Registered Nurse

Job Summary:

Under the direction of the Director of Nursing, the Charge Nurse is responsible for the comprehensiveness care of assigned residents and for the supervision of nursing personnel, who assist in the provision of care to those residents. Such supervision must be in accordance with current Federal, State, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations that govern our facility, and as may be required by the Director of Nursing Services, to ensure that the highest degree of quality care is maintained at all times.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Participates in directing the day to day functions of the nursing activities in accordance with current rules, regulations, and guidelines that govern the long term care facility.
• Participate in the developing, maintaining, and updating of written policies and procedures that govern the day to day functions of the Nursing Services department.
• Participate in ensuring that the Nursing Services procedure manual is followed by nursing service personnel and that it reflects the day to day nursing care procedures used by the facility.
• Assist in developing methods for coordinating nursing services with other resident services to ensure the continuity of the resident's total regimen of care.
• Ensure that all nursing service personnel are following their respective job descriptions.
• Perform administrative duties such as completing medical forms, reports, evaluations, studies, charting, etc.
• Interprets and implements physicians' orders.
• Participates in the development, maintenance and implementation of the facility's quality assurance program for the Nursing Services Department.
• Participate in survey inspections made by authorized government agencies.
• Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Director as necessary/required concerning the operation of the Nursing Services Department.
• Admit, transfer and discharge residents as required.
• Complete accident/incident reports as necessary.
• Ensure that the appropriate number of licensed nurses is available during shifts to ensure that quality care is maintained.
• Ensure that the appropriate number of nursing assistants is available for shifts to ensure that routine nursing care is provided to meet the daily nursing care needs of each resident.
• Make daily rounds of the Nursing Services Department to ensure that all nursing services personnel are performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards. Report findings to Director.
• Monitors absenteeism to ensure that an adequate number of nursing care personnel are on duty at all times. Reports problem areas to Director.
• Ensure that disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, handicap, or marital status.
• Develop and maintain good working rapport with interdepartmental personnel, as well as other departments within the facility to ensure that nursing services and activities can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of the residents.
• Assure that department personnel, residents and visitors follow the departments established policies and procedures at all times including dress codes.
• Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest, and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift.
• Assists in the orientation and training of new nursing personnel.
• Attends staff meeting and in-service meetings as necessary.
• Meets with shift on a regularly scheduled basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas and/or improvement of services.
• Participate in determining shifts staffing requirements, employee performance evaluations, and making recommendations to the Director concerning employee dismissals, transfers, etc.

Nursing Care Functions:

• Inform nursing personnel of new admissions, their expected time of arrival, room assignment, etc. Ensure that rooms are ready for new admissions.
• Greet newly admitted residents upon admission; escort to room as necessary.
• Review nurses' notes to ensure that they are informative and descriptive of the nursing care being provided and that they reflect the resident's response to the care. Make rounds with physicians as necessary.
• Encourage attending physicians to record and sign progress notes, physicians' orders, etc. on a timely basis and in accordance with current regulations.
• Make daily resident visits to observe and evaluate the residents' physical and emotional status.
• Performs medication passes and treatment schedules to assure that medications are being administered as ordered and treatments are provided as scheduled.
• Review medication documentation for accuracy, prior to end of shift and for adherence to stop order policy.
• Provide direct nursing care as necessary.
• Report problem areas to the Director. Assist in developing and implementing corrective action.
• Inform the Director of the status of residents and other related matters through written/oral reports.
• Ensure that written procedures for the administration, storage, and control of medications and supplies are being followed by licensed nurses.
• Meet with residents and/or family members as necessary and reports problem areas to Director.
• Assist in arranging transportation for discharged residents as necessary.
• Inspect the nursing service treatment areas daily to ensure that they are maintained in a clean and safe manner.
• Consult with the resident's physician and next of kin when there is a change in the resident's condition.
• Work with the facility's consultants and implement those changes authorized by the Director.
• Authorize the use of restraints when necessary and in accordance with facility policies and procedures.
• Make independent decisions concerning nursing care.
• Take TPR's, blood pressures, etc. as necessary.
• Admit, transfer, and discharge residents as necessary.
• Attend and participate in continuing educational programs designed to keep you abreast of changes in your profession, as well as to maintain license on a current status.

Safety and Sanitization:

• Monitor shift's personnel to assure that they are following established safety regulations in the use of equipment and supplies.
• Ensure that nursing work areas (i.e., nurse's station, medicine preparation rooms, etc.) are maintained in a clean and sanitary manner.
• Ensure that nursing service personnel participate in all fire safety and disaster preparedness drills in a safe and professional manner.
• Ensure that nursing personnel follow established infection control procedures when isolation precautions become necessary.
• Report to the Director any hazardous conditions or equipment.
• Ensure that nursing personnel follow established hand washing techniques in the administering of nursing care procedures.

Equipment and Supply Functions:

• Recommend to the Director the equipment and supply needs of the department.
• Assure that a stock level of medications, medical supplies, equipment, etc., is maintained on premises at all times to adequately meet the needs of residents.
• Ensure that only trained and authorized personnel operate department's equipment.
• Monitor nursing procedures to ensure that nursing supplies are used in an efficient manner to avoid waste.

Care Plan and Assessment Functions:

• Participate in the development of written preliminary and comprehensive assessments of the nursing needs of each resident as necessary.
• Participate in the development of a written plan of care (preliminary and comprehensive) for each resident that identifies the problems/needs of the resident, indicates the care to be given, goals to be accomplished.
• In so far is practical, encourage the resident to participate in the development and review of his/her plan of care.
• Review resident care plans for appropriate resident goals, problems, approaches, and revisions based on nursing needs.
• Ensure that all personnel involved in providing care to the resident is aware of the care plan and that care plans are used in administering daily care to the resident.
• Review nurses' notes to determine if the care plan is being followed.

Resident Rights Functions:

• Maintain the confidentiality of all resident care information.
• Monitor nursing care to assure that all residents are treated fairly, and with kindness, dignity, and respect.
• Ensure that all nursing care is provided in privacy.
• Ensure that all nursing personnel are knowledgeable of the resident's rights and responsibilities.
• Review complaints and grievances made by the resident and make a written/oral report to the Director indicating what actions(s) were taken to resolve the complaint or grievance.

Miscellaneous:

• Assist the Infection Control Coordinator in identifying, evaluating, and classifying infection problems.
• Provide information to the Quality Assurance Committee as requested.
• Maintains a liaison with the residents, their families, support departments, etc., to adequately plan for the resident's needs.
• Works in well lighted and ventilated locations throughout the nursing service area.
• Is subject to frequent interruptions.
• Is involved with residents, personnel, visitors, government agencies/personnel, etc., under all conditions and circumstances.
• Is subject to hostile and emotionally upset residents, family members, personnel, and visitors.
• Communicates with the medical staff, nursing personnel, and other department supervisors.
• Attends and participates in Licensed Nurses meetings, both mandatory and non-mandatory.
• Is subject to falls, burns from equipment, odors, etc, throughout the work day.
• Is subject to exposure to infectious waste, diseases, conditions, etc. including exposure to the AIDS and HEPATITIS B viruses.
• Required to sit, stand, bend, and move intermittently during shift.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Must possess leadership and supervisory ability and the willingness to work harmoniously with professional and nonprofessional personnel.

Education/Experience:

• Must possess, as a minimum, a nursing degree from an accredited college or university, or be a graduate of an approved RN program.
• Must have, as a minimum, one year experience as a supervisor in a hospital, long term care facility, or other related health care facility.
• Must have training in rehabilitative and restorative nursing practices.
• Must possess a current, unencumbered license to practice as Registered Nurse in California.
• Must be knowledgeable of nursing and medical practices and procedures, as well as laws, regulations, and guidelines that pertain to long term care.
• Must possess the ability to plan, organize, develop, implement, and interpret the programs, goals, objectives, policies and procedures, etc., that are necessary for providing quality care.
• Must have the patience, tact, cheerful disposition and enthusiasm, as well as the willingness to handle difficult residents.
• Must be willing to seek out new methods and principles and be willing to incorporate them into existing nursing practices.
• MDS experience preferred.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Current state LVN license.
• Current CPR/LVN/RN License.

Mathematical Skills:

• Must possess the appropriate mathematical skills in conjunction with holding current state license.

Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Language Skills:

• The ability to communicate effectively, in writing and verbally, with all levels of staff, governmental agencies, professional organizations, outside vendors, contractors, counsel, AFVW residents and employee's.

Physical Demands:

• Exchange information with residents, supervisors, existing employees, vendors, etc, hear alarms, signals and bells; seeing to read, prepare and write documents; sitting or standing for extended periods of time; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment; kneeling, bending at the waist and reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally to retrieve and store files and supplies; lifting light to heavy objects; some twisting or rotation at the truck, hips, knees and neck while providing physical assistance for residents. The physical demands described here 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.
• Minimum lifting of 35 lbs is required.

Work Environment:

Indoor and some outdoor environment; moderate level of physical activity daily. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The employee is expected to adhere to all company policies and to act as a role model in the adherence of policies.