Registered Nurse

Description

Qualifications:

1. A graduate of an approved school of professional nursing, who is licensed as a registered nurse by the State. It is preferred, but not required, that the nurse has at least one year nursing experience and may have community health experience.  
2. A graduate of an approved school of professional nursing, who is licensed as a registered nurse by the State. It is preferred, but not required, that the nurse has at least one year nursing experience and may have community health experience.  

Job Duties (include, but are not limited to the following):

1. Provides skilled nursing services in accordance with the orders of a physician and under a plan of care in a patient’s home. Has the responsibility for the observation, assessment, nursing diagnosis, counsel, care and health teaching of the ill, injured, or confined, and the maintenance of health and prevention of illness of others.
2. Records the health needs of the patient.
3. Performs and completes start-of-care, recertifications, resumption-of-care, and discharge Comprehensive OASIS assessment and associated paperwork in accordance to agency policy.
4. Initiates Plan of Care, revises as necessary. 
5. Evaluates the effects of the care given and regularly reevaluates the patient’s nursing needs.
6. Provides those services requiring substantial specialized nursing skill based on the physician’s orders and the nursing diagnosis. Examples of such services include, but are not limited to; physical assessment, patient and family teaching, urinary catheter insertion and care, venipuncture and administration of IV fluids or medications, dressing changes, sterile and nonsterile. 
7. Initiates appropriate preventive and rehabilitative nursing procedures. 
8. Counsels the patient and his/her family in meeting nursing and related needs.
9. Acts as the coordinator of the health care team in order to maintain the proper linkages with a continuum of care.
10. Coordinates the care of all patients in his/her case load. 
11. Makes referrals to other agencies or services as needed.
12. Provides summary reports to the patient’s physician about patient under care when the patient’s condition changes or there are deviations from the plan of care, or at least every 60 days.
13. Prepares clinical and progress notes on the relevant and specialized nursing services he/she provides and maintain a clinical record for each patient receiving care.
14. Submission of documentation per agency policy.
15. Participates in Clinical Record Reviews.
16. Participates in in-service programs and staff meetings.
17. Directs the activities of the licensed practical nurse.
18. Makes the home health aide assignment, prepares written instructions for the aide and supervises the aide in the home.
19. Complies with Homecare Agency Compliance Plan.
20. Complies with Homecare Agency’s Infection Control Policies.
21. Complies with Homecare Agency’s HIPAA Policies.

Requirements

Working Environment:

Field experience may expose employee to temperature extremes, physical injury by patient, family, animal or other in the community, unsafe environment or exposure to infectious diseases and offensive odors.

Equipment and Supplies: Prudent and efficient use of routine office supplies and equipment. Prudent and efficient use of routine medical supplies, nursing bag contents, sphygmomanometer and stethoscope, instrument packs. All the preceding items should be protected from theft and weather at all times.

Knowledge and Competency: Must demonstrate basic knowledge of all procedures included in the Registered Nurse description. Must have the ability to follow instructions from the physician, Nursing Supervisor and other professional staff. Ability to communicate effectively with managers, patients, families and co-workers. Must have effective means of transportation, which will enable employee to make visits to patients’ homes if needed. Must be able to assess safety of home situations for self, patients, and other staff members, including physical and psychological dangers. Must have the ability to effectively cope with patients, families and all others with varying backgrounds, socioeconomic conditions, and value judgments. Skills include the ability to use cognizant approach to problem solving in delivering patient care with considerations being given to the patient’s past experience, finances and other resources. Skills are needed to assess both physical and psychological needs of patients and institute the appropriate nursing intervention. Must possess ingenuity to handle medical and situational emergencies.

Maintains confidentiality of information relating to patient. Will discuss only those aspects necessary to care and treatment of patient with those directly involved in the patient’s care.

Physical Demands: Must be able to complete all physical demands of the job, which may include, but not be limited to: the ability to lift and transfer patients, carry supplies, and read normal typewritten print. Have corrected vision and hearing within normal range and have manual dexterity with normal range of motion of all extremities. May be requested to work weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime. Must be able to work alone without usual support systems immediately available in acute care settings. Must have the ability to deal with abrupt schedule changes and to maintain objectivity in coping with the stress of working with acute, chronic and terminally ill patients. 

Work Ethic: Complies with the Homecare Agency dress code, projects a professional attitude toward self, patients, and other staff members, and follows department public relation policies regarding outside speaking and professional affiliations, clearing all such requests through Homecare Agency.