Paramedic I - Code Team - Duke Life Flight

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About Duke Life Flight

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke Life Flight, which is Duke Health's critical care and emergency air and ground transport team, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems. The team includes paramedics, nurses, respiratory therapists, emergency medical technicians, and communications specialists who work quickly to provide compassionate care and transport services to critically ill patients of all ages. Duke Life Flight also maintains a Code Blue Response Team and helps support event medicine needs.

The Life Flight Code Team Paramedic will perform a variety of activities within their scope of practice to include the delivery of high quality emergency care as a rapid response team tending to ill or injured persons of all ages in designated areas of the DUH campus. This rapid response utilizes an advanced life support (ALS) care delivery model to stabilize, resuscitate or administer care needed within the scope of the ALS Paramedic.

The Paramedic performs a variety of activities across various practices settings and patient populations in accordance with the Paramedic scope of practice as defined by the North Carolina Medical Board and with the approval of the practice setting Medical Director.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Responsible for providing direct patient care in accordance with the Paramedic scope of practice as defined by the North Carolina Medical Board under the medical oversight of the Medical Director of the practice setting where the individual will function.

• Assists clinical staff in the evaluation, treatment and care of patients. Obtains pertinent history and performs a physical examination. Performs technical procedures as delegated.
• Monitors patients and maintains records using patient monitoring system and electronic health records. Documents patients' status, delivery of care and evaluation of the patients' response to care according to specific procedures and established protocols.
• Documents and maintains an informative and accurate medical record to initiate charges for each patient treated.
• Communicates in a professional manner essential information to all appropriate members of the healthcare team to promote sharing of information throughout the continuum of care.
• Operates extensive medical and mechanical equipment in the hospital and transport environment.  Ensures all medical equipment is functioning; restocks medical supplies as needed.
• Provides and maintains a safe and therapeutic environment for the patients, visitors, and staff. Properly disposes of and handles as applicable, sharps, soiled materials, and linens and disinfects area in accordance with policy and policy as applicable. Properly uses PPE when in contact with patients, soiled utility, hazardous materials in accordance with policy.
• Act as preceptor and support the development of other staff and formal learners.
• Participate in the identification of clinical or operational performance improvement opportunities and in performance improvement activities. Supports an environment of evidence-based practice/research/quality improvement initiatives
• Maintain certifications and clinical skills.
• Performs other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Required Qualifications:

Shift:  3 – 12 hour rotating shifts – 7a-7p and 7p-7a with weekends and holidays as needed

Education:

• High School Diploma
• NC Paramedic Certification

Experience:

One year Paramedic experience required.

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification

• BLS Required at hiring, ACLS, and PALS are preferred at hiring, but need to be completed by 6 months of hire.
• Current trauma course preferred: PHTLS, BTLS or ITLS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of and appropriate application Paramedic scope of practice
• Knowledge of professional theory, practice and procedure
• Ability to assess needs of acute and chronically ill patients and their families
• Ability to independently seek out resources and work collaboratively
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships
• Ability to communicate clearly with patients, families, visitors, healthcare team, physicians, administrators, leadership and others
• Ability to use sensory and cognitive functions to process and prioritize information, treatment, and follow-up
• Ability to use fine motor skills
• Ability to record activities, document assessments, plan of care, interventions, evaluation and re-evaluation of patient status
• Ability to use computer and learn new software programs
• Able to document and communicate pertinent information using computer and/or paper documentation tools
• Ability to withstand prolonged standing and walking
• Ability to remain focused and organized
• Working knowledge of procedures and techniques involved in administering routine and special treatments to patients
• Working knowledge of infection control procedures and safety precautions
• Pre-employment Physical Capacity Testing Required
• Must Speak English in good, understandable terms
• Participate in own professional development by maintaining required competencies, identifying learning needs and seeking appropriate assistance or educational offerings.
• Critical thinking and ability to concentrate
• Must be able to respond quickly to changes in patient and/or unit conditions

Physical Requirements

• Work requires walking, standing, sitting, lifting, reaching, stooping, bending, knelling, crouching/squatting, balancing, and pulling. Ability to withstand prolonged standing and walking.

• Must be able to lift and support the weight up to 75 pounds in handling patients, medical equipment, and supplies.
• Intact sense of sight, hearing, smell, and touch.
• Finger dexterity.
• Bimanual Dexterity: Requiring the use of both hands

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.