JOB SUMMARY
The Perinatal RN at WhidbeyHealth Medical Center recognizes that the patient is the center of the healthcare team.
The RN will organize and provide nursing care to their antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum, gynecologic and neonatal patients. In addition, they will determine appropriate assignments and oversee the care of the patients in the unit. The Perinatal RN teaches patients and patients’ care team members and floats per guidelines to assist other departments when there are no patients in their department.
The Perinatal RN will perform medical screening exams in compliance with the WhidbeyHealth Medical Screening Exam for Labor policy and WhidbeyHealth Medical staff bylaws. They assist with emergent and urgent Cesarean sections and provide newborn care in an operative delivery. The perinatal RN assists with outpatient labor assessment and pregnancy related visits, as well as outpatient procedures within Scope of Service of the unit.
PRINCIPLE FUNCTIONS includes the following, other duties may be assigned:
- Patient Care
- Provides exceptional obstetric and neonatal patient and family care consistent with Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) standards of nursing practice.
- Communicates directly with the provider regarding the patient’s care.
- Delegates to ancillary staff/ care team appropriately.
- Observes, assesses and documents the patient’s condition, including physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs. Documentation is thorough, timely, and completed according to hospital policies and standards.
- Observes, records and reports changes in patient condition. Ensures appropriate patient safety and intervenes as necessary.
- Observes, records and reports reactions to medications and/ or treatments.
- Functions calmly in an emergency, makes required decisions and provides appropriate care until arrival of provider.
- Technical Skills / Knowledge
- Demonstrates ability to use intermittent and continuous fetal monitors..
- Demonstrates ability to interpret and respond to fetal monitoring assessments.
- Evaluates fetal and newborn wellbeing.
- Integrates diagnostic test results with clinical presentation.
- Identifies risk factors which may be present.
- Identifies and evaluates psychological, socioeconomic, and environmental factors which may affect pregnancy outcome.
- Administration of medications including the intravenous, subcutaneous, intramuscular, and vaginal insertion routes.
- Inserts/places fetal scalp electrode according to unit procedures.
- Inserts intrauterine pressure catheter according to unit procedures.
- Maintains knowledge of department policies and procedures.
- Meets annual education requirements for firesafety, hazardous material, and any other mandatory education required by the hospital.
- Assists the provider with physical examinations or treatments, and accompanies the provider on rounds and bedside Team Birth huddles
- Assists with operating room set up for emergent and urgent cesarean sections and assists the provider during vaginal deliveries.
- Demonstrates ability to use newborn resuscitation warmers and equipment, as well as phototherapy light units.
- Electronic Fetal Monitoring education required biannually.
Independence
- Accepts responsibility for own actions, works within the scope of job limitations.
- Works well with indirect supervision.
- Sets priorities appropriately.
- Strong interpersonal communication and conflict management skills.
Organization of Work
- Gives an accurate and complete change of shift report.
- Listens attentively to change of shift report.
- Utilizes electronic health record systems to acknowledge provider orders, administer medications, and document all care in a timely, accurate, thorough and concise manner.
- Completes assignments in a timely manner.
- Prepares for change and ensures department readiness to receive patients.
- Keeps overtime to a minimum and only related to emergent patient care, or as previously approved by manager.
- Assists co-workers and oncoming and / or off going shift.
Nursing Process
- Nursing Plan of Care
- Develops a plan of care with the patient, provider and appropriate ancillary staff and updates ongoing plan of nursing care with realistic, measurable goals.
- Responsible for training identified Care Team in routine care functions to assist patients during their hospital stay.
- Nursing Admission / Discharge Assessment
- Conduct and / or complete the patient interview and assessment.
- Nursing Admission Charting
- Initiates plan of care and updates it as needed.
- Facilitates communication by appropriate charting and charts according to current guidelines.
- Maintains complete, accurate and timely patient records
- Patient Education / Referrals
- Provide patients with information that is requested and available to the patient.
- Establish a patient teaching plan.
- Provide and document ongoing patient/care team teaching throughout the hospital stay.
- Involves the patient’s family / care team in the learning process and obtains their input when feasible.
- Supports the patient’s right to discuss and investigate complementary therapies.
JOB KNOWLEDGE & QUALIFICATIONS
Education
- Graduate of an accredited school of nursing required (ASN).
- BSN preferred.
Training and Experience
- Must have 2 years (within the last three years) labor, delivery, postpartum and neonatal/well-newborn experience.
- Must successfully complete WHFBP orientation, ongoing fetal monitoring education and keep NRP Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification current.
- The Perinatal RN functions independently in various “specialty skills” applicable to their role.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
- Washington State DOH RN License required.
- Current BLS HCP required at hire.
- NRP preferred at hire, required within 90 days of hire and/or first available class offered.
- ACLS required within 90 days of hire.
- RNC-OB and/or RNC-MNN preferred.
Benefit Information and Wage Transparency:
WhidbeyHealth Employees who work a 0.6 FTE or higher are categorized as, “benefit eligible”.
Click here for benefit information.
Wage Range: $40 - $72
