Stroke Advanced Practice Provider (NP/PA)
Comprehensive Stroke Program | UCI Health – Lakewood
Full-Time | Monday–Friday | Day Shift | No Nights | No Weekends | No Call
Join Our Comprehensive Stroke Team
We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Stroke Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) to join the Comprehensive Stroke Program at UCI Health – Lakewood.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a central role in the evaluation and management of patients with acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and other neurologic emergencies.
The Stroke APP works at the center of a fast-paced, multidisciplinary stroke system, collaborating closely with Neurology, Neurointerventional/Neurosurgery, Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Radiology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Rehabilitation, and Case Management.
The ideal candidate is an experienced acute-care APP who enjoys high-acuity medicine, rapid clinical decision-making, multidisciplinary collaboration, and helping build and advance a high-performing stroke program.
What You'll Do
- Respond to and participate in Code Stroke activations and the rapid evaluation of patients with suspected acute stroke.
- Provide comprehensive inpatient care for patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and other neurologic emergencies.
- Perform focused neurologic examinations, including NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) assessments, and identify changes requiring urgent escalation.
- Collaborate with the Neurology/Neurointerventional Radiology Stroke, Critical Care, and Emergency Medicine teams in evaluating patients for acute reperfusion and neurointerventional therapies.
- Participate in the care of patients before and after thrombolytic therapy and/or mechanical thrombectomy in collaboration with the treating physician teams.
- Coordinate care across the Emergency Department, ICU, procedural areas, telemetry/stroke units, and rehabilitation/discharge continuum.
- Participate in multidisciplinary stroke rounds and facilitate communication among physicians, nursing, pharmacy, rehabilitation, case management, and other members of the stroke team.
- Assist with implementation and adherence to evidence-based stroke protocols, order sets, and clinical pathways.
- Support stroke quality initiatives, performance improvement, documentation, and readiness activities associated with the Comprehensive Stroke Program.
- Participate in stroke education for patients, families, nursing staff, and other members of the healthcare team.
- Facilitate timely consultations, transfers, transitions of care, and discharge planning.
- Maintain accurate, concise, and comprehensive documentation within the electronic medical record.
- Work collaboratively while maintaining the ability to independently prioritize and manage a high-acuity patient population.
Schedule
Monday–Friday, Day Shift
No nights. No weekends. No call.
This position offers the opportunity to work in high-acuity neurologic care while maintaining a highly desirable weekday schedule.
Compensation & Professional Growth
- Competitive compensation
- Professional malpractice insurance fully paid
- Full-time position within an established multidisciplinary stroke program
- Opportunity to develop advanced expertise in acute stroke and neurocritical care
- Significant involvement in stroke program development, education, and quality improvement
- Opportunities for additional professional growth within inpatient pulmonary and/or critical care services for interested candidates
Required Qualifications
Nurse Practitioner candidates:
- Active California RN and NP licenses
- MSN or DNP with appropriate acute-care preparation: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP-BC / ACNPC-AG)
- Current national board certification
- California furnishing authority, including Schedule II authority as applicable
Physician Assistant candidates:
- Active California Physician Assistant license
- Master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant program
- Appropriate California prescribing/furnishing authority and registration as applicable
- Acute-care experience
All candidates:
- Current NPI and DEA registration
- Appropriate PECOS and CURES enrollment/registration
- BLS and ACLS certification
- NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) certification
- ENLS certification within 3 months of hire
- Strong clinical assessment, communication, documentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and appropriately prioritize time-sensitive neurologic emergencies
Preferred Qualifications
- At least 1 year of APP experience in neurology, neurocritical care, critical care medicine, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, or another acute-care setting.
- Previous experience with an acute stroke or Comprehensive Stroke Center team
- Experience evaluating and managing acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients
- Familiarity with stroke quality metrics, performance improvement, and stroke-program requirements
- Strong leadership, teaching, and interdisciplinary communication skills
Why This Position?
This is more than a traditional inpatient APP role. You will become an integral member of a multidisciplinary team caring for patients during some of the most time-sensitive and consequential moments in medicine.
For an APP interested in stroke, neurocritical care, emergency neurologic care, and program development, this position offers the opportunity to develop a specialized clinical practice while helping advance the delivery of comprehensive stroke care at UCI Health – Lakewood.
If you are an experienced acute-care NP or PA looking for a challenging, collaborative, and rewarding next step in your career, we would like to hear from you.
Pay: $80.34 - $115.00 per hour
Expected hours: 40.0 per week
Education:
Experience:
- Acute care: 1 year (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification - Adult Gero (Required)
- Acute Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (Required)
- Physician Assistant License (Required)
Work Location: In person
