BASIC FUNCTION:
A staff nurse is a professional nurse who delegates and coordinates patient care, based upon a documented assessment of the patient’s needs. The staff nurse applies the nursing process of assessment, planning interventions, implementing the plan of care, and evaluating that care. The nurse is a patient advocate, who in conjunction with the other members of the healthcare team guides the patient safely through the hospital stay. The staff nurse is responsible to the nurse unit manager, or in her/his absence, the supervisor. Staff R.N.’s report to the charge nurse regarding patient care matters and understand chain of command. (Charge Nurse, Coordinator, Director, House Supervisor in absence of prior).
JOB DUTIES:
- Accurately communicates patient data to receiving provider at transitions of care:
- Accurately provides and delegates patient care.
- Collaborates with health care team members to complete hourly rounding.
- Transcribes, observes, and coordinates physician orders.
- Able to obtain lab and radiology reports off computer.
- Notifies physician of abnormal results in a timely manner.
- Documents in a complete, concise manner.
- Utilizes patient plan of care format.
- Participates in discharge planning with the coordination of the Clinical Nurse Leader.
- Initiates, maintains, administers and documents IV Therapy.
- Assists with orientation of new and current staff and students.
- Coordinates patient/family teaching.
- Patient’s health condition.
- Medications incorporating patient MAR.
- Responsible for checking emails and online learning assignments on a regular basis.
- Able to appropriately delegate patient care utilizing clinical judgment and maintaining accountability for patient care.
- If designated charge nurse for the dept:
a. Assists manager with staff evaluations through input.
b. Assists with quality data collection.
c. Assists supervisor/manager with shift staffing.
- Charge Nurse assigns staff for patient care based on patient acuity, experience of nurses and mix of colleagues, i.e., float nurses, nurses pulled from other nursing units.
- Charge nurse assures checking/care and documentation of equipment.
- Medication dispensing system discrepancy.
IF DESIGNATED TO:
Intensive Care Unit:
- Able to lead Code Blue until the arrival of physician.
- Responds quickly to Rapid Response Team alerts when assigned, competently and efficiently assessing the patient status, and working with the physician and team to manage the care of the patient.
Senior Care Unit:
- Understands restraint/seclusion policy, procedure, assessments, time frames, criteria for discontinuation and documentation.
- Understands the development of the Individual Treatment Plan, treatment team meeting time frames, evaluation, and documentation.
- Understands and demonstrates the ability to complete nursing admission, MMSE, GDS, Zung Anxiety Scale, Suicide Assessment, and geriatric functional scale.
- Is able to facilitate and participate in group therapy activities.
Dialysis:
- Provide hemodialysis under the supervision of a physician.
- Requires yearly Hepatitis B titer to be completed and reviewed by the Colleague Health Nurse.
HEALTH CARING STANDARDS / VALUES:
1. Greet customers, visitors, and Colleagues immediately with a smile, warm greeting, and introduction, calling them by name if possible.
2. Exceed the expected and anticipate the unexpected by asking, “Is there anything else I or a fellow Colleague can do for you?”
3. Always provide a comforting, timely, caring departure, or discharge, and always say thanks for allowing us to serve.
4. Integrity, openness, and fairness in all you do
5. Teamwork
6. Pride in Department
7. Individual creativity and Innovation
8. Compassion and caring
9. Maintain department and hospital standards and policies.
Colleague has been instructed in providing customer service and on interacting with age groups as related to the department's general client population: including use of appropriate interventions, communication, and skills to match the age and/or abilities of the patient/family. * Note: Critical Care division does not admit patients under the age of eighteen (18) years of age.
MACHINES, TOOLS, EQUIPMENT USED:
Must be knowledgeable in all instruments and machines used by nursing personnel.
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:
- Currently licensed by the Ohio State Board of Nursing and or multistate licensure.
- Has been actively employed in a hospital-based nursing within the past 5 years, or completion of a state approved R.N. refresher course within the past year or is a recent graduate of an accredited school of nursing (R.N.) or is teaching in an acute care facility.
- Shows evidence of participation in continuing education and the unit-based Quality Program.
- Successful completion of the Registered Nurse Orientation Program at Alliance Community Hospital.
- Successful completion of any additional educational requirements of the hospital or the nursing unit assigned.
- Maintains current BLS certification through American Heart Association.
- If applicable, pay a service fee or join and maintain membership in O.N.A. and the Alliance Local Unit of O.N.A. within 31 days of employment.
- Must be computer-literate to complete task(s) as required
- Senior Care Unit – Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation (CIDE) certified within 3 months and maintained annually.
- 3 West, ICU, PCU & Floats- Must complete critical care course upon hire (effective hire date in 2022). Obtain and maintain ACLS certification through the American Heart Association within 6 months of hire. Crisis Intervention and De-Escalation (CIDE) certified within 3 months and maintained annually.
- ICU, PCU & Floats - NIH stroke scale obtained and maintained within 6 months of hire.
- Hemodialysis trained nurses – Minimum of 1 year dialysis experience preferred. Minimum of 1-year critical care experience.
Successful completion of AACH dialysis training program, or able to provide documentation of dialysis training.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
- Able to stand/walk for up to full scheduled shift per day.
- Able to bend to reach items on floor or bedside level.
- Able to reach overhead.
- Able to reach over a bed far enough to give care and turn patients.
- Able to push or pull patients or necessary equipment (i.e. wheelchair, EKG machine, code cart).
- Able to lift 50 lbs. intermittently, unassisted.
- Able to move/transfer and ambulate patients unassisted and/or assisted as necessary using good body mechanics or appropriate techniques (i.e. slide board, total lift).
- Able to lift, hold, and/or support a patient’s extremity or trunk for a period during a procedure.
- Able to climb onto step stool and to apply a minimum of 25-pound pressure/force for compressions during CPR.
- Able to wear personal protective equipment for an extended period, as necessary, (i.e. mask, goggles, etc.).
- Able to turn and twist as necessary.
- Able to squat, kneel, or crawl as necessary.
- Ability to see clearly and able to distinguish appropriate rhythms from a minimum distance of 6 feet.
- Able to hear normal speaking voices.
- Able to communicate verbally and over the telephone in clear speech.
- Able to write clearly.
RESPONSIBLE TO:
Nurse Manager, Shift Supervisor, Vice President of Nursing/Operations
This description is intended to describe the essential job duties and the essential requirements for the performance of this job.
