LPN - PRN

Medical/Surgical LPN

The Medical/Surgical LPN provides direct and indirect patient care to all age groups. The LPN implements and evaluates the patient care given. They will work with assigned nursing personnel, collaborate with other health care professionals, and coordinate ancillary staff.

Administers nursing care to designated patients under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse. Performs a variety of direct and indirect patient care duties. Provides direct or indirect patient care to all developmental ages of patients.

General requirements include performing all job responsibilities in alignment with the mission and vision of the organization, maintaining current knowledge in present areas of responsibility, attending staff meetings and completing mandatory in-services and requirements and competency evaluations on time, and wearing protective clothing and equipment as appropriate.

General skills include the ability to communicate in English, both verbally and in writing, additional languages preferred, strong written and verbal skills, and basic computer skills.

Working conditions may include exposure to high noise levels and bright lights, limited hazardous substances or body fluids, or infectious organisms, periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads, and being scheduled as needed including overtime.

Physical requirements and demands include having near normal hearing and vision, good manual dexterity, good eye-hand foot coordination, ability to perform repetitive tasks/motion, standing, walking, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, lifting/carrying up to 20lbs, lifting/carrying greater than 20 lbs. with assistance, sitting, climbing, twisting at waist, lift/carry greater than 50 lbs. with assistance, and reaching above shoulder.

The mission statement of the Hospital Authority of Miller County is to deliver superior, safe, cost-effective healthcare through the provisions of education prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Job specific competencies include applying to all age groups, greeting and orienting patients to room, completing admission database within 12 hours and documenting in appropriate areas of the record, providing individualized instructions to patient and/or significant others regarding the plan of care on an ongoing basis with written documentation of patient's and/or significant other's ability to verbalize understanding of information taught, communicating patient care needs to caregivers throughout the shift and as necessary, reviewing new medical orders promptly, implementing STAT orders within 15 minutes and routine orders within 2 hours, reporting pertinent changes in patient's status to Charge Nurse and/or physician promptly, responding to Code 13 immediately and initiating CPR using BCLS protocol, providing individualized patient education for patient/family, responsible for following privacy concepts and other policies as stated in the HIPAA policy and procedures, assessing and reassessing pain within 30 minutes of administration of medication and documenting appropriately, utilizing appropriate pain management techniques, educating the patient and family regarding pain management, patient documentation, knowing patient rights and responsibilities / information management, knowing policy for release of medical records, knowing security measures (password, Auto and Manual suspension of screens), able to access EMR and knows appropriate and inappropriate utilization of information, able to use work list properly (add and delete interventions, change frequencies, edit text, doc edit), documenting nurse's notes and patient team conference notes, completing shift portion of 12-hour assessments generated by the plan of care, documenting pertinent patient observations and interventions at time of occurrence, reporting findings to initiate further actions, i.e. critical lab values, reporting completely, briefly, and accurately re: patient status when transferring responsibility of care to another person/shift, i.e. hand-off communication, completing documentation on admission, transfer, and discharge assessments when event occurs, entering signature and credentials legibly on all charting. Using only approved abbreviations, clarifying physician's orders in absence of adequate, explicit prescribed physician orders, utilization management program, adhering to policy for accurate and timely completion of all consents within shift, avoiding excessive unscheduled absence, participating in the hospital's risk management program by reporting all untoward events or abnormal findings to the Charge Nurse at time of occurrence, assessing individual patient rooms and unit environment for safe/sanitary conditions, correcting or reporting hazardous or unsafe conditions, identifying, sequestering, and reporting malfunctioning equipment to the appropriate person immediately, utilizing supplies and equipment with efficiency and charging appropriately, reporting needed supplies to appropriate person, utilizing restraints per physician order with appropriate documentation and monitoring every 30 minutes, recording interventions and response along with assessments on all patients in restraints every 2 hours, recognizing signs and symptoms of possible child/adult/elderly abuse and immediately notifying Charge Nurse to alert appropriate agency, ensuring each patient's general hygiene needs are met daily, performing handwashing before and after contact with each patient, immediately disposing of biomedical and hazardous waste in labeled biomedical/ biohazardous waste container, documenting specific patient valuables on designated form when received and immediately contacting Charge Nurse, assessing patient's vital signs and ensuring notification of the Charge Nurse of any significant changes, performing dressing changes using aseptic technique per physician orders, providing post-mortem care, performing bedside blood glucose monitoring per physician. Using Comment Codes as appropriate, administering prescribed medications within 30 minutes of scheduled time. Reassessing as appropriate, administering medication safely and accurately utilizing the Five Patient Rights and in accordance with MD's order, observing for/recognizing untoward reactions to prescribed therapies/diagnostic procedure, administering, observing, and documenting intravenous therapy continuously, adhering to hospital policy and procedure regarding site care, tubing changes, and all central access lines/devices care and documenting on appropriate form, administering enteral feedings via NG tube, G-tube. Documenting patient's response and amount, color, and characteristics of gastric output as appropriate, performing ostomy care to include irrigation, appliance usage, and reinforcement of teaching, inserting intermittent or indwelling urinary catheter using aseptic technique. Documenting patient's response, color, odor, and amount of urine, monitoring urine output as ordered and records on appropriate form. Notifying Charge Nurse of inadequate urine output, monitoring oxygen saturation as per physician orders, observing and documenting chest tube drainage; observing for air leak and subcutaneous emphysema, initiating skin and wound protocol when identified, communicating with the family members about the status of the patient, thoroughly understanding policies and procedures regarding the National Patient Safety Goals, improving the accuracy of patient identification by using at least two patient identifiers (neither to be the patient's room number) whenever taking blood samples, administering medication or blood products, or providing treatment or procedures, improving the effectiveness of communication among caregivers when taking verbal or telephone orders or critical test results that require verification "Verbal Order Read-back and Verified" – "VORV" of the complete order or test result "rb" for "read back" by the person receiving the order or test result, following hospital policy and procedure regarding list of abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols not to use, demonstrating knowledge of high alert medications (concentrated electrolytes, potassium chloride, potassium phosphate, sodium chloride > 0.9, etc.), ensuring free-flow protection on all IV pumps prior to setting up on a patient, ensuring Fall Risk protocol is followed, understanding and following PUPP and documents turns, understanding and practicing current CDC hand hygiene guidelines to reduce the risk of health careacquired infections, fostering teamwork by offering assistance to others, showing consideration in interaction with patient/family and other health team members by demonstrating therapeutic listening skills and cooperation. Acknowledging and responding tactfully to all requests, varying work schedule or shift (working overtime, leaves early when requested, work shift other than regularly schedule as required) to meet department staffing needs.

Education, credentials, and experience requirements include a graduate of a school of Practical Nursing, current Georgia license, nursing skills as defined by the laws governing the practice of nursing in the State of Georgia, current BLS certification, ACLS & PALS certification preferred.