Licensed Practical Nurse Lead - Orthopedics

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Performs the duties of a Physician Office Nurse.
• Ensures the required documentation of quality control inspections are completed, which may include documentation of temperature readings, expiration date assessment and the maintenance of emergency supplies and equipment.
• Assists in the referral process by answering questions from other staff regarding referrals.
• Performs clinical supply ordering/receiving.
• Acts as a clinical resource for staff and patients. Provides a high level of customer service for both internal as well as external customers.
• Ensures that clinical staff are competency trained on Point of Care testing and monitoring of equipment.
• Monitors Point of Care quality controls to ensure they are performed per policy, procedure and regulation.
• Monitors effectiveness of clinical work flows for the office. Reports any observed bottlenecks, as needed.
• Monitors monthly clinical check lists to ensure that delegated quality checks are being performed and, when found to be out of normal range, are handled in a timely and effective manner.
• Provides the Clinical Nursing Coordinator and/or the Practice Manager with timely communication regarding all clinical concerns and issues for the office.
• Provides staff training for clinical updates/changes that may be communicated through the Clinical Nursing Coordinator monthly meetings and/or from upper management.
• Ensures timely follow-up is provided for all Coumadin patients. Includes oversight of Coagulation Tracker (for primary care offices that utilize the Coagulation Tracker).
• For Practices enrolled in the VFC (Vaccines for Children) Program: • Is responsible for duties which may include: Point person for VFC surveys and ordering vaccines from VFC. Includes preparing and providing vaccine reports to the state. • Monitors refrigerator temperatures (for both vaccines & specimen refrigerators.) • Regularly monitors the completion of refrigerator logs to ensure that readings are completed twice a day by delegated clinician and that temperatures are within appropriate ranges. • Responsible for reporting to the Clinical Nursing Coordinator, Office/Practice Manager or designee when temperatures readings are out of range.

Common Expectations:

• Demonstrates a commitment to patients, visitors and staff by: complying with all applicable safety regulations; learning the impact of medical errors and methodology that will lead to reduction of errors; reporting actual and potential errors, as well as hazardous conditions; identifying opportunities to standardize processes and "error proof" systems that will lead to increased safety; and participating in safety education programs and root cause analyses as required.
• Maintains established policies and procedures, objectives, quality assessment, safety, environmental and infection control standards.
• Maintains professional growth and development.
• Provides oversight of clinical staff, and holds staff accountable for timely completion of job responsibilities and communicates to the Clinical Nurse Coordinator/Office Manager/Practice Manager.
• Functions as reference source and oversees the flow of the clinical area by providing guidance to clinical staff.
• Assists office staff with entering safety events and patient complaints into the SRS system. Assists the Clinical Nursing Coordinator/Office/Practice Manager with reporting on and closing events, as needed/requested.
• Assists Office/Practice Manager with personnel/HR/staffing issues and questions. May assist with performing annual staff performance evaluations, as requested.
• May assist with time keeping in Kronos for clinical staff, if assigned by Office/Practice Manager.
• Precepts and orients new clinical employees. Functions as the onsite resource for clinical externs.
• Assists with clinical staff schedules, clinical floater requests, and paid time off requests. Responsible for adjusting clinical staff schedules to cover "call offs", as required or requested by the Clinical Nurse Coordinator/Office Manager/Practice Manager.
• Provides outstanding service to all customers; fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation.