Advanced Lung Transplant Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

About the Role

The Advanced Lung Transplant Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) is a licensed, certified, non-physician healthcare provider specializing in the care of patients with advanced lung disease, lung transplantation, and complex cardiopulmonary conditions. The APP functions as an integral member of the multidisciplinary Lung Transplant Program, providing comprehensive inpatient management, peri-transplant care, and post-transplant follow-up for adult patients throughout the continuum of care. The Advanced Practice Provider is credentialed, privileged, and billed as an independent provider recognized by Medicare and Medicaid. The APP provides medical care within the scope of practice delegated by the supervising physician and collaborates closely with transplant pulmonologists, transplant surgeons, intensivists, transplant coordinators, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, rehabilitation specialists, and nursing staff. This position focuses on the care of patients with end-stage lung disease undergoing transplant evaluation, waitlist management, transplant hospitalization, immediate post-transplant recovery, and long-term transplant surveillance. The APP will participate in inpatient rounding, consultations, acute patient management, discharge planning, and multidisciplinary transplant care coordination.

Key Responsibilities

• Assesses the physical and mental condition of patients by performing and obtaining comprehensive or focused physical examinations and medical histories.
• Evaluates patients with advanced lung disease including pulmonary fibrosis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, bronchiectasis, and other conditions requiring transplant consideration.
• Participates in lung transplant evaluations and assists with pre-transplant optimization and ongoing management of transplant candidates.
• Orders, collects, interprets, and evaluates laboratory studies, imaging, pulmonary function tests, pathology reports, bronchoscopy findings, and other diagnostic testing to assess patient conditions and healthcare needs.
• Prescribes or recommends medical therapies, immunosuppressive medications, antimicrobial prophylaxis, and other treatments based on evidence-based practice and established transplant protocols.
• Formulates and implements comprehensive patient treatment plans based on assessments, standards of care, and collaboration with the multidisciplinary transplant team.
• Evaluates and manages acute transplant-related complications including rejection, respiratory failure, infection, allograft dysfunction, medication toxicity, and other complex cardiopulmonary conditions.
• Conducts daily inpatient rounds on transplant candidates and lung transplant recipients.
• Provides consultation-level services related to advanced pulmonary disease and lung transplantation based on training, experience, and scope of practice.
• Coordinates care with transplant surgery, pulmonary medicine, critical care, infectious disease, cardiology, rehabilitation, pharmacy, nutrition, social work, and case management teams.
• Performs invasive procedures within the provider's scope of practice and level of expertise as delegated by the supervising physician.
• Performs follow-up evaluations both pre- and post-transplant and may provide care in inpatient, step-down, intensive care, emergency department, and outpatient transplant settings.
• Counsels patients and families regarding transplant candidacy, surgical procedures, immunosuppression, medication adherence, lifestyle modification, infection prevention, and long-term post-transplant management.
• Maintains accurate and timely medical documentation in accordance with transplant regulatory requirements and institutional standards.
• Participates in quality improvement, performance improvement, transplant outcomes initiatives, and accreditation activities.
• Initiates timely consultation and referral when patient needs exceed scope of practice or expertise.
• May be required to perform patient care duties beyond the regular schedule based on transplant coverage needs, including weekends, holidays, and call responsibilities.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Advanced knowledge of pulmonary medicine, lung transplantation, critical care medicine, and cardiopulmonary physiology.
• Knowledge of information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat complex pulmonary diseases, transplant-related complications, and critical illness.
• Knowledge of immunosuppressive therapies, transplant pharmacology, infectious disease management, and rejection surveillance.
• Knowledge of practices, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of acute and chronic cardiopulmonary dysfunction.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Critical thinking and complex problem-solving abilities.
• Strong clinical judgment in high-acuity patient environments.
• Skill in the use of computers, EMR platforms, and related software applications.
• Ability to develop and implement comprehensive outcomes-based treatment plans.
• Ability to counsel patients and families regarding chronic disease management, transplant processes, and long-term care expectations.
• Ability to interpret laboratory results, pulmonary diagnostics, radiology studies, hemodynamic monitoring, and transplant-specific testing.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining patient safety and quality outcomes.

Qualifications

• EDUCATION: Master's degree or higher in Nursing from an accredited institution.
• LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION:
• Texas RN licensure or RN licensure with compact privilege from a state in the Nurse Licensure Compact.
• Current Texas APRN licensure.
• Current license to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in the state of Texas.
• Certification as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP-BC or ACNP-BC) required.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) within 30 days of hire or transfer.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification required.
• Certification from an accredited board as an APRN for the patient population of focus required.
• Preferred Experience:
• Experience in Lung Transplant, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart Failure, or Solid Organ Transplant programs preferred.
• Experience caring for hospitalized, critically ill, and medically complex patients preferred.