, if applicable to the Business Unit practice.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
5 years as a certified nurse practitioner, physician assistant or relevant managerial experience required (at least 3 of the 5 years from APP experience) 3 years of experience in the department specialty preferred. For Physician Assistant: Graduate of a Physician Assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) is required. BS, MS preferred For Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner: The successful completion of an approved Nurse Practitioner program is required. BSN, MSN preferred. Special Skills and Abilities Required: In addition to the responsibilities of the Staff APP, the Supervisor, APP must meet the following criteria to achieve supervisor status: Must supervise 3 APPs. Must maintain clinical practice at least 25% of the time. Must precept at least 1 student per year. Must maintain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on annual performance evaluation to maintain status.

For Physician Assistants: A current state PA license, certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is required
For Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners: current state RN license and CRNP certification by the state is required. National certification, eligible for licensure by Pennsylvania board of nursing, eligible for certification as a CRNP by Pennsylvania state board of nursing

Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP):

• The successful completion of an approved nurse practitioner program is required
• BSN, MSN is preferred
• Professional nursing experi