Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant

Company: Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority
Location: Cherokee
Posted on: February 14, 2026

Job Description:

Job Description Job Description Primary Function The primary purpose of the position is to provide primary medical care services to patients in outpatient clinic and the emergency room. Job Description Provides therapeutic health care services to patients and family members, in a community based primary care facility. Secures a health and developmental history from the patient or parent; records findings and makes critical evaluation. Performs or requests special screening and developmental tests and laboratory tests and interprets the results. Discriminates between normal and abnormal findings to recognize early stages of serious physical, emotional, or mental problems. Provides surveillance of adherence to medical regimens to stabilize chronically ill persons; adjusts regimens within established protocols recognizing when to refer the patient to the physician or other health team members. Plans with other professional, and agencies involved in providing services to families, and where appropriate, coordinates the health care given. Provides full range of emergency services or crises intervention in the absence of the physician, including lifesaving emergency procedures in order to stabilize a patient sufficiently to transport to a hospital facility. Provides health care and preventive services to healthy individuals, including guidance in nutrition, common illnesses, accidents, child growth and development, and child rearing. Makes home visits when indicated to implement a care plan based on family needs. Participates with consulting physician in planning, instituting, evaluating and revising program plan, assists in determining conditions, resources, and policies essential to delivery of health care services. Develops protocols for the facility in collaboration with other health care professionals. Serves in a teaching capacity in the development of other health care workers. Some evening, night, and weekend work is required. May be necessary to work when Administrative Leave is granted if patient care is compromised. As part of the assigned roles and responsibilities of this position the provider will be required to see both IHS eligible beneficiaries and non-eligible patients. Performs other related duties as assigned. Education / Minimum Qualifications If Nurse Practitioner: Master’s or Doctorate’s degree from accredited Nursing Program. Graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner Program. Current RN license in State of North Carolina. Current Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)or Pediatric Nursing Board Certification. Current board certification as a NP in Acute Care, Adult, Adult/Gerontology, Pediatrics or Family Medicine. If Physician Assistant: Bachelor’s or Masters’ degree from accredited PA Program. Current PA license in State of North Carolina. Current PA board certification. All Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant applicants must: Current provider card in Basic Life Support (BLS) required. Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) preferred. Ongoing continuing medical education (CME) activities as required to maintain credentials and to stay current in geriatric health. Cherokee Indian Hospital Medical Staff membership with full privileges as appropriate for training. Proficiency rated at 6 months. Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Professional knowledge of wide range of health principles, practices and processes including physical and mental health diagnosis, establishment of care goals, development, and implementation of the care program and evaluation of the results. Ability to collect, organize, record and communicate in a concise method, data pertinent or primary health assessments including detailed family and medical history, physical examinations and selected laboratory tests. Ability to interpret special screening and developmental tests. Skills in making appropriate diagnoses, choosing, initiating and modifying current therapies. Ability to provide preventive service to healthy individuals including guidance in nutrition, common illnesses, child growth and development and ability to teach individuals and families. Skills in working with groups for example guiding families in the development of general problem solving ability regarding health problems, assisting with training health workers and health counseling. Skill in making diagnoses and in choosing, initiating and modifying selected therapies; and ability to provide emergency treatment as appropriate such as in cardiac arrest, shock or hemorrhage. Complexity of Duties Job requires a thorough knowledge of medical diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment commensurate with mid-level provider certification. Also requires the ability to handle the problems of medically complex patients simultaneously. Work covers a range of patient care services from assessment through counseling, teaching, and treating the full spectrum of family practice medical care. Supervision Received Works under the medical direction of the Chief of Medical Staff and patient care protocols. Within these constraints, the provider will evaluate and treat most patients independently. Physician consultation is available on site for patients not fitting standard protocols or not responding to treatment. Works with medical staff to develop new patient care approaches, practices and procedures. Responsibility for Accuracy A high degree of accuracy is required in the proper care of patients. Undetected errors could have minimal to life threatening results. Work is reviewed retrospectively through quality audits. Contact with Others Has frequent contact with coworkers, other health professionals, and patients where tact, courtesy, and diplomacy are required to maintain positive relationships. Requires sensitivity to others while dealing with patients and their families. Purpose of contacts is to exchange information, gain assistance, and dispense data. CIHA physicians, mid-level providers, dentists and nursing staff may deliver care in a variety of settings including those outside of the facility. Those settings may include but are not limited to community health fairs, community events, school sporting events, nursing homes, Tribal jails, patient’s homes, etc. The service provided will be clearly directed and supported by CIHA. Confidential Data The provision of medical care requires that the incumbent shall maintain strict appropriate confidentiality regarding all patient information. Will have access to patient records and highly confidential information. Must function with utmost integrity to safe guard this information. Complies with EBCI policy on confidentiality of patient records, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority Confidentiality policy and HIPAA requirements. Violations of confidentiality regulations will be subject to disciplinary action. Mental/Visual/Physical Job duties can be mentally/emotionally stressful at times. Close mental concentration and attention to detail are required. Physical activities require the ability to walk, sit, reach, bend, and lift while assisting patients to walk, transfer, or turn. Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear. Must be able to lift 30 lbs. The Cherokee Hospital provides 24 hour seven day per week services. Environment Works primarily in a hospital environment. The work environment involves moderate risks of exposure to infectious disease, radiation, electrical hazards, and irritant chemical, and explosive gases. Employee must strictly adhere to OSHA guidelines and protocol for maintaining sterile conditions. Customer Service Consistently demonstrates superior customer service skills to patients/customers by demonstrating characteristics that align with CIHA’s guiding principles and core values. Ensure excellent customer service is provided to all patients/customers by seeking out opportunities to be of service.

Keywords: Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority, Johnson City , Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, Healthcare , Cherokee, Tennessee