Registered Nurse (RN)

Registered Nurse

The Registered Nurse, RN, is a member of the interdisciplinary team who work together to meet the physical, medical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of hospice patients and families facing terminal illness and bereavement. The Registered Nurse, RN, is designated to provide coordination of care, ensure continuous assessment of each patients and family's needs and implementation of the interdisciplinary plan of care.

Job responsibilities include case management and supervision for the Registered Nurse, RN, which includes following VITAS policies and standards, performing supervision of nursing tasks delegated to Hospice Aides, Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses, and Volunteers, completing initial and ongoing comprehensive assessments, providing education and training to patients, families, caregivers and referral sources in the care of the patient, participating in patient care meetings, participating in weekly team meetings, providing effective communication/shift reports, participating in bereavement support, participating in the on-call rotation and/or providing shifts during non-business hours, providing visits/shifts in program coverage area, working with IDG to develop, coordinate, and follow the patients individualized plan of care, obtaining physician orders when necessary, providing those services requiring substantial and specialized nursing skill, evaluating the outcome of services, appropriately delegating nursing tasks to Hospice Aides/Homemakers, Volunteers, and Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses, participating in and monitoring patient and family care compliance activities, professionally managing/coordinating the hospice plan of care, providing and following infection control practices, delivering care in accordance with the patients plan of care, providing primary nursing care for inpatient and continuous care patients as assigned.

The Registered Nurse, RN, participates in the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) Program and related activities as assigned, including participation in Performance Improvement Project(s) (PIP), gathering clinical data which is used for quality measures, developing and achieving professional growth goals and objectives personally and per Team Manager reviews, responsible for attending orientation and regularly scheduled in-services/educational conferences as assigned, participating in orientation of Hospice Aides, Volunteers and other IDG members as assigned, participating in training activities internally within VITAS and externally as assigned, providing customer service, maintaining focus on the patient and family experience of care, serving as a patient and family advocate, reporting patient/family/customer complaints to Team Manager, participating in patient/family/customer conflict resolution as applicable, representing the nursing profession, the VITAS site/location and VITAS overall in a positive manner.

Job requirements include having reliable transportation with adequate insurance coverage for driver and passengers, and having telephone available (cellular or land line).

The physical demands for the Registered Nurse, RN described in this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of the Registered Nurse, RN, the employee is regularly required to assist in lifting and transferring patients, as required, lift objects in excess of 20 pounds, stand or walk in excess of one hour per day, talk and hear, and sit and stoop, kneel, and crouch. Specific vision abilities required for the Registered Nurse, RN include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Qualifications for the Registered Nurse, RN include currently licensed to practice nursing in the state where the VITAS program is located, a minimum of two years of nursing experience in hospice, home health, or community health in the last five years, and equivalent experience or licensure may be considered.

Reports directly to the Team Manager.