Charge Nurse, Observation Unit

Job Summary About the Observation Care Unit (OCU): We are a unique 16 bed Observation Care Unit (1-OCU). Majority of our patients come from the Emergency Department needing an overnight stay in the hospital. Our goal is to provide exceptional care while also maintaining an average length of stay of less than 24 hours. Common diagnoses: Chest Pain, SOB, Pre-Procedure Care, TIA follow-up, missed Dialysis, etc. In our unit we work side by side with the Emergency Department for throughput of our patients. New hires are paired up with seasoned nurses to assist in learning the policies and procedures anticipated to be successful. As a unit we promote teamwork, communication, professional development, and participation in Shared Governance, which helps drive decision making at the bedside. The Charge Nurse is a Registered Nurse with unit lead responsibilities for patient flow and adjustment of unit staffing to meet the dynamic needs of the patients. The Charge Nurse will use the nursing process to make ongoing evaluations of patients' acuity, assessments of the staff nurses workload, and anticipate fluctuations in admissions, discharges and transfers. The facilitation of patient flow includes triaging and prioritizing admissions and overseeing the care coordination of patients being discharged/transferred. Daily nurse staffing includes employing effective decision-making behaviors that are used to safely balance changes in patient acuity and census with the availability, experience and competency of the staff nurses, to ensure safe and adequate staffing for all shifts. The Charge Nurse will demonstrate resourcefulness, tactful communication, flexibility, adaptability, decisiveness and awareness of the global needs of the hospital. The Charge Nurse will be a clinical leader and resource on the unit, collaborating with the interdisciplinary team to facilitate patient care stay progression and unit goals. The Charge Nurse will assume a patient assignment as determined by the needs of the unit. As appropriate and/or delegated by the Nurse Manager, the Charge Nurse monitors and intervenes in addressing opportunities for assuring regulatory compliance, quality effectiveness and a satisfactory patient experience. When working as a clinical Staff RN the Charge Nurse is a practitioner who is responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating nursing care for an identified group of patients in an inpatient environment. This individual demonstrates competency in delivery of care to a primarily adult population. The Staff RN-Inpatient job description has incorporated essential functions which are adapted from the ANA Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Edition (2010). Experience Description Clinical competence and experience in the care and management of target patient populations specific to area of employment is required. A minimum of 2 years of related clinical experience is required, unless approved by the Unit Manager. If applying to Critical Care position, must have 2 years of Critical Care experience, unless approved by the Unit Manager. Education Description Bachelors Degree in Nursing is required. Will consider current Froedtert Health non BSN prepared RNs with demonstrated leadership skills that have at least 5 years experience in an acute care setting and formal commitment and plan to obtain a Bachelors Degree in Nursing within 5 years of starting in role. If an incumbent is functioning as a Charge RN as of June 1, 2016, and has 2-3 years experience in this role the Bachelors Degree in Nursing educational requirement may be waived. Special Skills Description Has a demonstrated history of leadership roles . Shared Governance unit based council chair, Committee chair, Preceptor, equipment or process Super User/Champion. Licensure Description Requires current state of Wisconsin Registered Nurse License or a Multi-state Nursing License from a participating state in the NLC (Nurse Licensure Compact). American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support for the Healthcare Provider (BLS) or an AHA approved equivalent is required within 90 days of hire. American Heart Association (AHA) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) is preferred. Perks & Benefits at Froedtert Health Froedtert Health Offers a variety of perks & benefits to staff, depending on your role you may be eligible for the following: Paid time off Growth opportunity- Career Pathways & Career Tuition Assistance, CEU opportunities Academic Partnership with the Medical College of Wisconsin Referral bonuses Retirement plan - 403b Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short & Long Term Disability, Free Workplace Clinics Employee Assistance Programs, Adoption Assistance, Healthy Contributions, View email address on click.appcast.io, Moving Assistance, Discounts on gym memberships, travel and other work life benefits available The Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin regional health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin's only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes ten hospitals, nearly 2,000 physicians and more than 45 health centers and clinics draw patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. #J-18808-Ljbffr