Bilingual Licensed Practical Nurse

Job Description Job Description POSITION SUMMARY: The Hospice nurse plans, organizes and directs hospice care and is experienced in nursing, with emphasis on community health education / experience. The Hospice nurse plays a key role in easing physical and psychosocial symptoms, while initiating communication with the interdisciplinary team to establish a plan of care for each patient. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 1. Performs all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Nurse Practice Act and in accordance with basic principles and guidelines of professional nurses. 2. Performs an initial, comprehensive, and ongoing comprehensive assessment of patient and family to determine hospice needs. 3. Provides a complete physical assessment and history, including symptom and pain management, of current and previous illnesses. 4. Responsible for initiating reviewing and revising each patient's plan of care, as assigned. 5. Completes visit documentation in accordance with the Hospice Medicare Benefit guidelines and regulations. 6. Provides education regarding disease process, death and dying with each scheduled visit. 7. Contacts patient and / or family prior to visit to remind or schedule the visit. 9. Initiates appropriate preventive and rehabilitative nursing procedures. 10. Administers medications and treatments as prescribed by the physician in the physician's plan of care. 11. Provides safety and emergency preparedness education at each visit. 12. Practices and teaches patients / families infection control precautions. 13. Responsible for ordering and re-ordering hospice covered medications. 14. Assesses and monitors the need for durable medical equipment and orders as needed. 15. Assists the patient with activities of daily living and facilitates the patient's efforts toward self-sufficiency and optimal comfort care. 16. Coordinates patient care with interdisciplinary team that promotes continuity of care. 17. Responsible for direct supervision of hospice aides. 18. Attends Interdisciplinary team meetings and completes interdisciplinary notes prior to team meeting. 19. Takes evening and / or weekend On-Call if needed and as designated. 20. Responsible for working one major and one minor holiday on-call shift annually. 21. Responsible for attending deaths, pronouncing deaths and completion of all paperwork for coroner's office, if county permits. 22. Practices collaboration of care with skilled nursing facilities, primary care physician, patient, and family with each visit or significant change in patient status. 23. Participates in agency safety, wound care, or infection control committee. 24. Completes re-certification note and LCD for each re-certification period. 25. Responsible for oversight of medication disposal upon death in accordance with state and federal regulations. 26. Completion of Hospice Aide competency at 90-days and annually, adhering to those items which must be demonstrated. 27. Assesses caregiver ability to care for patients and recommends residency setting changes. 28. Assesses patients for level of care change needs and collaborates with the hospice Medical Director. 29. Completes orders and all necessary documents for level of care changes. 30. Reports ethical situations for review and participates in Ethics Meetings. 31. Provides and documents supervisory visits of hospice aide every fourteen (14) days, ensuring Hospice Aide plan of care is conducive to patient needs and followed through. 32. Adheres to agency complaint process and provide in writing any complaints received by patients/families or external customers. 33. Assumes responsibility for personal growth and development and maintains and upgrades professional knowledge and practice skills through attendance and participation in continuing education and in-services. 34. Makes patient visits outside of assigned territory as assigned by Clinical Supervisor/Clinical Director. 35. Provides eight (8) hours of availability each work day to assist with admissions or additional patient visits. 36. Complies with all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements in accordance with federal, state, and organizational policies. REQUIRED SKILLS, ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE: 1. Assess, evaluate, and respond to patient situations quickly, providing emergency care in crisis as quickly as possible. 2. Ability to work independently, while collaborating with other team members and managers. 3. Works with diverse social and economic situations without imposing own values on patient or family. 4. Maintains appropriate professional boundaries 5. Excellent written and verbal communication and public relation skills. 6. Excellent assessment skills. 7. Excellent organizational skills. 8. Demonstrates effective communication and listening skills. 9. Proficient in the use of electronic medical records and other portals to include pharmacy and DME. 10. Demonstrates leadership skills that will allow leading the interdisciplinary team. 11. Comfortable with administering medications to provide comfort to end of life patients. 12. Able to distinguish exposure to blood borne pathogens, infections and universal precautions. POSITION QUALIFICATIONS 1. Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. 2. Current licensure in the state of Illinois. 3. Current CPR Certification. 4. Experience supervising C.N.A.'s or other disciplines. 5. Must be a licensed driver with an automobile that is insured in accordance with state or organization requirements and is in good working order. 6. Meets standards for continuing education hours. 7. Experienced in wound care. 8. Bilingual - Spanish-speaking is highly preferred but not a requirement. Company Description A highly motivated management team that believes in following state and federal regulations through the development of policies and procedures and compliance with standards of care for hospice patients. APEX has a culture of camaraderie which helps maintain employee morale and retention. APEX believes that end-of-life does not have to be difficult and painful for patients of all ages, our field team of professionals, equipped with compassion, empathy, and sensitivity to the needs of both patient and family; along with clinical education, to help manage physical pains and treating the soul. Company Description A highly motivated management team that believes in following state and federal regulations through the development of policies and procedures and compliance with standards of care for hospice patients. APEX has a culture of camaraderie which helps maintain employee morale and retention. APEX believes that end-of-life does not have to be difficult and painful for patients of all ages, our field team of professionals, equipped with compassion, empathy, and sensitivity to the needs of both patient and family; along with clinical education, to help manage physical pains and treating the soul.