Lead Nurse/Cardiac Stepdown

Responsibilities

• Assisting care givers with standards of care, involving educators and/or the supervisor or nurse manager when necessary (house supervisor after hours)
• Ensuring caregiver assignments are safe, knowing escalation process when needed
• Facilitates unit performance improvement processes as directed by leadership
• Supervises and coordinates the delegation and implementation of patient care of licensed and non-licensed personnel for their assigned shift/area
• Is the primary point of contact for medical staff on that shift should they have a nursing question or concern. Rounding with medical staff when the primary nurse is unavailable for rounding.
• Manages patient assignments and unit workflow
• Aids in patient flow by timely accepting new admissions, and ensuring patients with discharge orders to home are discharged within a reasonable time frame
• Projects staffing needs for the upcoming 12 and 24 hours, escalates issues as needed
• Ensures caregivers are taking lunches and entitled breaks but assigns buddy systems or relieving for lunch
• Performs safety huddles using the huddle boards prior to every shift: ensures bedside shift report is consistent every shift
• Reminds caregivers of hourly rounding when prompted by technology or time to round
• Makes patient rounds, ensuring white boards are up-to-date, high risk patients are set up for success (for example, high fall risk patients have all fall prevention tactics in place)
• Comfortable with crucial conversations when idle caregivers are not fulfilling expectations of helping colleagues or taking care of their assignment

Qualifications

• Current licensure as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the State of Oklahoma
• Associates of Science in Nursing required, BSN within two years of accepting position, preferred
• Current BLS certification upon accepting PCN role
• Must be able to communicate effectively in English