IPU Team Leader

About the role

Founded in 1982 as Joliet Area Community Hospice, Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care is an independent, nonprofit healthcare provider licensed in 11 counties in northwest Illinois. We provide exceptional serious illness care, hospice care and grief support for adults and children. The majority of our direct patient care is in the field with Lightways team members providing care in the home, nursing facility or assisted living facility. We also have a 24-bed inpatient unit in Joliet. Non-clinical staff are based out of our Joliet administrative offices. The IPU Team Leader provides day-to-day clinical and operational leadership for registered nurses, social workers, CNAs, and chaplains in partnership with the Director of Inpatient Unit. The Team Leader coordinates staffing, patient flow, clinical quality, medication stewardship, staff accountability, and education to support safe, efficient care; achievement of budget and utilization goals; and timely implementation of unit priorities.

Responsibilities

• Support clinical staff taking by taking a case load of patients if needed and performing other supportive tasks when necessary
• Direct report for CNA and Clerk staff- Payroll, scheduling, attendance, discipline, development, education, evaluations.
• Prepare timely documentation for attendance, conduct, competencies, and other staffing issues.
• Ensure CNA performance concerns are documented and escalated promptly, and coordinate follow-up with leadership including the Director and Human Resources.
• Monitor the quality of care provided to the patients and families through chart reviews, rounds, attending IDT, direct observation of staff and feedback from physicians.
• Partner with the Director to increase appropriate general inpatient utilization to the budgeted target by monitoring referrals, bed requests, eligibility, level-of-care documentation, barriers to admission, and opportunities for timely transition to the IPU.
• Review census, acuity, staffing levels, overtime, agency use, and productivity with the Director.
• Adjust schedules and assignments and support achievement of budgeted staffing and utilization costs.
• Support establishment and maintenance of a high-acuity program by identifying interventions, workflows, equipment, competencies, and escalation criteria appropriate for the IPU.
• Support the Director of IPU in conducting and documenting weekly Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) meetings in MatrixCare, leading medication review and collaborating with physicians and nurses to reconcile medications and correct orders for accuracy.
• Guide new employees through hospice orientation and education, and conduct timely 30-day performance check-ins.