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Keck Medicine of USC
Los Angeles, California

Nurse Practitioner (Critical Care & Stepdown) - Critical Care - Full Time 12 Hour Rotating Shifts (Non-Exempt) (Union)

Nurse PractitionerFull-Time Physician-Supervised State

Listed compensation

$80.75–$132.08 /hr

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 2mo ago

Job Description

The Nurse Practitioner is a member of the intensive care team and has as his/her primary responsibility the management of critically ill complex patients in an intensive care and stepdown care setting.

The NP has specialized skill and knowledge related to the unique ICU setting in which s/he practices and performs physical exams, collects and documents data, conducts approved diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, orders and schedules laboratory studies and professional consultations, prescribes appropriate interventions and medications, and provides direct patient care services in a specific ICU or Stepdown, according to established protocols and utilizes evidence-based clinical practice standards.

The NP contributes to excellence in patient care, research, teaching, consulting, and provides leadership to the organization and nursing profession.

Duties may include obtaining patient health histories and complete physical examinations, documenting findings noting pertinent normal and abnormal findings, ordering and interpreting appropriate diagnostic and laboratory tests.

May also need to explain the necessity, preparation, nature and anticipated effects of procedure(s) to patients, patient's family, staff, and healthcare learners. Perform approved therapeutic or diagnostic procedures based upon patient's clinical status. Document patient preparation and response to procedure(s).

Formulate and implement treatment plan for acute illness management in collaboration with the designated primary supervising physician and/or attending back-up physician(s). The Nurse Practitioner will work alongside trainees (residents and fellows) as part of the ICU Team.

Essential Duties

1. Primary responsibility is the management of critically ill complex patients in an intensive care setting and stepdown.

2. Demonstrates the ability to manage high acuity patients requiring specialized monitoring and care.

3. Develops Plans of Care with individualized interventions and completes patient care procedures correctly.

4. Conducts in-depth interviews with patients and/or family, constructs comprehensive medical histories, performs initial and periodic physical examinations and explores patient’s interpretation of health needs. Identifies and treats patients’ diseases. Manages treatment of hospitalized patients.

5. Directly performs or orders appropriate diagnostic studies and interprets finished results including lab studies, professional consults and approved diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

6. Develops and implements long and short range treatment plans. Formulates and implements treatment plans for acute illness management in collaboration with the designated primary supervising physician and/or attending back-up physicians.

7. Performs procedures such as obtaining specimens, performing injections, immunizations, lumbar punctures, skin biopsies, suturing, wound care establishing central access, emergency airways, insertion of A-lines, thoracentesis, paracentesis and management of conditions produced by trauma or infection.

8. Writes orders to increase, decrease or change medication, subject to checking and counter-signing by physician.

9. Prescribes appropriate interventions and medications and provides direct patient care services in the ICU and stepdown settings, according to established protocols and utilizes evidence-based clinical practice standards.

10. Identifies records pertinent progress of patients, updating and summarizing charts, changing orders when appropriate and notifying the responsible physician of changes in the patient’s condition.

11. Instructs and counsels patients and families regarding preventive care, medical problems, psychological problems, and use of prescribed treatments and drugs.

12. Maintains compliance with established University and department policies and procedures, quality assurance, safety, environmental, infection control and complies with requirements of accreditation and regulatory agencies.

13. Participates in in-service education programs and professional associations. Provides leadership to the organization and nursing profession.

14. Responsible for responding to emergency codes (i. e.: RRTs and Code Blue alerts) when assigned to emergency response teams.

15. Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Req Master's degree Graduate from an accredited school of Nursing (MSN).
  • Req 5 years Five years clinical nursing experience required.
  • Req 2 years 2 years minimum Critical Care Nurse Practitioner experience required
  • Req 2 years 2 years minimum ICU/critical care nursing experience required.
  • Req Must be able to intubate patients (or willing to perform this function once trained) and manage critical situations and codes.
  • Req Registered Nurse - RN (CA Board of Registered Nursing)
  • Req Nurse Practitioner - NP (CA Board of Registered Nursing)
  • Req Nurse Practitioner Furnisher (CA DCA) Current license to furnish medications in the State of California.

Req DEA Certificate Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Justice for Schedule II-V controlled substances.

Req NP Board Certified Possession of National Board Certification in Nurse Practitioner area of specialty accredited by Accreditation Board of Specialty Nursing (ABSNC) or National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). ◦ If work in Hospital/Acute Care Setting must have Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) or Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) upon hire. ▪ (*Grandfathered from Acute Care Certification requirement if hired/transferred prior to 12/2015.)

Req Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association

Req Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association - *ACLS as required by the NPs Job description for NPs in the Hospital/Acute Care Setting and Ambulatory Infusion Centers (*Required for Hospital/Acute & Infusion Center Clinic settings only)

Req Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)

Keck Hospital of USC, a 343-bed acute care hospital, provides exceptional and innovative care for complex medical and surgical conditions across a wide range of specialties.

The hospital’s world-renowned physicians deliver compassionate, customized, patient-centered care and treat the most acutely ill patients with highly innovative techniques and treatment plans.

As a leading academic medical center, hundreds of clinical trials are currently taking place at Keck Hospital and its affiliated research institutions, giving patients access to novel and promising therapies that are generally not available elsewhere.

Every day at Keck Hospital, physicians, nurses and staff go beyond the science of exceptional medicine to bring patients breakthroughs in the art of caring. Join this world-class team providing highly specialized care, up-to-the-minute research, and innovative clinical trials.

The hourly rate range for this position is $80.75 - $132.08.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy.

USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety.

Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

  • Notice of Non-discrimination
  • Employment Equity
  • Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report
  • USC is a smoke-free environment

Digital Accessibility

If you are a current USC employee, please apply to this USC job posting in Workday by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://wd5.myworkday.com/usc/d/inst/1$9925/9925$150434.htmld

Key Responsibilities

The Nurse Practitioner manages critically ill complex patients in intensive care and stepdown settings, performing physical exams and diagnostic procedures. They collaborate with physicians to formulate treatment plans and provide leadership within the nursing profession and ICU team.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
5+ years of experience

Certifications

DEA License

Key Skills

Critical Care ManagementTreatment PlanningPatient CounselingIntubationCentral Access EstablishmentEmergency Airway ManagementMedication PrescriptionPatient DocumentationClinical ResearchEvidence-Based Practice

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Nurse Practitioner (Critical Care & Stepdown) - Critical Care - Full Time 12 Hour Rotating Shifts (Non-Exempt) (Union) at Keck Medicine of USC a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 10% in Critical Care Medicine (NP) — ranked against 115 active Critical Care Medicine (NP) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Critical Care Medicine — Nurse Practitioner Career Context

Of the 50 active Nurse Practitioner listings this role was benchmarked against, 36% are remote, 56% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Nurse Practitioner pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$221k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $200k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Nurse Practitioner Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 38 employers

24
<$180k
16
$180k-225k
1
$243k
6
$270k-315k
3
$315k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks46 jobs · 38 employers

401k / retirement match
85% this job
CME allowance
72%
Sign-on bonus
39%
Loan repayment
20%
Relocation assistance
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 2.4this job 6.6
Among the best 10% of Critical Care Medicine (NP) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 115 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Los Angeles

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$923k
Typical market rent
$2,778/mo
Residents’ average commute
31 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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