REGISTERED NURSE, RN- NURSE POOL

About the Role

The Registered Nurse (RN) assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care for a designated group of patients. The RN coordinates, directs, and actively participates as an effective member of the interdisciplinary health care team, contributing to the efficient operation of the unit and promoting positive patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending education workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.
• Assure quality of care by adhering to therapeutic standards, measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and standards, making or recommending necessary adjustments, and following system/hospital and nursing division’s philosophies and standards of care set by state board of nursing, state nurse practice act, and other governing agency regulations.
• Protect patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substance regulations.
• Document patient care services by charting in patient and department records.
• Maintain continuity among nursing teams by documenting and communicating actions, irregularities, and continuing needs using Nurse Knowledge Exchange techniques.
• Maintain patient confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.
• Identify patient care requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients and other persons in a position to understand care requirements.
• Establish a compassionate environment by providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, friends, and families.
• Promote patient’s independence by establishing patient care goals, teaching patient/family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills, and answering questions.
• Maintain a safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules, and regulations; calling for assistance from health care support personnel.
• Resolve patient problems and needs by utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies.
• Maintain cooperative relationships among health care teams by communicating information, responding to requests, building rapport, and participating in team continuous quality improvement and problem-solving methods.
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
• Ensure operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements, following manufacturer’s instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, and evaluating new equipment and techniques.
• Maintain nursing supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, placing and expediting orders for supplies, verifying receipt of supplies, and using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited Nursing Program required.
• A Nursing refresher course may be required if employee hasn’t worked in an acute care setting for their most recent three consecutive years of professional employment.
• Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent and critical thinking skills, sound judgment, and knowledge of legal aspects and liability of nursing practice.
• Strong ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.

Qualifications

• Current licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Pennsylvania required.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) approved curriculum of the American Heart Association (CPR and AED) program required.
• Current NIH Stroke Scale or within six (6) months of hire or transfer into department.
• Act 33 with renewal.
• Act 34 with renewal.
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal.
• ACLS preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing preferred.
• One (1) year medical-surgical experience.

Schedule

• Incumbent will be scheduled based on operational need (rotate shifts, standby, on-call, etc.).
• Travel may be expected locally between System locations.
• Rotates all shifts, including 8-hour, 10-12-hour shifts, on-call, and overtime as needed.

Work Environment

Effective March 2020 or during pandemic: goggles, face shield, and mask are required according to CDC guidelines.

When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2-person) and/or transfer device is required.

Physical Demands

• Frequent bending (stooping), walking, standing, hand/arm coordination, and pushing/pulling (10-50 lbs of force).
• Occasional kneeling, squatting (crouching), twisting/turning, reaching above shoulder level, and reaching forward.
• Lifting requirements: Floor to knuckle (10#), seat pan to knuckle (50#), knuckle to shoulder (20#), shoulder to overhead (10#). When lift requirement exceeds 50#, lift assistance (2-person) and/or transfer device is required.
• Frequent direct patient care, including patient transfer/push/pull.
• Constant use of keyboard/computer operation, gross grasp, fine finger manipulation, and seeing near with acuity.
• Exposure to blood/body fluids, chemicals, and cytotoxic (chemo) agents in designated units.
• Use of protective equipment including respirators, eye protection, hand protection, and body protection as required.