CHARGE NURSE (INTENSIVE CARE UNIT)

Essential Duties, Functions And Responsibilities

• Oversees the operation of the department/unit during their specified shift.
• Demonstrates leadership through critical thinking clinical practice and teaching.
• Forecasts, identifies, resolves and prevents problems in the unit and recommends revisions to the policies and procedures as necessary.
• Recognizes leadership styles and selects the appropriate leadership style for given situations.
• Reports problematic incidents, accidents, or injuries to the Nurse Executive (NE) or the Assistant Nurse Executive (ANE).
• Ensures that department nursing staff understand and follow the department standard operating policy/procedures and are familiar with the use and function of instruments and equipment.
• Captures and monitors the activities of all staff in the delivery of patient care.
• Maintains adherence to bedside reporting by department nursing staff.
• Monitors the quality of patient care being delivered by other nursing staff members.
• Distributes the work of the unit in a manner that makes the best use of available resources, both personal and material.
• Aids in the collection of data for quality improvement measures.
• Takes into consideration the experience, knowledge, skill, and abilities of those persons who will be integral to the patient care process.
• Checks the environment for patient safety.
• Implements measures to correct inadequacies noted in the quality of patient care administered on the unit.
• Observes the performance and activities of the department nursing staff and shares information with the NE and/or ANE.
• Assesses the level of performance of all staff in the unit and may be asked to contribute observations to individual employee evaluations, suggest competency evaluations, or to advise and educate fellow staff.
• Utilizes the talents of all members of the nursing staff.
• Educates nursing staff and students utilizing formal and informal venues, including peer consultation, mentorship, preceptor programs, unit conferences, case studies, patient rounds, and in-service programs.
• Provides orientation, guidance and direction, and training to new staff and participates in ongoing clinical teaching.
• Collaborates with nursing staff, physicians, and other departments.
• Provides ongoing coordination of work and resources as necessary to meet changing requirements in the work environment.
• Identifies the priorities for patient care management.
• Applies decision-making theory and the scientific method to solve patient care problems.
• Applies communication theories and techniques in negotiating with patients, families, and other staff members to accomplish the nursing care plan.
• Ensures the staff follows correct infection control procedures at all times and reports any issues.
• Ensures proper facility reporting for quality or safety issues.
• Initiates and completes the designated forms required by administration in the delivery of patient care.
• Completes all yearly Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) required training by the indicated due dates.
• Audits the patient’s medical record to determine that all orders have been carried out, that laboratory tests are posted, delivered nursing care is documented, and patient progress or lack of progress is described.
• Completes equipment checks to ensure it is functioning properly.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Mandatory Minimum Qualifications

• Experience: Two (2) years of direct work experience as a Registered Nurse (RN) in Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
• Education: Associate of Science degree in Nursing from an accredited nursing program.
• Licenses: Valid and unrestricted Registered Nurse license in any U.S. State or Territory.
• Certificates: Valid American Heart Association (AHA) certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) and maintain certification. Obtain valid American Heart Association (AHA) certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) within six (6) months from date of hire and maintain certification.