RN Level II Pool-SWAT

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS

• 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, skills, and/or abilities required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

STANDARDS OF NURSING PRACTICE

• ASSESSMENT
• Collections pertinent data through initial and ongoing focused assessments to analyze the patient’s condition and follows through with appropriate reporting and actions.
• Conducts comprehensive assessments of patients' physical, psychosocial, and emotional needs.
• Utilizes appropriate tools to gather relevant data to inform patient care decisions.
• DIAGNOSIS/ANALYSIS
• Analyzes assessment data to determine actual or potential diagnoses, problems, and issues.
• Verifies the diagnoses, problems, and issues with the healthcare consumer and interprofessional colleagues.
• OUTCOMES IDENTIFICATION
• Identifies expected outcomes for a plan individualized to the patient or situation.
• Collaborates with the patient/family to define outcomes integrating culture, values, and ethical considerations.
• Works collaboratively with other healthcare team members which may include other RNs, Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioners (NP), Physician Assistants (PA), Physicians and Medical/Nursing Assistants and administrative support staff to address patient needs promptly.
• PLANNING
• Develops, prioritizes, implements, and modifies an individualized evidence-based plan of care in partnership with the person, family and healthcare team.
• Contributes to creating an environment that is patient focused, family centered and is designed to provide continuation of care and patient transition management.
• Advocates for compassion, responsible, and appropriate use of interventions.
• IMPLEMENTATION
• Administers medications and therapeutic treatments using appropriate devices per clinical guidelines and orders.
• Recognizes and intervenes to address abnormal responses to medication therapy and initiates corrective therapy.
• Escalates patient care concerns or changing status until resolution is achieved.
• COORDINATION OF CARE
• Initiates appropriate referrals to the healthcare team based on assessed patient needs.
• Communicates with the patient/family, interprofessional team, and community-based resources for safe transitions in continuity of care.
• Ensures continuity of care by communicating effectively with patients, families, and healthcare providers.
• Acts as a liaison between specialties and sub-specialties, coordinating referrals and follow-up appointments as needed to support the patient continuity of care between inpatient and outpatient care.
• Performs phone triage, manages prescription renewals, and coordinates follow-up appointments and care plans tailored to patients’ needs if working in an ambulatory setting.
• HEALTH TEACHING AND HEALTH PROMOTION
• Identifies barriers to learning, develops and implements education plan based on assessed patient/family needs that reflects the patient/family values, beliefs, developmental level, learning needs, readiness and ability to learn, language preference, spirituality, culture and socioeconomic status.
• Uses health promotion and teaching methods, including technologies to communicate health promotion and disease prevention.
• EVALUATION
• Evaluates and reports pertinent patient response to interventions based on evidence-based best practice.
• Evaluates progress toward attainment of expected outcomes and revises plan as necessary.

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE

• ETHICS
• Integrates code of Ethics for Nurses to guide practice and decision-making in all areas of practice.
• ADVOCACY
• Functions as an advocate, seeking direction as needed to provide safe, effective, efficient, and timely care.
• Demonstrates a willingness to address persistent, pervasive systemic issues.
• Embraces diversity, equity, inclusivity, health promotion for individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, and spiritual backgrounds across the life span.
• COLLABORATION
• Supports goals through participation and compliance in unit activities, shared governance and decision-making.
• LEADERSHIP
• Identifies conflict and helps to initiate resolution, seeking assistance when appropriate.
• Demonstrates authority, ownership, accountability and responsibility for appropriate delegation of nursing care to unlicensed assistive personnel.
• Affords by assuming a lead role as needs or schedule variances arise.
• Affords by assuming charge nurse role by completing additional training and competency to support the unit as requested.
• EDUCATION
• Seeks experiences that reflect current practice to maintain and advance knowledge, skills, abilities, and judgment in clinical practice or role performance.
• Mentors and/or trains new nurses to their roles for the purpose of ensuring successful enculturation, orientation, competence and emotional support.
• Supports the acculturation of nurses new to their roles by role modeling, encouraging, advocating, and sharing pertinent information relative to optimal care delivery.
• SCHOLARLY INQUIRY
• Participates in clinical research by following specific protocols.
• Uses current evidence-based knowledge, combined with clinical expertise to guide practice.
• QUALITY OF PRACTICE
• Complies with and supports regulatory and organizational policies and professional standards.
• Participates in Quality Improvement.
• Identifies trends in patient care outcomes for QI monitoring, practice change, and/or staff education.
• RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP
• Ensures the correct functioning of equipment, identifies deficits and reports appropriately.
• Integrates connected health technologies into practice to promote positive interactions between patients and care providers.
• SUBMIT TASKS AND DOCUMENTATION TO SUPPORT CHARGEABLE AND BILLABLE CARE ACTIVITIES.
• ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
• Creates a safe and healthy workplace and professional practice environment void of abusive, destructive or oppressive behaviors.

Additional Job Responsibilities

• Staffing to Demand & Floating
• Demonstrates flexibility in staffing, scheduling and traveling as needed to meet unit and the hospital system staffing needs for the greater good.
• Willing to float between various care areas, departments, subspecialty clinics or ambulatory clinics as directed by supervisor and according to scope and competency.
• Nurses may be floated, flexed off or to stand-by according to policy based on schedule, volume and patient care needs and/or work activity demands to optimize resource allocation and maintain quality of care.
• Supports the coordination of patient are and services at these sites.
• LICENSE, EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE
• BSN preferred.
• Current RN license in the State of Texas.
• CERTIFICATES, REGISTRATIONS
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (CPR) continuously maintained.
• May onboard with AHA or Red Cross CPR and then transition to AHA upon first renewal.
• Advanced Specialty Courses (ASC) according to Attachment A.
• AASC courses should be taken at earliest opportunity, but must be completed within timeframes specified on Attachment A and continuously maintained ongoing.
• National Certification in specialty must be attempted within 4 years of hire date for eligible role and continuously maintained thereafter.