Delegating Nurse - Vocational

Job Description

Job Description

The Delegating Nurse reports directly to the Director of Health Services. The primary role of the Delegating Nurse is to oversee the safety, health and well being of the individuals that we support as well as to promote and maintain the health of these individuals, using a nursing delegation conceptual framework. The Delegating Nurse maintains a caseload of individuals and is responsible for coordinating and facilitating the health care needs for individuals assigned to their caseload.

The nurse in this position is responsible for delegating nursing duties such, as medication administration and other health-care functions, carried-out by unlicensed staff. The Delegating Nurses’ role is to assess the staff, to make sure that they are competent and safe, to supervise them as they perform health-care tasks, to provide continuous training, to provide support to them as they perform this function, and to maintain a good relationship with the staff in order to facilitate communication back and forth as needed with the staff and their supervisors.

The Delegating nurse will ensure that all nursing documentation will be completed in a timely manner. The goal is to have the documentation completed and in the office and home files no more than seven days after the visit, hands on assessment or phone call.

Delegating nurses are expected to participate in periodic nursing meetings and other pertinent agency meetings. They are responsible for consulting with the Director of Health Services should they have questions and/or need feedback on a particular health-related issue.

It is the function of an RN in this position to work as a team with the other nurses, nutritionist, coordinators, directors and other staff at CSAAC. Nurses at CSAAC are encouraged to be a part of the agency as a whole, not just the nursing department. Frequently nursing will have an impact on other departments, and all aspects of the agency need to be considered. Excellent communication skills and flexibility are essential.

The Delegating Nurse practices nursing in accordance to the State of Maryland Nurse Practice Act, Code of Maryland Regulations Title 10, Subtitle 27, and The Standards of Developmental Disabilities Nursing Practice.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Registered Nurse currently licensed by the Maryland Board of Nursing

Experience: Minimum of one (1) years experience as a registered nurse. Experience in working with individuals with special needs desirable. Should have or be qualified for Case Management/Delegating Nurse certification in the State of Maryland. Current CPR/First Aid/AED Training

Skills: Must possess strong written and oral communication skills, as well as good organizational and coordinative ability. Must possess and demonstrate strong interpersonal skills with the ability to exercise patience, caring and concern in new and sometimes stressful situations. Must possess knowledge of the role of the Delegating Nurse as outlined in the Nurse Practice Act/Maryland Board of Nursing and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Trains, delegates and supervises unlicensed staff (CMT) in the process of medication administration.
• Develops plan of care, ongoing nursing assessments and evaluates/updates the nursing of plan of care every 45 days and as needed.
• Performs an initial 45 day assessments during a site visit to the residential home. A follow-up residential site visit to assess the clinical status of the individual must occur at a minimum of every 45 days.
• Performs MAR/medication reviews including` ensuring that appropriate medication storage guidelines are applied.
• Evaluating/assessing the competency of unlicensed staff. Completion of the DDA Competency and Evaluation form must be done on unlicensed/ CMT staff during the 45 day site visit and as needed.
• Assessment of the task to be delegated including complexity and the environment in which the task is to be performed.
• Determines the appropriateness of delegation as outlined in the Maryland Board of Nursing MBON and Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR 10.27.09/10.27.11)
• Reviews HRST of Individuals that have Health Care Levels of 3 or greater.
• Monitors hospitalizations, Emergency Room/Urgent Care visits and healthcare appointments.
• Is readily available/accessible by telecommunication (phone/cell phone) to staff with whom delegation in occurring.
• Participates in discharge planning from skill care facilities to ensure delegation is appropriate.
• Participates in the residential facility admissions process.
• Participates in team meetings as needed.
• Follows-up and communicates with the Medical Coordinator regarding appointments and care for individuals with medical providers.
• Participates in agency licensing reviews.
• Be responsible for the review of Medication Administration Records, and for the 90 day Physician’s Medication Order Form sign-off.
• Stays current with regulations from the Maryland Board of Nursing and Developmental Disabilities Administration.
• Ensures uncertified staff members are not allowed to administer medications.
• Consults with the Health Services Manager, The Director of Quality Assurance, coordinators and directors.
• Performs other pertinent duties as assigned by the Management team.
• Adheres to CSAAC policies and procedures, applicable regulations of federal, state, local laws, and accreditation standards.
• Adheres to mandatory use of CIMS (CSAAC’s in-house computerized reporting system), to access/send emails, record health information, data and incident reports for individuals supported in the CSAAC program.

REQUIRED TRAINING/PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

• Possess and maintain an active State of Maryland licensure as a Registered Nurse
• Have successfully completed or be eligible to complete the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) 14 hour Delegating Nursing class.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.

Employee must be able to effectively complete a non-adverse physical intervention with autistic individuals of varying heights, weights and levels of physical strength according to the guidelines presented in Behavioral Principles and Strategies training.