CRHC is looking for a full time (40 hours/week) Registered Nurse to join our Surgery Department Team. This position's schedule is Monday through Friday, 7AM to 3:30PM and participates in the On-Call rotation.
PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Responsible for Advancing Exceptional Care by prioritizing Safety and Quality in every aspect of patient care. This role is committed to fulfilling essential duties that enhance patient outcomes, operational efficiency, and overall healthcare standards, ensuring all actions align with the philosophy, goals, and objectives of Clarinda Regional Health Center (CRHC). By maintaining the highest level of care, this position supports CRHC’s dedication to fostering a safe, compassionate, and high-quality healthcare environment for our patients and community.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Education and/or Experience
- Graduate from an approved school/college of nursing
- Bachelor’s degree in nursing preferred
- One-year experience in rural health nursing preferred
- One-year experience in surgery preferred
Certificates, Licensure, Registrations
- For job-specific certifications refer to the Education Certification Requirements by Job Category: Surgery RN
- Currently licensed as a Registered Nurse in the State of Iowa or compact state
WORK SCHEDULE & SHIFT REQUIREMENTS:
The facility operates 24/7; however, work schedules may vary based on departmental needs to ensure the highest standard of patient care and operational efficiency. Flexibility will be expected.
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Weekend and Holiday rotation as needed.
- Eligible for shift differentials where applicable
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Position is classified as non-exempt and eligible for overtime in accordance with labor laws.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS:
This position involves a combination of physical activities necessary to perform essential job functions effectively. The employee should be able to:
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Sit, stand, and walk for varying lengths of time throughout the workday.
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Lift, push, pull, or carry light to moderate loads, with assistance available for heavier items.
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Use fine motor skills, including grasping, reaching, and handling equipment or materials as needed.
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Perform routine movements, such as typing, writing, or handling supplies.
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Bend, stoop, kneel, or crouch occasionally for job-related tasks.
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See and hear well enough to read documents, operate equipment, and communicate effectively.
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Work in a dynamic environment, adapting to occasional changes in pace or setting.
Reasonable accommodations will be considered to support individuals in performing essential job functions.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
At CRHC, our core values—Compassion, Advancing, Relationships, and Exceptional—are at the heart of everything we do. These values drive our commitment to Advancing Exceptional Care, ensuring that we provide the highest quality care to our patients while supporting and empowering our team members. We believe in creating a compassionate environment where relationships are nurtured, collaboration is encouraged, and excellence is expected.
As a member of our team, you will embody these values in your daily work by:
- Compassion: Demonstrating empathy and kindness in every interaction, recognizing the unique needs of our patients and colleagues.
- Advancing: Embracing innovation, continuous learning, and striving for improvement in all aspects of patient care and team collaboration.
- Relationships: Building trust through open communication and teamwork, fostering a supportive atmosphere that prioritizes respect and understanding.
- Exceptional: Holding yourself to the highest standards, delivering superior care, and contributing to a culture of excellence that impacts both patients and colleagues.
Provides competent patient care to the patient population identified above by obtaining and utilizing clinical/critical thinking skills in appropriately interpreting data, making appropriate decision based on demonstrated knowledge of age-specific growth and development, and appropriately adapting procedures and treatments.
- Identifies and recognizes abnormal symptoms/changes in patient condition, established priorities, and takes appropriate action.
- Carries out providers orders accurately and timely.
- Performs nursing interventions per standard of care.
- Delegates and supervises patient care activities within the scope of practice of the healthcare worker to meet the patient care needs for the above indicated population.
- Triages emergency situations appropriately and initiates or assists in patient care in an effective and responsive manner
- Performs and/or assists in emergency treatment as required in accordance with RN scope of practice.
- Follows emergency policies, procedures, and protocols in an effective manner.
- Serves as a steward for the hospital’s human and material resources. Meets productivity expectations of unit/department as defined by nurse manager.
Utilizes the nursing process, for the performance of patient care, to assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate patient care to achieve prioritized patient outcomes.
- Assess the patient’s physical, psychosocial, environmental, social, and educational needs.
- Develops and implements patient’s plan of care, including the education and discharge plan based on evidence-based practice standards, health center policy and patient/family needs in collaboration with healthcare team.
- Reviews and updates the plan of care based on changes in patient’s condition.
- Evaluates and documents patient/family responses to nursing interventions while working collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to achieve desire patient care outcomes.
Effectively communicates with all members of the healthcare team (internal or external)
- Communicates pertinent patient condition changes to co-workers and to multidisciplinary care givers.
- Utilizes SBAR format when communicating to other healthcare workers.
- Utilizes AIDET communication standards: Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, and Thank You.
- Communicates openly, honestly, respectfully, and directly in a timely manner with all customers.
- Proactively communicates safety concerns to leaders
Documents patient information in the electronic/paper medical record in an accurate and timely manner
- Documents ongoing assessments of patient status that reflect nursing interventions, patient responses, patient teaching and status of outcomes at discharge.
- Assist in Medication Reconciliation on admission and every change of level of care and upon discharge.
- Completes necessary paperwork to facilitate billing and charging.
- Maintains active logons/passwords for computer software system that support patient care and education.
Promotes and ensures patient and employee safety in performance of all responsibilities.
- Administers medications, treatments and procedures in a timely and safe manner according to physician orders and nursing policies.
- Demonstrates proficient technical/clinical skills and operational knowledge of equipment on unit.
- Works within Scope of Practice.
- Performs skills and duties assigned competently.
- Utilizes proper body mechanics, transfer/lifting techniques and appropriate equipment to minimize fall risk to patient and injury to self.
- Proactively identifies safety concerns surrounding the work environment.
- Supports and abides by all CRHC departmental and safety policies and procedures.
- Assist with unit coordinator duties as needed
Presents self in a professional manner and enhances professional growth and development through participation in education programs, current literature, in-service meetings, and workshops.
- Seeks opportunities for continued growth and performance improvement.
- Always maintains a professional appearance and manner.
- Dependable and completes work in a timely manner.
- Responsible for promoting a positive work environment, teamwork, and colleague engagement through collaboration.
- Adapts positively to the ever-changing health care environment by supporting technology and process changes. Willing to learn new things, is open to change and maintains a calm positive manner under stressful conditions.
Performs other responsibilities as related to Surgical Department and as requested by nurse leadership, and/or supervisors.
- Reviews the patient chart and meets with surgical patients to prepare the patient for surgery (i.e. pre-op teaching, post-op care and follow up).
- Practices principles of sterile and medical asepsis in the operating room and endoscopic suite.
- Cleans and prepares the operating room and the endoscopy suite for cases according to surgeon’s preference card/protocols.
- Follows recommended practices for cleaning and caring for surgical instruments and equipment
- Prepares and sterilizes instruments and supplies utilizing recommended processing practices/standards
- Monitors and evaluates surgical equipment to assure that it is in proper working order.
Participates in CRHC’S committees, performance and quality improvement initiatives, and activities which support the facility and department operations.
- Demonstrates a commitment to the practices of Quality Improvement (QI).
- Regularly attends Department huddles
- Completes tasks as outlined on Department Huddle Board
Quality Program Participation
- Actively participates in CRHC’s Quality Program, committees, performance improvement initiatives, and operational support activities.
- Demonstrates a commitment to Quality Improvement (QI) practices.
- Regularly attends Department huddles.
- Completes tasks as outlined on the Department Huddle Board.
Other Responsibilities
- Performs additional duties as assigned to support the strategic initiatives of CRHC.
