Med/Surg Registered Nurse

The Med/Surg RN  is an advanced licensed clinician and functions at the proficient level. The RN  provides professional direct patient care to a diverse population and is considered an expert in the specialty. Besides conducting nursing assessments, assisting with exams and treatment, and maintaining medical records, the RN assists in coaching and mentoring department staff in clinical and professional practice areas. Role modeling compassionate communication with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, the RN assumes leadership responsibilities with high-level contributions at the bedside, unit, service line, and across the institution. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, leading unit and shared governance activities, serving as charge nurse as needed, assessing the unit's needs related to practice and improvement opportunities, serving as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff, and coordinating unit and hospital-wide education in partnership with management.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's of Science in Nursing

CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE:

• Current Texas Board of Nursing (or Compact State) RN license; Or a Temporary Texas RN License (Permanent TX license within 90 days upon hire). 
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification, within 7 days of hire.

• Identifies staff development opportunities for colleagues' professional growth and provides coaching to meet identified goals. 
• Acts as a model and coaches staff in effective verbal, nonverbal, and written communication, which includes active listening and teaching. 
• Provides oversight for student/new employee preceptorships. 
• Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment, such as conflict mitigation. 
• Advocates for a balanced workload, promotes positive behaviors, and promotes peer-to-peer accountability. Improves nurse satisfaction by serving as a role model and mentor, facilitating teamwork with RNs and non-licensed and interprofessional staff, as evidenced by the annual RN-RN teamwork score and interprofessional relationship score. 
• Provides recommendations to improve department scores for turnover/retention. 
• Leads the patient and family-centered care standards. 
• Mentors others regarding specialty populations. 
• Practices in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles. 
• Develops, updates, and communicates a plan of care, including discharge, in partnership with the patient, family, and interprofessional health care team using the nursing process. 
• Prioritizes care based on the patients needs, abilities, and preferences. 
• Advocates on the patient/family's behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns. 
• Develops appropriate resources and supports unit practices and guidelines. 
• Develops and implements effective patient teaching strategies based on learning needs; uses appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after discharge.
• Consistently evaluates the patients comprehension and adapts teaching methods accordingly. 
• Drives department activities to improve department score for patient satisfaction through peer-to-peer accountability. 
• Models the standards of care related to the nursing process. 
• Provides care as the staff nurse leader to complex patients and leads the interprofessional health care team in implementing the plan of care. 
• Anticipates/prevents and recognizes/resolves early declines in patient condition and emergent situations. 
• Manages the assignment of complex patients and other unit demands. 
• Proactively recognizes, determines a plan of action, and responds to situations, such as Rapid Response/CERTs and emergency codes. 
• Models the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice. 
• Role models highly developed assessment, clinical documentation, leadership, and analytical skills; integrates and contributes to professional practice standards, policies, procedures, and protocols and leads improvements in patient safety-related processes at the unit or service line level. 
• Contributes to the development of service line and hospital standards and guidelines. Leads and identifies opportunities for practice changes and performance improvement. 
• Investigates and incorporates evidence-based practices presented to shared governance and leadership. 
• Leads initiatives to improve quality and safety scores through peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses and identifying solutions by collaborating with the interprofessional team. 
• Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety. 
• Audits the plan of care and other areas as needed. Models independent time management effectively and prioritization of daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime.
• Collaborates with interprofessional health care team to facilitate patient throughput efficiently to meet organizational goals.
•  Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and mentors others to do the same through timely documentation of care, decreasing length of stay, optimizing efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime, and other areas according to department specifications.
•  Expands individual nursing knowledge and coaches staff to grow in knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes. 
• Serves as the clinical resource.
•  Develops and disseminates, as appropriate, informational/educational resources and programs designed to improve quality and professional practice. 
• Supports change initiatives and adapts to unexpected changes. 
• Fosters identification and implementation of innovative solutions to improve patient care or unit operations such as reduction of hospital readmissions or other department-specific measures by leading and/or participating in unit projects and shared governance activities. 
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.