RN II Intermediate Care Unit

People

• Uses therapeutic communication, which includes active listening and teaching, to establish a relationship with patients, families and interprofessional health care team to collaborate on the plan of care.
• Contributes to teamwork by awareness of overall unit acuity, consistently offering assistance, and responding positively to requests for assistance.
• Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment. Seeks guidance from and offers guidance to interprofessional health care team, when appropriate, and applies feedback to improve patient outcomes.
• Implements staff education specific to patient populations and unit processes; coaches and mentors other staff and students. May include preceptorship.
• Uses peer-to-peer accountability towards improvement of department score for turnover/retention/employee engagement on unit-based scorecard.

Service

• Follows the patient and family-centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.
• Conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, and maintenance of medical records.
• Develops, updates and communicates plan of care, including discharge, in partnership with the patient, family and interprofessional health care team, using the nursing process.
• Prioritizes care based on the patient’s needs, abilities and preferences. Advocates on patient/family’s behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns, utilizing appropriate resources.
• Provides patient teaching based on learning needs, uses appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after discharge. Consistently evaluates the patient’s comprehension and adapts teaching methods accordingly.
• Helps drive improvement of department score for patient satisfaction on unit-based scorecard, through peer-to-peer accountability to service standards.

Quality/Safety

• Follows the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.
• Follows the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.
• Identifies areas of practice improvements with research-based evidence to achieve core measure and patient safety outcomes, supported by accurate documentation.
• Provides and modifies care to complex patients and coordinates care with the interprofessional team based on evaluation of the patient’s condition, supported by accurate documentation.
• Utilizes clinical judgement, using an evidence-based analytical approach.
• Improves quality and safety scores on the unit-based scorecard, through peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses, and collaborating with the interprofessional health care team.

Growth/Innovation

• Identifies and presents areas for innovation, efficiency and improvement in patient care or unit operations using evidence-based practice literature.
• Offers innovative solutions through evidence-based practice/performance improvement projects and shared governance activities.
• Champions new care pathways or service line implementation to improve service to the community.
• Identifies trends for improvement opportunities or practice changes and supports initiatives.
• Researches the change and presents options to shared governance and leadership.