ICD Nurse Specialist II

Job Summary:

The ICD Nurse Specialist role at Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region is a nursing role with the critical element being expert clinical practice. The role is built around the five role subcomponents as regulated by the California Board of Registered Nursing: Clinical Practice, Research, Education, Leadership, and Consultation. The ICD Nurse Specialist functions under the medical direction of the Electrophysiologist and/or Cardiologist evaluating, educating, and performing device programming, for patients with implantable cardiac devices (ICD and pacemaker).

Essential Responsibilities:

• To ensure that nursing care needs of the cardiac device patient population are met, provides 24 hour clinical leadership by developing standards of practice, policies and procedures for cardiac device patient population that are consistent with professional practice standards.
• Implementing methods and processes in specialty area to support change in nursing practice, care programs and clinical innovation.
• Achieving improved patient/family outcomes.
• Independently assess cardiac device transmissions, including electrograms, from patients using knowledge and experience in device programming.
• Functions independently in the assessment and interpretation of cardiac device data from patients in outpatient clinic, inpatient hospital, and by remote interrogation.
• Provides medical and/or technical programming recommendations and advice.
• Performs interrogations and reprogramming as needed, on all types of implantable cardiac devices.
• Evaluates clinical practice in cardiac device patients to ensure community/professional standards are met.
• Effectively identifies, evaluates and addresses disease prevention and health promotion issue of the cardiac population with implanted devices, while administering quality patient care.
• Follows selected patient population in order to coordinate care.
• Provides nursing and medical services to individuals, families, and groups, with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention.
• Provides education, assessment interrogation and community needs assessment for hospital patients with implanted cardiac devices as per Medical Center policy.
• Evaluates implantable device policies and procedures for clinical nursing practice for all areas of Cardiac Service.
• Facilitates multidisciplinary collaboration based on clinical needs of patient/family.
• Participates in basic science and clinical research projects conducted in Cardiac Services.
• Prepares statistical reports and analysis setting forth progress, adverse trends and appropriate recommendations or conclusions.
• Participates in outcomes research.
• Reviews work of lower rated employees who interface with device patients, including, but not limited to: Care Managers, Nurse Educators, clinic nursing personnel, staff RNs and technicians assigned to device clinics.
• Oversees, coordinates, and evaluates information provided by vendor representatives from cardiac device companies.
• Identifies clinical quality indicators for cardiac device populations.
• Conducts systematic reviews when required.
• Sets and develops standards of practice, policies, and procedures for a specialty population that are consistent with professional standards of practice.
• Implements methods & processes to sustain change in nursing practice, programs of care, and clinical innovation.
• Facilitates evaluation of records by physicians, peers, and quality standards, according to protocols and receives and implements constructive directives.
• Makes recommendations on cost/quality strategies, works within budget.
• Assists physicians and management in coordination of ICD and/or Pacemaker Service, including but not limited to: Communicating and consulting with referring medical center physicians and personnel on ICD and/or Pacemaker issues and patient care.
• Serves as clinical/technical resource for referring medical centers on implanted devices.
• Trains and evaluates nursing personnel from other medical centers on devices and operation of device clinics.
• Maintains device database.
• Assist with device recalls affecting Southern California region.
• Develops, implements/coordinates, and evaluates specialty education programs for cardiac device patients and their families.
• Develops, implements/coordinates, and evaluates specialty education programs for nursing staff, including nurses in the communities.
• Assist in training and education of nursing/technical personnel assigned to ICD and Pacemaker.
• Provides educational assistance to Cardiology and EP Fellows and Family Practice/ Internal Medicine Residents on cardiac devices.
• Coordinates ICD patient/family support group.
• Schedules, coordinates, and performs interrogation.
• Interprets and evaluates therapeutic and diagnostic tests on cardiac device patients working with the Electrophysiologists and/or Cardiologists.
• Explains necessity, preparation, nature, and anticipated effects of scheduled diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to the patient.
• Records physical findings and formulates plan, based on patients condition.
• Consults and collaborates with physician and other healthcare providers as needed regarding patient care management issues and in the development of comprehensive patient care plan.
• Submits healthcare plans and goals for periodic review by physicians.
• Maintains accurate and confidential medical records.
• Documents all procedures, evaluations, treatments, outcomes, education, and referrals, consistent with NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance), JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of HealthCare Organizations) and state regulatory standards.
• Analyzes new knowledge gained from conferences, workshops, professional literature, or hands on training and assimilates this knowledge into clinical practice.
• Assists in interviewing staff and provides input into evaluations regarding clinical competence and provides coaching and counseling.
• Performs other duties as assigned.