RN- Inpatient Wound & Ostomy Nurse (FT Days)

Description

JOB PURPOSE OR MISSION: To improve the quality of life of patients and families by coordinating patient care processes of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation in collaboration with the patient, family, physician, and appropriate support services for the age population served, as defined in the department's scope of service.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

CRITERIA A: Everyday Excellence Values - Employee demonstrates Everyday Excellence values in the day-to-day performance of their job.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Demonstrates courtesy and caring to each other, patients and their families, physicians, and the community.
• Takes initiative in living our Everyday Excellence values and vital signs.
• Takes initiative in identifying customer needs before the customer asks.
• Participates in teamwork willingly and with enthusiasm.
• Demonstrates respect for the dignity and privacy needs of customers through personal action and attention to the environment of care.
• Keeps customers informed, answers customer questions and anticipates information needs of customers.

CRITERIA B: Corporate Compliance - Employee demonstrates commitment to the Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Guidelines, and the GHS Corporate Compliance Guidelines.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Practices diligence in fulfilling the regulatory and legal requirements of the position and department.
• Maintains accurate and reliable patient/organizational records.
• Maintains professional relationships with appropriate officials; communicates honesty and completely; behaves in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner in all professional contacts.

CRITERIA C: Personal Achievement - Employee demonstrates initiative in achieving work goals and meeting personal objectives.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Uses accepted procedures and practices to complete assignments. Uses creative and proactive solutions to achieve objectives even when workload and demands are high.
• Adheres to high moral principles of honesty, loyalty, sincerity, and fairness.

• Upholds the ethical standards of the organization.

CRITERIA D: Performance Improvement - Employee actively participates in Performance Improvement activities and incorporates quality improvement standards in his/her job performance.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Optimizes talents, skills, and abilities in achieving excellence in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
• Initiates or redesigns to continuously improve work processes.
• Contributes ideas and suggestions to improve approaches to work processes.
• Willingly participates in organization and/or department quality initiatives.

CRITERIA E: Cost Management - Employee demonstrates effective cost management practices.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
• Effectively manages time and resources
• Makes conscious effort to effectively utilize the resources of the organization - material, human, and financial.
• Consistently looks for and uses resource saving processes.

CRITERIA F: Patient & Employee Safety - Employee actively participates in and demonstrates effective patient and employee safety practices.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Employee effectively communicates, demonstrates, coordinates and emphasizes patient and employee safety.
• Employee proactively reports errors, potential errors, injuries or potential injuries.
• Employee demonstrates departmental specific patient and employee safety standards at all times.
• Employee demonstrates the use of proper safety techniques, equipment and devices and follows safety policies, procedures and plans.

JOB FUNCTIONS

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS include, but are not limited to:

1. Coordinates patient assessment through collection of patient's health data.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Prioritizes data collection based on the patient's immediate condition or needs.
• Performs ongoing and systematic comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessments.
• Involves the patient, significant others and health care providers as appropriate.
• Performs functional, nutritional and other screenings and ensures triggers are complete.
• Identifies and coordinates the need for further assessment by discipline.
• Documents patient care assessments in the medical record.

2. Analyzes patient assessments to determine nursing diagnoses and identifies expected outcomes.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Determines nursing diagnoses using assessment data.
• Identifies patient outcomes based on the nursing diagnoses.
• Outcomes are prioritized based on the patent's condition and needs.
• Nursing diagnoses and outcomes are documented in the medical record.
• Triage assessment on all patients and follows protocols according to established department guidelines and policies.
• Demonstrates ability to proficiently assess patients in every age group.
• Demonstrates proficiency in the management of patients receiving Procedural Sedation.

3. Coordinates an interdisciplinary plan of care that prescribes interventions to attain expected outcomes.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Collaborates with appropriate disciplines and integrates various assessments to formulate an individualized plan of care based on patient needs and current nursing practice standards.
• Reviews and updates the plan of care as the patient condition changes, at least every day.
• Documents the plan of care in the medical record.

4. Implements the interventions identified in the plan of care.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary health care team to deliver direct patient care utilizing nursing practice standards, and universal blood and body fluid precautions.
• Uses interventions that are consistent with the patient's plan of care.
• Maintains patient rights.
• Ensures that patients receive the appropriate treatments and medications in a timely manner.
• Delegates patient care to other members of the health care team; ensures the delegated task(s) are within the scope of practice of the assigned individual and maintains oversight and accountability.
• Coordinates direct patient care from appropriate support services.
• Provides individualized patient education to patient and families.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to plan patient discharge.
• Documents all treatments, medications, patient/family education and ongoing assessments.

5. Evaluates the patient's progress toward attainment of outcomes.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Performs ongoing and systematic reassessment according to department standard or more frequently based on patient condition.
• Revises nursing diagnoses, outcomes and plan of care based on reassessments.
• Involves the patient, significant others and healthcare team in the evaluation and update of plan of care as appropriate.
• Evaluates the effectiveness of treatments, medications and patient teaching.

6. Performs patient assessment, develops plan of care and implements treatments for patients with selected disorders.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Obtains accurate assessment data through physical assessment, patient and/or significant other interview and review of medical record.
• Ensures patient care plan is individualized and compliments plan of care.
• Determines patient's response to interventions and modifies plan of care accordingly.
• Identifies potential discharge needs at time of initial assessment.

7. Serves as primary educator for patients/significant others and staff regarding W.O.C. issues.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Educates patient, significant other, and staff regarding W.O.C. needs in order to facilitate complete rehabilitation through independence and self-care.
• Develops discharge plans and referrals if needed, based on continuing assessment of patient's progress.

8. Demonstrates proficiency and knowledge base of ostomy, wound, and continence management.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS:
• Documents assessment data in hospital record according to organization policy and procedure.
• Demonstrates understanding of functions and uses of wound, ostomy, and continence products, or knows how to obtain that information.
• Provides education and information to patients, their family, nursing staff, and physicians regarding wound, ostomy, and continence care to facilitate return towards independence and self care.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
1 year clinical RN experience required.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Graduation from an accredited WOCN program preferred; WOCN certification within 18 months of employment.

SPECIAL SKILL, LICENSE AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS
Current Louisiana RN licensure

HIPAA REQUIREMENTS:
Maintains knowledge of and adherence to all applicable HIPAA regulations appropriate to Job Position including but not limited to: Medical records without limitation both paper and electronic, patient demographics, lab and radiology results, patient information related to surgery or appointment schedules, information related to patient location, religious beliefs and/or public health records.

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
Maintains knowledge of and adherence to all applicable safety practices appropriate to Job Position including but not limited to: Incident reporting, handling of wastes, sharps and linen, PPE, exposure control plans, hand washing, environment of care, patient identification, and monitors clinical alarms.