Nurse Coordinator - Acute Care for Elders - Nights

Why Work For Nebraska Methodist Health System?

At Nebraska Methodist Health System, we focus on providing exceptional care to the communities we serve and people we employ. We call it The Meaning of Care a culture that has and will continue to set us apart. It's helping families grow by making each delivery special, conveying a difficult diagnosis with a compassionate touch, going above and beyond for a patient's needs, or giving a high five when a patient beats a disease or conquers a personal health challenge. We offer competitive pay, excellent benefits and a great work environment where all employees are valued! Most importantly, our employees are part of a team that makes a real difference in the communities we live and work in.

Job Summary

Location: Methodist Hospital Address: 8303 Dodge St. - Omaha, NE Schedule: Nights - 36 hours per week Accountable for the coordination and delivery of quality care to patients and families according to the individualized needs of the patient.

Essential Functions

1. Provides appropriate care specific to the age of the customer/patient, to ensure understanding and comfort level of treatment as outlined in the Population Specific Criteria.

• Demonstrates ability to identify opportunities for and give individualized customer service/patient care according to customer/patient needs.

2. Assures patient care assignments are made according to established criteria, policy and procedure.

• Assures assignments are made according to personnel level of experience, patient status and skill needs, patient safety needs, skill mix, and degree of supervision required.
• Assigns new personnel and float staff to a practice partner for use as a resource. Modifies assignments as necessary based on flow of patients.
• Reports issues/trends to Service Leader.

3. Coordinates unit patient flow of admissions and discharges to assure beds are available to match the demand. Leads development and implementation of unit plan when expected demand exceeds expected capacity.

• Uses critical thinking to compare known and predicted admissions against the number of available beds and known and expected discharges to determine if a demand/capacity mismatch is likely to occur.
• Develops/coordinates a daily plan for admission/transfer/and discharges to ensure that patient flow is facilitated and beds are available.
• Assigns beds within 20 minutes of a bed request, or communicates with bed coordinator when time frame cannot be met.
• Presents unit demand/capacity status and unit plan if needed at bed huddle.

4. Assures all activities are completed by assigned staff by coaching, mentoring and role modeling regarding patient care issues.

• Supervises/evaluates care provided during assigned shift.
• Redirects hospital staff to demonstrate core values to promote a positive work environment.
• Gives input and assists with completion of staff performance developmental plans.
• Serves as a resource person to assigned care providers as needed.
• Reports issues/trends to Service Leader and/or follows-up with appropriate staff.

5. Assures positive customer relations are maintained with hospital personnel, patients, visitors and physicians.

• Assures shift report, rounds, and Situation Background Assessment Recommendation (SBAR) are complete, pertinent and communicated to appropriate persons to maintain continuity of care.
• Collaborates/coordinates with Care Manager, Service Secretaries, Support Staff, other departments/units, and/or other agencies to facilitate patient care.
• Assists co-workers in dealing with customer concerns as needed.
• Encourages utilization of Situation Background Assessment Recommendation (SBAR) format to maintain continuity of care.

6. Manages environment and/or patient care situations to assure situations involving risks are addressed appropriately.

• Assures completion and follow-up on:
• Clinical Variance reports (on Intranet)
• Patient/Family concerns
• Staff concerns
• Narcotic discrepancies
• Monitors on an ongoing basis environmental safety issues and appropriate interventions taken; e.g., refrigerator check, and code blue cart check.
• Provides input into the development and revision of policy and procedures.
• Reports issues/trends to Leader.
• Meets quality standards and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines (ready for survey at all times).
• Participates and coaches staff in identification, analysis, reduction, and evaluation of risk issues. (Risk Management Process)

7. Assures appropriate utilization of human resources, supplies/equipment, and budget.

• Adjusts staffing appropriate to census/guidelines and budget on a shift-by-shift basis.
• Facilitates staffing on assigned unit for on-coming shift based on identified patient needs and priorities.
• Monitors unit activities to ensure optimal patient care and appropriate use of end of shift overtime.
• Identifies supply and equipment utilization problems and ensures appropriate interventions.
• Reports issues/trends to Service Leader.

8. Performs Nursing Assessment Process to achieve optimal patient outcome. (Professional Model of Care, Quality of Care, Quality Improvement)

• Includes data from the patient/significant other(s) in the assessment as appropriate.
• Prioritizes data collection according to patient's immediate needs.
• Uses assessment findings in discharge planning.
• Collaboration with physicians and other clinical disciplines as appropriate.
• Provides teaching specific to the patient's health care problem.
• Care plan reflects continuing care needs and/or referrals for discharge/transfer.
• Is familiar with, and follows, nursing protocols and clinical practices and standards of care for their unit.
• Uses current knowledge in nursing practice based on standards and research literature.
• Documents care in a timely and efficient manner.
• Facilitates/participates in multidisciplinary patient rounds and clinical knowledge/status of all patients on unit (i.e., diagnosis, length of stay, discharge day).
• Monitors outcomes and documents patient response to interventions.
• Evaluates the patient's capabilities and/or limitations related to nursing and medical interventions.
• Continually monitors the patient and/or significant other(s) ability to manage care needs after dismissal.
• Gives a complete verbal or written change of shift report to the oncoming care provider. Includes current care requirements and is familiar with the overall plan of care.
• Recognizes and addresses patient and family capabilities and limitations (physical and mental).

9. Performs technical skills competently and independently to assure patient safety. (Professional Development, Autonomy)

• Able to competently perform technical skills independently.
• Is accountable to learn new skills and equipment within areas' specifications and time frames.

10. Initiates action to correct, prevent, and/or minimize risk(s) to the patient, family or hospital employees (e.g., falls, needle sticks, patient concerns).

• Assures completion of appropriate report form for any risk (e.g., variance report, patient concern report, maintenance request.)
• Communicates to appropriate personnel regarding unresolved issues.
• Coach staff on the integration of patient safety into daily work (patient identification, writer down and read back of all phone/verbal orders, do not use abbreviation list, high alert medications, medication reconciliation, patient falls, time out).
• Contributes to the safety culture of the unit by coaching staff to report near misses before they cause error or harm (i.e., RRT).
• Support environment of patient confidentiality.

11. Reviews, delegates and evaluates plans for appropriate utilization of staff at all levels of practice in accordance with the provision of the state's Nurse Practice Act and the Professional Standards of Practice.

• Right task (within the scope of practice, according to the job description, based on the desired outcome, task routine, non-complex, low risk and predictable outcome).
• Right person (assess competency by: certification/licensure, job description, skills