Jobs › Northwestern Medicine

Physician Assistant and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Sickle Cell Disease, Full-time, Days

Northwestern Medicine · Chicago, IL · Full time · Health Care Provider

Posted Sep 17, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Northwestern Medicine

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Full time days in Chicago. How does that fit your life?

What they are checking: The posting states the shift and the site.

What would you do

How do you handle a patient whose pain is not being believed?

What they are checking: The defining injustice in sickle cell care and it shapes every encounter.

How would you work across inpatient, emergency, infusion and clinic settings?

What they are checking: The posting names bridging gaps between all four settings.

What barriers do your patients face, and what can you actually do about them?

What they are checking: The posting names addressing barriers to care specifically.

How would you build a relationship with the emergency department so your patients are handled well?

What they are checking: The emergency department is where sickle cell care most often goes wrong.

This is a growing program. What would your first six months look like?

What they are checking: The posting names the program as growing.

How do you support a patient managing a lifelong condition into adulthood?

What they are checking: Transition from pediatric to adult care is where sickle cell patients get lost.

About the work

Tell me about your experience caring for people with sickle cell disease.

What they are checking: The posting is for a growing sickle cell disease program.

How do you manage a patient in a pain crisis?

What they are checking: Acute pain management is the core clinical work in sickle cell care.

What would make you suspect acute chest syndrome?

What they are checking: The complication that kills adults with sickle cell disease.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Northwestern Medicine from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

Northwestern Medicine has an exciting opportunity for either a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician Assistant to join our growing Sickle Cell Disease program, with a primary focus on inpatient consultative care and a smaller outpatient clinic component. This role will serve a high-acuity, high-utilization patient population and work closely with hematology, hospital medicine, pain management, care coordination, and outpatient teams to improve continuity of care across settings. The APP will provide inpatient consultations, develop and implement individualized pain and care plans, support evidence-based management of vaso-occlusive episodes, coordinate discharge planning, and ensure timely outpatient follow-up. A key goal of this position is to reduce avoidable readmissions, improve patient outcomes, and enhance the patient experience through proactive care coordination and longitudinal support. The successful candidate will help bridge gaps between inpatient, emergency, infusion, and outpatient care settings while addressing barriers to care that contribute to recurrent hospital utilization. This individual will collaborate with multidisciplinary partners to promote standardized care pathways, patient education, chronic disease management, and equitable access to resources for patients living with sickle cell disease. The position offers a unique opportunity to build and shape an innovative program focused on improving quality, reducing length of stay and readmissions, and advancing care for a medically and socially complex population." Schedule: Monday - Friday • no weekends, nights, or holidays • no on call Essential Functions : • Demonstrates clinical expertise and expanded knowledge through patient care activities which may include diagnosis and management of a wide range of health problems. • Responsible for health outcome of an assigned patient population. • Confers with collaborating physician and other health professionals in area of clinical expertise. • Develops appropriate educational systems for patients, families and staff in areas of expertise. • Mentors graduate students in aspects of advanced practice and patient care. • Actively participates in quality improvement and/or research pertinent to area of expertise. Responsibilities : • Conducts comprehensive appraisals of patients' health status by taking health histories and performing physical examinations in clinical area. • Provides direct clinical care to patients. • Prescribes/orders medications, therapies; orders/interprets laboratory tests, x-rays and procedures according to clinical privileges. • Evaluates patients to determine their need for further health care. • Provides comprehensive teaching to patients and families. • Documents in the medical record all care and education provided and/or procedures performed for which the Licensed Advanced Practice Provider is responsible. • Refers to other disciplines as appropriate. • Consultant to other disciplines in areas of expertise. • Integrates research based knowledge and clinical expertise in decision making. • Exemplifies a professional image in appearance, manner and presentation. • Advocate for patients, families, coworkers, and the community. • Maintains certifications and continuing education as required for licensure and privileging. • Serves as a patient advocate and role model for "Patients First". • Participates in unit/departmental/divisional or hospital committees/task forces as appropriate. • Provides comprehensive teaching strategies for patients and their families. • Develops and participates in programs to meet continuing education needs of staff. • Serves as a role model and preceptor to students. • Provides formal education to both internal and external groups pertinent to area of specialty. • Participates in quality improvement and/or research initiatives for specific patient population as appropriate. Required : • Master’s degree from an accredited school/college of nursing OR master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program • Acute care certification required for APRNs • Current license as a Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Current license as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois. Certification as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by a national certifying body as approved by the Illinois Department of Regulation APRN Board. Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number OR Master’s degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program/Current license as a Physician Assistant in the State of Illinois. Once licensed may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number • Privileged and credentialed through the Medical Staff Office (MSO) • Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation – BLS, issued by the American Heart Association • Minimum of 2 years of APP experience • No new grads Preferred: • Experience working with sickle cell patients as well as chronic pain management preferred Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more. Sign-on Bonus Eligibility (if sign-on bonus offered for position): Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at NM may be eligible depending upon the job family.

Apply at Northwestern Medicine