Hospice Registered Nurse

REGISTERED NURSE - HOSPICE JOB DESCRIPTION JOB SUMMARY The registered nurse plans,organizesand directs hospice care and is experienced in nursing, with emphasis on community health education/experience.The professional nursebuilds fromthe resources of the community to plan and direct services to meet the needs ofindividualand families within their homes and communities. DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES Patient Care Completesan initial,comprehensiveand ongoingassessmentsofpatientand family todeterminehospice needs.Provides a complete physical assessment and history of current andpreviousillness(es). Provides professional nursing care byutilizingall elements ofnursingprocess. Assesses and evaluates patient’s status by: a. Writing andinitiatingplan of care b. Regularly re-evaluating patient and family/caregiver needs c.Participatingin revising the plan of care as necessary 4.Useshealth assessment data todeterminenursing diagnosis. Develops a care plan thatestablishesgoals, based on nursing diagnosis and incorporates palliative nursing actions.Includes the patient and the family in the planning process. Initiatesappropriate preventiveand rehabilitative nursing procedures.Administers medications and treatmentsas prescribed bythe physician in the physician’s plan of care. Counsels the patient and family in meeting nursing and related needs. Provides health care instructions to the patient asappropriate perassessment and plan. 9.Assiststhe patient with the activities of daily living andfacilitatesthe patient’s efforts toward self-sufficiency and optional comfort care. Acts as Case Manager andassumesresponsibility to coordinate patient care for assigned caseload. Communication Completes,maintainsand submitsaccurateand relevant clinical notesregardingpatient’s condition and care given.Recordspain/symptom management changes/outcomes asappropriate. Communicates with the physicianregardingthe patient’s needs and reports changes inthe patient’s condition; obtains/receives physicians’ orders asrequired. Communicates with community health relatedpersonsto coordinate the care plan. 4.Teachesthe patient and family/caregiver self-care techniques asappropriate.Provides medication, diet and other instructions as ordered by the physician and recognizes andutilizesopportunities for health counseling with patients and families/caregivers.Works in concert with the interdisciplinary group. Provides andmaintainsa safe environment for the patient. 6.Assiststhe patient and family/caregiver and other team members in providing continuity of care. Works in cooperation with the family/caregiver and hospice Interdisciplinary Group Members to meet the emotional needs of the patient and family/caregiver. Attends interdisciplinary group meetings. Additional Duties Participates in on-call duties asdefinedby the on-call policy. Ensures that arrangements for equipment and other necessary items and services are available. Supervises ancillary personnel and delegates responsibilities whenrequired. Assumes responsibility for personal growth and development andmaintainsand upgrades professional knowledge and practice skills through attendance and participation in continuing education and in-service classes. Fulfills the obligation of requested and/or accepted case assignments. Activelyparticipatesin qualityassessmentperformance improvement teams and activities. The above statements are only meant to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by the employee of this job. The employee may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than thosestatedin this description. JOB REQUIREMENTS (Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities) Graduate of National League for Nursing accredited school of nursing. Minimum of two years of experience, at least one of which isin the area ofpublic health, home care, or hospicenursingis preferred. Management experiencenotrequired.Responsible for supervising hospice aides. Registered nurse with current licensure to practice professional nursing in the state. Demonstrates excellent observation, problem solving, verbal and written communications; nursing skills per competency checklist. Showsabilityto organize and prioritize workload independently. Prolonged orconsiderablewalking or standing.Able to lift, position, and/or transfer patients.Able to lift supplies and equipment.Considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and/or crouching.Visual acuity and hearing to perform required nursing skills. Maintains a current CPR certification. The ability to drive and/or have access to transportation foragency relatedtravel (e.g.community partners, patients, etc.) is an essential function of the job.Must have andmaintaina valid driver’s license,maintainautomobile insurancecoverageand have access to an automobile. Self-directed and able to work with minimal supervision. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Employees are asked to sign a statementindicatingwhether they can perform the essential functions of their position. Requests for accommodation will be considered on an individual basis. 2.Typical functions of this role include standing, sitting, and walkinga majority ofthe time.There are occasions when kneeling, stooping, bending, or reaching may be necessary. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25lbson a regular basis. There may be occasions in which the employee must be able to lift or move up to 50 lbs. 4.Specificvision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depthperceptionand ability to adjust focus. The employer for this position is stated in the job posting. The Pennant Group, Inc. is a holding company of independent operating subsidiaries that provide healthcare services through home health and hospice agencies and senior living communities located throughout the US. Each of these businesses is operated by a separate, independent operating subsidiary that has its own management, employees and assets. More information about The Pennant Group, Inc. is available at #J-18808-Ljbffr