I. Major Responsibilities:
Clinical Practice & Patient Experience:
1. Participates in the development of goals, objectives, policies and procedures for efficient departmental operations.
2. In collaboration with other unit-based leadership, coordinates team huddles during the day and in the evening to review new admissions, patient progression towards goals and discharge plan, to improve access and facilitate patient transitions.
3. Responsible for communicating, educating and monitoring changes to clinical practice and expectations including reviewing documentation, providing additional support to staff and reporting ongoing non-compliance to management.
4. Collaborates with the leadership team in the strategic planning, implementation, evaluation, and revision of systems to support and enhance the competence, autonomy, and accountability of the nursing staff including defining nursing standards, practices, and educational needs of patient and nursing staff.
5. Creates atmosphere conducive for learners to learn and to practice in accordance with Standards of Nursing Practice.
6. Conducts an educational needs assessment for area(s) of responsibility on a regular basis.
7. Designs, organizes, implements, and evaluates orientation, in-service, and continuing education programs for staff in coverage areas.
8. Demonstrates expertise of nursing care with patients and patient populations to provide clinical support in coverage areas.
9. Promotes evidence-based educational methods and technologies that support development of nursing expertise
10. Assists staff nurses to apply educational principles to patient education sessions.
11. Identifies policies, standards, and practices not in compliance with current standards and communicates needed revisions through the leadership structures as applicable.
Leadership/Management, Human Resources:
1. Acts as a member of the nursing leadership team by participating in interview panels, orientation, annual regulatory and clinical competency requirements. Reports unprofessional or unsafe practice to the Nurse Manager.
2. Assists Manager and/or designee to ensure the department complies with hospital established policies, regulatory, quality assurance programs, safety, and infection control policies and procedures.
3. Serves as a role model, coach and facilitator.
4. Fosters a collaborative professional relationship with other hospital departments/staff, physicians, and managers to ensure best practice is the focus for all patient-centered quality care.
5. Participates in staff meetings, sharing system wide goals and objectives with front line staff and links their daily work to the mission and vision and strategic goals of the organization.
6. Assures that staff meets required competencies, both annual and unit based, for area of practice.
7. Develops precepting skills of staff nurses in coverage area and oversees charge nurse orientation for nurses new to that role.
8. Serves as a consultant/facilitator for nursing and medical center committees in the planning of formal and informal learning activities within the medical center as requested.
9. Serves as faculty for Department of Nursing programs. Participates in educational strategic planning efforts for the Department of Nursing.
10. Establishes and maintains effective communication within coverage areas and with other departments.
11. For educational programs, maintains required data, records, and statistics for administrative, regulatory, and evaluation purposes.
Quality, Safety and Experience Improvements:
1. Promotes a culture of safety within the organization.
2. Reports out on all entered Safety Intelligence Reports; Responsible for initial review and investigation and escalate serious reportable events (SRE) immediately to the Nurse Manager
3. Carries out zero harm approach through high reliability principles
4. Accountable to patient safety and patient experience outcomes within span of control
5. Optimizes the use of communication tools to promote care coordination, enhance patient experience and patient flow including visual management system to communicate appropriate metrics to staff.
6. Rounds on existing and new patients, focusing on risk assessment in alignment with nursing safety and quality goals.
7. Identifies issues and seeks resolution to problems utilizing analytical and critical thinking aligned with organizational objectives.
II. Position Qualifications:
License/Certification/Education:
Required:
1. Bachelor’s degree in Nursing, Education, or related healthcare field.
2. Currently holds an active RN license in the State of Massachusetts.
3. Maintains a current BLS instructor card
Preferred:
1. Master’s degree in Nursing, Education, or related healthcare field.
Experience/Skills:
Required:
1. Must have at least 3 years of clinical nursing experience with at least 1 year experience in clinical preceptor and/or charge nurse role.
2. At least 1 year of experience in a psychiatric setting. Preferably a hospital psychiatric hospital setting.
3. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
4. Knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation computer software.
5. Position requires frequent use of the computer, keyboard and printer; educational equipment such as teaching manikins, simulators, LCD projectors, etc.; and reading of printed materials
6. Demonstrated leadership experience.
Preferred:
1. A minimum of 3 years of experience in teaching highly desired.
2. Process improvement experience.
Unless certification, licensure or registration is required, an equivalent combination of education and experience which provides proficiency in the areas of responsibility listed in this description may be substituted for the above requirements.
Department-specific competencies and their measurements will be developed and maintained in the individual departments. The competencies will be maintained and attached to the departmental job description. Responsible managers will review competencies with position incumbents.
III. Physical Demands and Environmental Conditions:
Work may involve lifting, bending, standing, sitting and exposure to infectious diseases. Position requires work indoors on a nursing unit, and in normal office and classroom environments. This work may be required off shift and/or weekends.
