Registered Nurse - Graduate Nurse - Center Valley

Graduate Nurse

Promotes and restores patients' health by completing the nursing process; collaborating with physicians and interdisciplinary team members; providing physical and psychological support to patients, friends, and families. The graduate nurse who holds a TPP must practice under the supervision of an experienced, Pennsylvania registered nurse who is physically present in the unit or area where the graduate nurse is practicing.

Essential Functions

Identifies Patient Care Requirements

By establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients and other persons in a position to understand care requirements.

Uses the nursing process as a framework to deliver care by establishing or contributing to a plan of care with the patient including a teaching plan, within 24 hours of admission

Establishing or contributing to prioritization of goals appropriate to the patient's age and ability to learn, estimated length of stay, medical diagnoses and discharge plan

Identifying nursing care needs, writing nursing interventions and identifying educational objectives appropriate to care standards

By reassessing and documenting the effectiveness of nursing actions and the patients progress toward goals as the patient's condition changes

By communicating the plan and patient progress to the interdisciplinary team.

Establishes a Compassionate Environment

By providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, friends, and families.

Promotes Patient's Independence

By establishing patient care goals

Educating patient, friends, and family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills

Answering questions by applying rehabilitation principles to patients served

By demonstrating competence in providing age specific care to pediatric patients, adult patients and geriatric patients.

Assures Quality of Care

By adhering to therapeutic standards

Measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and standards

Making or recommending necessary adjustments

Following hospital and nursing division's philosophies and standards of care set by state board of nursing, State Nurse Practice Act, and other governing agency regulations

By participating in performance improvement activities

By assessing care provided to assigned patients by LPNs, Nursing Assistants, agency personnel, and other associates.

Resolves Patient Problems and Needs

By utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies

By utilizing established communication methods to ensure resolution of patient problems and needs

By communicating patient status to the interdisciplinary team.

Documents Patient Care Services

By documenting delivery of services, changes in the patient's condition and the patient's response to nursing interventions in the medical record according to policies and procedures.

Maintains Patient Confidence and Organizational Confidentiality

By keeping information confidential.

Maintains Safe and Clean Working Environment

By complying with procedures, rules, and regulations

Calling for assistance from health care support personnel

By maintaining a clean and safe unit environment

Keeping patient rooms, supply rooms and hallways free from clutter

By complying with procedures, rules and regulations

By adhering to infection control policies and procedures, medication administration and storage procedures and controlled substance regulations.

By maintaining compliance with professional, regulatory and governmental standards of care.

By demonstrating knowledge of responsibilities in an emergency situation (i.e., code blue, Dr. Wintergreen, etc.).

Ensures Operation of Equipment

By following manufacturer's instructions

Troubleshooting malfunctions

Entering work orders for equipment repairs

Evaluating new equipment and techniques.

Demonstrates Financial Accountability

By checking stock to determine inventory level

Anticipating needed supplies

Using equipment/supplies as needed to accomplish job results

By minimizing overtime by work prioritization and delegation

Recognizes and complies with RN's role in reimbursement for patient care services.

By identifying and providing input to Nurse Managers on work methods that reduce the cost and/or time required to deliver patient care.

By maintaining awareness of unit budget.

Maintains Professional and Technical Knowledge

By identifying personal educational needs and opportunities

Attending educational workshops

Completing mandatory educational requirements

Reviewing professional publications

Establishing personal networks

Participating in professional organizations

Sharing new knowledge with teams

Attending unit meetings

Reading unit memos

Participating in committees, projects and PI activities.

By maintaining responsibility for own professional development through active participation in in-services and/or continuing education programs.

Maintains a Cooperative Relationship Among Health Care Teams

By communicating information

Responding to requests

Building rapport

Participating in team problem-solving methods

By communicating patient care or team issues to the nurse manager or supervisor

Holding each team member accountable for patient and team outcomes

Participate in team meetings

Offering suggestions for improvement to the program director

Utilizing the chain of command to present issues or concerns

Demonstrate positive conflict resolution skills with all associates

Treat all associates with dignity and respect.

Contributes to Organizational Team Effort

By arriving on duty as scheduled, maintaining attendance, punching in and out as per Good Shepherd policy and maintaining etime sheet.

By demonstrating flexibility in response to change by offering to assist team members with patient care needs and unit activities that arise throughout the shift

Participating in orienting new employees

Meeting dress code requirements.

By attending meetings as requested by organizational leaders

By positively representing the profession and organization at work and away from work

Promoting and participating in organizational goals.

By mentoring channels of communication among nursing shifts, disciplines, departments, and external customers.

By utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies, to assure resolution of patient problems and needs.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education

Associate's Degree or Diploma in Nursing required; Bachelor's Degree in Nursing preferred

The graduate nurse must register and complete the state board examination within 90 days from start date

Work Experience

New graduate program

Previous health care experience preferred

Licenses / Certifications

Current PA temporary practice permit required

Basic Life Support / CPR, as a healthcare provider, per the American Heart Association required