Registered Nurse - Full-Time, Patient Care Unit

REGISTERED NURSE (PATIENT CARE UNIT) FULL-TIME

Basic Purpose of the Job: Under the direction of the Nurse Manager or the Charge Nurse, this position assesses, plans, organizes and evaluates all aspects of patient care for assigned unit/ patients.

JOB REQUIREMENTS: 

EDUCATION: Graduate of a school of nursing, Bachelor of Science in Nursing preferred.

EXPERIENCE: One (1) to three (3) years recent experience as an RN.  Experience in orthopedic, neurosurgical, pain management specialties preferred.

REQUIRED LICENSE/CERTIFICATION: Current state license as a registered nurse; current CPR/BLS certification.

PREFERRED CERTIFICATION: ACLS/PALS Certification.

REQUIRED SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND ABILITIES: Effective communication skills; both orally and written.  Computer skills needed.  Ability to manage a team and work with others within a team to ensure quality patient care.  Strong problem-solving skills.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 

• Utilizes the nursing process to provide quality patient care according to established standards of care which includes planning, implementing, evaluating and adjusting plan of care, and discharge planning based on expected patient outcomes admits, transfers, and discharges patients; completes ongoing patient assessment and documents according to policy; completes nursing assessment within 2 hours of admission, or designates reason for incompleteness.  Reviews database and nutrition screen; participates in the development of patient plan of care to include patient problems, goals, evaluations, and interventions; reports symptoms and significant changes in patient's condition to appropriate personnel; assesses, collaborates and coordinates patient's discharge planning needs and readiness for discharge with other members of the care team.
• Demonstrates appropriate application of age specific standards, policies, and procedures and guidelines in caring for adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients:  follows age specific standards in administering medications based on patient's age; follows age specific standards of care during altered states of consciousness related to analgesia, conscious sedation or anesthesia; uses age specific standards, policies and procedures and guidelines to perform treatments and procedures that are routine for unit/clinic based on patient's age.
• Incorporates cultural and developmental needs into plan of care:  in collaboration with the patient/family, and in a developmentally and culturally appropriate manner, implements the plan of care; demonstrates competency in the provision of nursing care according to established standards of nursing practice and in developmentally appropriate manner.
• Demonstrates critical thinking skills, ability to provide and delegate appropriate activities to staff based on patient assessment, complexity of the task, level of competence of staff and/or certification/licensure requirements and the requirements to deliver care in a safe efficient manner maximizing positive outcomes for the patient.
• Provides documentation of patient care in the patient record according to established standards of nursing care.
• Collaborates and works cooperatively with physicians and other members of the multi-disciplinary health care team in formal and informal teaching of patients and/or family about his or her disease process and wellness promotion plan and discharge planning:  assesses patient/family learning needs, abilities, preferences, and readiness to learn;  utilizes a collaborative interdisciplinary process to provide appropriate patient/family education; utilizes available information to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching in producing the desired patient outcomes and makes adjustments in teaching as indicated.
• Participates in performance improvement activities which include collecting, analyzing data to identify quantifiable measures to maintain quality and the promotion of desired outcomes.  Also includes participation in development of patient care delivery systems, standards, policy and procedures, and problem-solving teams.
• Demonstrates an awareness and relevance of research in nursing.  Evaluates practices to identify areas for improvement and utilizes evidence-based practice to improve patient outcomes or opportunities for research.
• Adheres to all Hospital Policies and Procedures, specifically Guidelines for Appropriate Conduct, Corporate Compliance, Diversity, and Confidentiality.
• Identifies potential risks to patients; identifies risks to patients in order to reduce incidence of injury; identifies actions to eliminate, minimize or report risks; identifies procedures to follow in the event of an incident; reports processes for common problems, failures and user errors.
• Demonstrates the spirit of the philosophy, mission, and values of the hospital through words and actions and implements them into departmental processes, programs, and the working environment.
• Applies the principles and values of customer service and continuous quality improvement while performing day-to-day activities of the position.