Staff Nurse - Yawkey 10 (32 hrs/week)

Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life-changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, educate tomorrow’s physician/researchers, and work with partners including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.

About the role

The Staff Nurse’s responsibilities include assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of nursing care for a complex patient population. The infusion nurse provides patient and family education, psychosocial and emotional support, and is a member of a multidisciplinary care team requiring effective communication and collaboration with co-workers and staff at the Institute, BWH, and other collaborating institutions and agencies. The role requires clinical expertise, critical thinking, collaborative practice, excellent communication skills, and an understanding of the principles and practices of clinical research.

Responsibilities

• Delivers expert, evidence-based nursing care to patients and families.
• Implements nursing process: assesses patient and family needs, analyzes assessment data to develop and support clinically accurate diagnoses, plans care by establishing goals with measurable outcomes, implements the plan of care, evaluates the patient’s response to interventions, and documents care according to Institute and regulatory agencies’ requirements.
• Administers medications, including chemotherapy, and performs procedures safely and efficiently in accordance with Institute policy. May administer blood transfusions.
• Evaluates educational and psychological needs of patient and family, incorporating identified needs into the plan of care.
• Educates patient and family regarding various aspects and treatment modalities of disease, including chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
• Recognizes and responds to emergency situations appropriately; maintains BLS certification.
• Identifies appropriate community resources to promote continuity of care and makes appropriate referrals.
• Complies with accepted standards of professional nursing practice and licensure/registration requirements.
• Establishes rapport with patients and families from diverse cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds; interacts in a caring and compassionate manner respecting privacy and confidentiality.
• Develops problem-solving approaches tailored to individual patient and family needs.
• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide age-specific care and support to populations served (young adults to geriatrics).
• Fosters an environment sensitive to diverse populations, including culture, ethnicity, gender, and age.
• Manages the environment of patient care, monitors safety, and assures compliance with regulatory agency standards.
• Complies with Institute, Nursing, and Patient Care Services policies, procedures, work rules, and standards of conduct; adheres to the Code of Ethics for Nurses.
• Contributes to the formulation and achievement of goals on the unit, within the Division of Nursing and Patient Care Services, and the Institute.
• Participates in unit, program-based, and divisional committees, councils, and initiatives.
• Demonstrates flexibility in setting and changing priorities; accepts additional responsibilities as needed.
• Participates in QA/QI projects for the unit and the Division of Nursing and Patient Care Services.
• Supports research activities within the unit, Division of Nursing, and the Institute.
• Works collaboratively and functions as an effective member of the healthcare team; addresses and manages conflicts effectively.
• Delegates as appropriate and supervises assistive personnel in patient care.
• Functions in the charge nurse role when necessary, collaborating with staff and coordinating patient flow.
• Seeks opportunities to foster professional growth: identifies areas for growth, formulates goals, attends in-services, workshops, and seminars, and shares knowledge with colleagues.
• Facilitates professional growth of self and others by acting as a preceptor and mentor for new staff.
• Collaborates in preparing professional reports, articles, and presentations for colleagues and the public.
• Meets all annual evaluation requirements and competencies within the established time period.
• Pursues active membership in local and national professional organizations.

Procedural Nurse Responsibilities

• Performs pre-procedural assessment with patients by obtaining medical history via phone to provide patient-specific instructions, including assessing safety and tolerability of procedural sedation, performing medication reconciliation, and reviewing procedural sedation history.
• Provides pre-procedural instructions and allows patients to ask clinical questions without requiring a separate callback.
• Creates patient-specific premedication regimens in collaboration with procedure APP.
• Obtains IV access and pre-procedural lab work.
• Administers pre-procedural medications, titrating according to specific patient needs; also administers chemotherapy and performs procedures safely and efficiently in accordance with Institute policy.
• May administer blood transfusions and co-sign for Intrathecal Chemotherapy administered by APP.
• Assists in emergency nursing procedures for prompt control of changes in patient’s physical condition.
• Maintains awareness of procedural suite activities and works with the team to maximize workflow.
• Keeps abreast of changing techniques in procedural nursing and maintains expertise in critical care.
• Responsible for intra-procedural monitoring of patients, including maintaining active airway, assessing circulation and respiration via capnography and telemetry.
• Safely recovers patients post-sedation, performs discharge teaching, and evaluates safety of patient discharge.
• Coordinates correct research specimen collection with research coordinators.
• Maintains Joint Commission readiness.
• Provides support for biopsy specimen collection when not acting in a procedural sedation role.

Qualifications

• Education: Associate degree in Nursing. Baccalaureate degree in Nursing strongly preferred. If Associate degree in Nursing, must complete BSN degree within 4 years.
• Experience: Completion of the Oncology Nurse Residency Program (ONRP) or 1 year of recent experience as a Registered Nurse. Ambulatory and/or oncology experience preferred.
• Licensed as a Registered Nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or State of New Hampshire as appropriate.
• AHA BLS required (AHA ACLS accepted as minimum requirement).
• Professional nursing certification preferred (OCN, BMTCN, CPHON, AOCNP, CRNI, RN-BC).

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to work as an effective member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, and ability to make independent decisions.
• Ability to function in a busy work setting with patients with complex needs.

Pay

$44.14 - $109.51 per hour.