Overview:
Coordinates total nursing care for patients; participates in patient and family teaching; and provides leadership by working cooperatively with other team members and disciplines in maintaining standards for professional nursing practice in the clinical setting. Supervises LPNs, NAs, USs and Techs.
Responsibilities:
- Assesses condition on each assigned patient on an ongoing basis to include but not limited to the normal systems review, behavioral, psychological, developmental, and age-related factors. Specific ages: adolescent, adult, and geriatric.
- Plans, directs, supervises and evaluates nursing care provided to patients according to problems identified. Acts in charge nurse capacity as assigned.
- Collaborates and coordinates with physicians and other disciplines regarding individualized patient treatment/care plans by participating in team conferences, care planning/problem identification.
- Administers medication, IV therapy and performs treatments to all assigned patients according to policy and procedure.
- Plans and provides patient and/or significant other education based on physical, behavioral, psychological, developmental, and age-related factors, after identifying barriers to learning.
- Follows safety practices and helps to maintain a safe, clean environment.
- Reports pertinent patient observations and test results to the appropriate person (i.e., physicians, nurse manager, charge nurse and/or nursing supervisor) and records those observations accurately and concisely.
- Documents all patient care assessments, evaluations, activities and/or observations according to policies and procedures.
- Assigns nursing care to team members in accordance with the patient’s needs and the personnel’s capabilities and qualifications, and assigns other duties as needed.
- Assists with or institutes emergency measures for sudden adverse development in-patients such as cardiac arrest.
- Records vital signs to include blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and O2 saturation on recovering patients with moderate sedation.
- Assists with programming and refilling of Medtronic pump patients after passing training provided by Medtronic.
- Assists with programming of Medtronic dorsal column stimulators and Boston Scientific stimulators after passing training provided by Medtronic and Boston Scientific.
- Works in callbacks as assigned, including taking off calls, pulling charts, completing orders, assisting with form completion, assisting physicians with chart reviews, and returning calls to patients.
- Attends in-service programs (mandatory), all required training/education and unit/departmental service meetings.
- Flexibility in scheduling may be necessary based on patient care needs.
DCH Standards
- Maintains performance, patient and employee satisfaction and financial standards as outlined in the performance evaluation.
- Performs compliance requirements as outlined in the Employee Handbook
- Must adhere to the DCH Behavioral Standards including creating positive relationships with patients/families, coworkers, colleagues and with self.
- Requires use of electronic mail, time and attendance software, learning management software and intranet.
- Must adhere to all DCH Health System policies and procedures.
- All other duties as assigned.
Qualifications:
MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Current approved Alabama Board of Nursing RN license or multi-state license required or ability to obtain prior to start.
- Current American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider training required.
- BSN preferred, minimum Associates required
- Must be able to read, write legibly, speak, and comprehend English.
Required within 6 months of start date: American Heart Association or American Red Cross accepted
Cardiac/Critical Care:
Emergency Department-both campuses:
- ACLS
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Emergency Department – Regional Campus only:
- Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
Perioperative:
Women’s/Children:
- NICU –Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP)
- Labor & Delivery –ACLS, NRP, and Intermediate Fetal Monitoring
- Mother Baby Unit – NRP
- Pediatrics – PALS
Clinical Support:
- Cardiac Monitoring Unit –ACLS
Dialysis:
International RNs:
- Current approved Alabama Board of Nursing RN license or multi-state license required or ability to obtain prior to start.
- Current American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider training required or obtain within 30 days of start date.
- BSN preferred, minimum Associates required
- Must be able to read, write legibly, speak, and comprehend English.
Working Conditions
WORK CONTEXT
- Demonstrate leadership skills
- Requires decision making that will affect others
- Responsible to achieve outcomes
- Must be able to communicate clearly and accurately
- Ability to delegate to team members and students
- Must be able to receive delegation
- Address conflict and stressful situation
- Communicate with different personalities and engage in face to face discussion
- Dealing with unpleasant or verbally/physically aggressive personalities
- Must be able to use electronic mail, telephone and texting
- Must be able to work in groups
- Must be able to perform structured and unstructured work
- Must be able to meet time pressure and time lines
- Includes possible exposure to human body fluids, disease, infection, lab chemicals and hazardous materials and/or cleaning solutions
- Requires wearing of common protective and safety equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, mask, gowns, etc.
- Schedules vary; every other weekend required. Weekends include Saturday & Sunday
PHYSICAL FACTORS
- Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.Must be able to tolerate prolonged periods of standing and walking
- Must be able to reach reasonable distances in any direction
- Must be able to stand, walk, kneel, bend, sit and stoop
- Must be able to run in an emergency
- Must have the ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull and carry objects
- Must be able to move fingers in a coordinated manner and must be ablet o feel and perceive temperature, texture, shape and size with fingertips
- Must be able to perform the duties with or without reasonable accommodation
- Must possess stamina to work prolonged shifts
- Hearing and vision must be normal or corrected to within normal range. Physical presence onsite is essential.
KEY WORD SEARCH
Staff Nurse, Registered Nurse, Nurse, RN