NURSE- VAD MCS | BWH

About the role

The Registered Nurse Coordinator in the Center for Advanced Heart Disease (CAHD: Heart Failure, VAD, and Heart Transplant) is a professional registered nurse licensed in the state of Massachusetts with heart failure experience who is responsible for all aspects of ambulatory care of the advanced heart disease patient.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates evaluation of advanced heart failure patients being considered for mechanical circulatory support, including left and/or right ventricular assist device.
• Collects and enters quality and performance measure data into MCS databases, as required by the hospital, and by local, regional, and national agencies.
• Collaborates with unit staff, MCS nurse practitioners, and physicians to facilitate a comprehensive plan of care and coordinate resources.
• Maintains continuous communication with and training of community agencies such as, but not limited to, local EMS or community hospitals regarding ongoing care and support.
• Supports efforts in maintaining MCS-related information for management of the MCS program.
• Communicates anticipated patient needs to appropriate physicians, nurses, and admitting departments.
• Maintains telephone contact with patients to assess clinical status, monitor response to and possible complications of MCS therapy, adjust medications in consultation with clinical providers and organize outpatient or inpatient follow-up as needed.
• Affords urgent or non-emergent MCS patient triage, including emergency room visits and transfer from outside institutions and facilitation of scheduled clinical visits, and documents care provided.
• Collaborates with inpatient nursing care specific to patient travel to tests or operating room as well as discharge education and planning.
• Provides education to MCS patients and family members as well as inpatient staff nurses and house staff regarding important aspects of care, including but not limited to device function and maintenance, activity level, diet, medication adherence and healthcare follow-up.
• Maintains up-to-date and relevant patient education materials.
• Works collaboratively with biomedical engineering, nursing and quality leadership to maintain up-to-date and safe equipment for MCS patients, including, but not limited to, pumps, power modules, batteries, cables and other peripherals as well as ensuring that adequate supply is on hand for planned and emergency needs.
• Sets up consults with specialty providers, follows up consult recommendations and communicates results to MCS patient and other providers.
• Assists with communication and correspondence to/from patients, employers, pharmacies and insurance providers with regards to medication prescriptions, cardiac rehabilitation, disability, family medical leave, and payment coverage.
• May also communicate and correspond with other providers (e.g., utility company, telephone company) as dictated by patient needs.
• Collaborates with nursing and quality leadership with the creation and maintenance of clinical practice guidelines and policy and procedures as relevant to the care of the MCS patient and family.
• Maintains patient data within EMR.
• Provides support to other areas within the Center for Advanced Heart Disease including but not limited to: Heart Failure program, ACTIVE center, and Heart Transplant.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an approved school of nursing with current registration in Massachusetts. BSN required.
• Prior experience (3+ years minimum within last 6 years) with mechanical circulatory support/ ventricular assist device -focused patient care experience required.
• Strong comprehension skills with a demonstrated ability to educate patients on self-care, advocacy, mechanical circulatory support (MCS) equipment, complex wound management, and infection treatment are strongly preferred.
• Recent experience (within 2 years) in ambulatory nursing strongly preferred.
• Prior experience (3+ years minimum) triage experience or telephone-based clinical assessment technique required within past 2 years preferred.
• Current (within 3 years) experience of regulatory survey preparation preferred.
• Broad knowledge of hospital, industry, and agency standards for procedures used to collect, compile and present clinical and research data.
• VAD-C Certification within 2 years of employment.