Registered Nurse - Float Pool II

Job Summary

Promotes and restores patients' health by completing the nursing process; collaborating with physicians and interdisciplinary team members; providing physical and psychological support to patients, friends, and families; delegating and evaluating care assigned to LPNs and CNAs to meet patient care needs.

Responsibilities

• Identifies patient/resident care requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients/residents and other persons in a position to understand care requirements. Uses the nursing process as a framework to deliver care by establishing or contributing to a plan of care with the patient/resident, including a teaching plan, within 24 hours of admission; establishing or contributing to prioritization of goals appropriate to the patient's/resident's age and ability to learn, estimated length of stay, medical diagnoses, and discharge plan; identifying nursing care needs, writing nursing interventions, and identifying educational objectives appropriate to care standards; reassessing and documenting the effectiveness of nursing actions and the patient's/resident's progress toward goals as the patient's/resident's condition changes; and communicating the plan and patient/resident progress to the interdisciplinary team. Delegates the plan of care to other licensed and unlicensed associates within their scope of practice.
• Establishes a compassionate environment by providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients/residents, friends, and families.
• Promotes patient's/resident's independence by establishing patient/resident care goals; educating patient/resident, friends, and family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills; answering questions by applying rehabilitation principles to patients/residents served; and demonstrating competence in providing age-specific care to pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients/residents.
• Assures quality of care by adhering to therapeutic standards; measuring health outcomes against patient/resident care goals and standards and making or recommending necessary adjustments; following hospital and nursing division philosophies and standards of care set by the state board of nursing, State Nurse Practice Act, and other governing agency regulations; participating in performance improvement activities; and assessing care provided to assigned patients/residents by LPNs, Nursing Assistants, agency personnel, and other associates.
• Resolves patient/resident problems and needs by utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies and established communication methods to ensure resolution of patient/resident problems and needs, and communicates patient/resident status to the interdisciplinary team.
• Documents patient/resident care services by documenting delivery of services, changes in patient/resident condition, and the patient's/resident's response to nursing interventions in the medical record according to policies and procedures.
• Maintains patient/resident confidence and organizational confidentiality by keeping information confidential.
• Maintains a safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations; calling for assistance from health care support personnel; maintaining a clean and safe unit environment; keeping patient/resident rooms, supply rooms, and hallways free from clutter; adhering to infection control policies and procedures, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substance regulations; maintaining compliance with professional, regulatory, and governmental standards of care; and demonstrating knowledge of responsibilities in an emergency situation.
• Ensures operation of equipment by following manufacturer's instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, entering work orders for equipment repairs, and evaluating new equipment and techniques.
• Demonstrates financial accountability by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, and using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results; minimizing overtime through work prioritization and delegation; recognizing and complying with the RN's role in reimbursement for patient/resident care services; identifying and providing input to nursing leadership on work methods that reduce the cost and/or time required to deliver patient/resident care; and maintaining awareness of unit budget.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by identifying personal educational needs and opportunities; attending educational workshops; completing mandatory educational requirements; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional organizations; sharing new knowledge with teams; attending unit meetings; reading unit memos; participating in committees, projects, and PI activities; and maintaining responsibility for own professional development through active participation in in-services and/or continuing education programs.
• Maintains a cooperative relationship among health care teams by communicating information; responding to requests; building rapport; participating in team problem-solving methods; communicating patient/resident care or team issues to nursing leadership; holding each team member accountable for patient/resident and team outcomes; participating in team meetings; offering suggestions for improvement to leadership; utilizing the chain of command to present issues or concerns; demonstrating positive conflict resolution skills with all associates; and treating all associates with dignity and respect.
• Contributes to organizational team effort by arriving on duty as scheduled, maintaining attendance, punching in and out per policy, and maintaining time sheets; demonstrating flexibility in response to change by offering to assist team members with patient care needs and unit activities that arise throughout the shift; participating in orienting new employees; meeting dress code requirements; attending meetings as requested by organizational leaders; positively representing the profession and organization at work and away from work; promoting and participating in organizational goals; mentoring channels of communication among nursing shifts, disciplines, departments, and external customers; and utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies to assure resolution of patient problems and needs.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education

• Associate's Degree in Nursing or Nursing Diploma required.
• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing preferred.

Work Experience

• Previous med-surg experience or rehabilitation experience preferred.
• 1–2 years of intensive care or telemetry experience preferred.

Licenses / Certifications

• Registered Nurse license required.
• Basic Life Support / CPR, as a healthcare provider, per the American Heart Association required.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) required (must be acquired within the first 6 months of employment).
• PALS certification preferred (must be acquired within the first 6 months of employment).