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VUMC
Nashville, Tennessee

NP or PA Surgical ICU Nights

Nurse PractitionerFull-Time Physician-Supervised State

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 32m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Discover Vanderbilt Health: With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system.

Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research.

Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniqueness celebrated.

We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Organization

VUH Advanced Practice Provider

Job Summary

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) - Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, is an integral member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, delivering expert care in the Critical Care setting.

This role involves managing high-acuity intensive care unit (ICU) patients with unstable conditions who require intensive oversight, frequent rounding, and specialized care. Patients may include those in medical and surgical ICUs with complex needs requiring advanced interventions.

The APP is responsible for managing complex conditions while ensuring delivery of safe, high-quality care. This role requires advanced medical knowledge, clinical judgment, technical proficiency, professionalism, and excellent interpersonal communication skills.

The APP is also accountable for timely and compliant documentation, ongoing professional development, and competency validation. With a strong foundation of medical knowledge, the APP combines evidence-based practice with clinical expertise to meet the unique needs of critical care patients..

Position Hours

  • Nights
  • 3 Shifts Per Week

Department Summary

On the SICU at VUMC, we care for critically ill adult patients 18 years and older who are recovering from various surgical interventions and procedures. Our unit is unique because of the diversity of our patient population. We care for liver transplants, emergency general surgery, vascular, thoracic, orthopedics, surgical oncology patients, and frequently care for trauma and OB patients. This provides endless opportunities for learning and skillset expansion.

Relocation available for candidates over 100+ miles from Nashville, TN

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) / Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) or Physician Assistant (PA) Required

Key Responsibilities

Obtains and documents a health history; performs and documents complete, system-focused, or symptom-specific physical examination, assessment and plan of care.

In collaboration, provides healthcare services for primary, acute and complex care of patients and manages patients’ overall care, identifying expected outcomes for diagnoses.

Orders, performs, interprets and collects data using appropriate assessment techniques, relevant supporting diagnostic information and diagnostic procedures where indicated.

  • Forms differential diagnoses and treats acute and chronic conditions.
  • Prescribes therapeutic interventions for both pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic and surgical, needed to achieve expected outcomes.
  • Utilizes evidence-based, approved practice protocols in planning and implementing care.

Initiates Appropriate Referrals and Consultations

  • Provides specialty specific consultation services upon request and within a specialty scope of practice.
  • Facilitates the patient’s transition between and within health care settings, such as admitting, transferring, and discharging patients.
  • The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

Technical Capabilities

Health Systems and Policy Management (Advanced): Demonstrates sufficient fundamental proficiency in behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, an understanding and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession and society. Participates in professional organizations and activities that influence advanced practice.

Patient and Family Centered Care (Advanced): Demonstrates care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease and care at the end of life. Within scope of licensure and certification, manages previously diagnosed and undiagnosed patients.

Uses health assessment skills to differentiate between normal, variations of normal, and abnormal findings. Employes screening and diagnostic strategies in the development of diagnoses. Prescribes medications within scope of practice.

Manages health/illness status of patients and families over time and across the continuum. Provides patient/centered care recognizing the patient or designee as a full partner in decision making.

Creates a climate of patient/centered care to include confidentiality privacy, comfort emotional support, mutual trust, and respect. Incorporates cultural and spiritual preferences, values and beliefs into health care.

Preserves the patient’s control over decision making by negotiating a mutually acceptable plan of care. Integrates ethical principles into decision making. Uses electronic health record to capture data on variables for the evaluation and management of patient care. Clearly documents findings, assessment and plan of care.

Clinical Knowledge and Practice (Advanced): Demonstrates established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others. Demonstrates knowledge of population focus but also other sciences that support his/her field of practice.

Demonstrates knowledge of common and important health issues affecting society and other societies around the globe. Demonstrates commitment in maintaining current evidence-based knowledge through continuous learning.

Educates patients, families, students and other members of the healthcare team in clinical topics and application of clinical knowledge.

Practice-Based Scholarly Inquiry and Integration (Advanced): Demonstrates the use of scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate and improve patient care practices. Anticipates variations in practice and is proactive in implementing interventions to improve quality.

Uses best available evidence to continuously improve quality of clinical practice. Generates knowledge from clinical practice to improve practice and patient outcomes. Reviews data and evidence to improve advanced practice. Integrates knowledge from the humanities and sciences within the context of nursing science.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills (Advanced): Demonstrates interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of health care teams. Communicates practice knowledge effectively both orally and in writing.

Professionalism (Advanced): Demonstrates behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession and society. Participates in medical center committees, professional organizations and activities that influence advanced practice.

Our Nursing Philosophy

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families and communities reach excellent health and well-being.

As a Vanderbilt University Medical Center employee, you make a difference to our patients and their families by bringing compassion and care to those in need of hope and healing. Please see our current employee benefits offered:

  • Affordable High Quality Health Plan Options
  • Dental and /or vision plan
  • 403 (b) retirement plan
  • Paid Time off (flex PTO)
  • Tuition Reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)
  • Short-Long term disability

Subsidized Backup Childcare

And many more... Ask us about our current inpatient nursing supplemental Pay Program!

Achieve the Remarkable

Learn more about VUMC Nursing here.

Core Accountabilities

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one's own communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees' effectiveness.

Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree and be licensed as an AGACNP, ACNP, or PA in the state of Tennessee. The role requires clinical experience in a critical care setting and the ability to work night shifts.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Patient assessmentSurgical ICU managementDiagnostic interpretationPharmacologic interventionQuality improvement

Critical Care — Nurse Practitioner Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Nurse Practitioner listings this role was benchmarked against, 24% are remote, 50% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

What does the Nurse Practitioner market look like in Tennessee?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedNurse Practitioner median $142k (middle half $130k–$162k)278 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingTennessee index 91.9US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
All nurse practitioner listings in Tennessee321 active15,522 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 24% remote · 50% no call · 54% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedTennessee nurse practitioner listings (all specialties): 13% state a sign-on bonus (median $10k) · 2% offer loan repayment321 active listings, Nov 2026
Nurse Practitioner pay trend (all specialties)+2.0% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page. Tennessee figures use all nurse practitioners: too few Tennessee Critical Care postings state pay.

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Nurse Practitioner Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

31 jobs
12
<$155k
6
$155k-170k
6
$170k-185k
5
$185k-200k
2
$200k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs
401k / retirement match
86% this job
CME allowance
48%
Sign-on bonus
38%
Loan repayment
14%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinic Director - Physician Assistant (PA-C) or Nurse Practitioner (NP)

Ageless Mens Health · Memphis, Tennessee

$210k
#2

Nurse PractitionerContract

Community Health Alliance-Ohio · Hamilton, Ohio

$100/hr
#3

Physician Assistant (PA) or Nurse Practitioner (NP)

$95/hr
#4

Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner / Physician Assistant - Auburn, AL | Up to $10K Sign-On Bonus

$55-$90/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 1.5
Better work-life than 50% of Critical Care (NP) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 66 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

VUMC logo

About VUMC

Hospitals and Health Care
Nashville, Tennessee
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Relocation assistance (100+ miles)
Affordable health plan options
Dental and/or vision plan
403(b) retirement plan
Paid time off (flex PTO)
Tuition reimbursement
Adoption assistance
Short and long-term disability

Living in Nashville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$409k
Typical market rent
$1,820/mo
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.3
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026).

BEA 2024 · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.