Nurse Practitioner - Surgery - Bariatric

Job Description/Summary  

Serves as designated MBS Coordinator who works directly with the MBS medical director and key program stakeholders. Assists in program development, managing the accreditation process and ensures continuous compliance with MBSAQIP requirements, maintaining relevant policies and procedures, patient education, outcomes data collection, quality improvement efforts and education of relevant staff in the various aspects of metabolic and bariatric surgery. 

Responsibilities And Scope 

• Serves as the designated liaison between Sinai Bariatric Surgery Program, IP nursing and MBSAQUIP. Manages accreditation criteria to ensure Sinai MBS meets expectations set forth by governing agencies.
• Works with the community, medical staff, clinical staff, and administration to ensure success of the bariatric program. Focuses on quality of care, promotion of services, and coordination of care. 
• Provides education, support and necessary resources for newly diagnosed patients and their families. 
• Provides leadership role in policy/pathway development and organization. Maintains knowledge of the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative processes (pathways, protocols and all elements associated with the coordination of patient care).
• Maintains knowledge of documentation requirements needed for patient records and oversees the data collection process.
• Conducts educational classes/talks in collaboration with outreach programs, including visiting and coordinating Bariatric surgeon visits to referring physician offices. 
• Organizes and conducts Bariatric group meetings and informational sessions for patients, as needed.
• Updates program collateral/printed materials and ensures all materials are distributed appropriately. 
• Collaborates on an ongoing basis with MBS medical director, clinic and hospital bariatric team and others, promoting positive communication and education. Works closely with MBS medical director to anticipate and identify program needs and implement solutions to problems. Integrates evidence-based practice into programmatic improvements.
• Has complete knowledge of and supports quality improvement goals that influence patient outcomes and their association with coordination of care.

Qualifications 

Education Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare related field preferred.

Licensure/Certification Requirements:

• Licensed or Registered Health Care Professional (PA, NP, RD, advanced practice RN)

Professional Experience Requirements:

• Experience in healthcare-related field with current experience in the area of bariatrics preferred. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Requirements:

• High level of interpersonal/communication skills; excellent written and verbal skills; has an overall through understanding and working knowledge of evidence-based recommendations and guidelines from nationally recognized organizations such as (but not limited to) the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), etc. 

Definition and Requirements

MBSAQIP-Accredited centers must have a designated MBS Coordinator who assists and works directly with the MBS Director. The MBS Coordinator must be a licensed or registered health care professional.* The center is allowed to have multiple MBS Coordinators, but a single individual must serve as a liaison between the center and the MBSAQIP. The MBS Coordinator is also allowed to fill the role of the MBS Clinical Reviewer (see Standard 2.7) as long as this individual does not document in patients’ medical records. If a center loses or changes its MBS Coordinator for any reason, the center must notify the MBSAQIP within 30 days. In this event, the center must establish a new MBS Coordinator.

The MBS Coordinator administrates the MBS Committee and must attend at least two of the three required meetings, one of which must be the annual comprehensive review meeting, as well as the majority of all other meetings. The MBS Coordinator assists in program development, managing the accreditation process, ensuring continuous compliance with MBSAQIP Standards, maintaining relevant pathways and protocols, patient education, monitoring outcomes data and collection, quality improvement initiatives, and the education of relevant staff with a focus on metabolic and bariatric patient safety. The MBS Coordinator supports the development of written protocols and education of nursing staff detailing the rapid communication and basic response to critical patient findings that are specifically required to minimize delays in the diagnosis and treatment of serious adverse events.

The MBS Coordinator serves as the liaison between the facility and all metabolic and bariatric proceduralists at the center and any general surgeons providing call coverage. The MBS Coordinator assists in maintaining the documentation of the call schedule provided by all covering surgeons, as well as providing access to the call schedule to all departments of the facility that provide care for metabolic and bariatric patients.

If the MBS Coordinator and MBS Clinical Reviewer are separate individuals, they must work closely together to ensure timely submission of outcomes data to the MBSAQIP Registry.

The center’s organizational framework must incorporate the MBS Coordinator position. The MBS Coordinator must have a job description or contract documenting the authority and resources to fulfill the above listed duties.

The MBS Coordinator must be present and actively participate in each MBSAQIP site visit for their current center(s).