Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioner

Under the general supervision of the Director of Pediatrics and the Unit Chiefs (Child, Adolescent, Developmental Disabilities Unit [DDU]), the nurse practitioner uses an advanced level of clinical expertise to manage care and provide specialized services for patients and their families in our inpatient, outpatient and residential levels of care. The nurse practitioner uses established guidelines and collaborates with the physician and nursing staff to develop, implement, and/or evaluate a medical plan of care that integrates the medical and nursing disciplines.The PNP by Rhode Island State Nurse Practice Act is an expanded role utilizing independent knowledge of physical assessment and management of health care and illness.The practice includes prescriptive privileges. The practice includes collaboration with other licensed health care professionals, i.e. physicians, pharmacists, podiatrists, dentists and nurses. Brown University Health employees are expected to successfully role model the organization's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence as these values guide our everyday actions with patients, customers and one another. In addition to our values, all employees are expected to demonstrate the core Success Factors which tell us how we work together and how we get things done. The core Success Factors include: Instill Trust and Value Differences Patient and Community Focus and Collaborate

Principal Duties And Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with the physician and other health care professionals to develop and manage the plan of care.
• Obtains health histories and performs physical exams.
• Orders and performs diagnostic tests; analyzes and interprets, and when appropriate reports results to physician.
• Writes orders (must be co-signed by the physician within 24 hours)Records this information on the medical record in a systematic manner, utilizing the problem-oriented record format.
• Assists Unit Chief in completing medical record and oversees quality assurance of medical record under direction of chief.
• Diagnoses actual and potential health problems. Collaborates with physician as appropriate in determining diagnosis.
• Evaluates the patient, as well as, the effectiveness, comprehensiveness and continuity of the intervention. When indicated collaborates with physician or other health provider as necessary.
• Overall evaluation of the PMH-NP work as a primary provider is accomplished through on-going self evaluation, peer review and quality assurance programs, in accordance with the American Nurses Association standards pertaining to the scope of practice of the primary health care nurse practitioner.
• Evaluates the plan of care; assesses the need for modification and communicates this information to the physician and nursing staff as appropriate. Implements the plan of care in a safe and effective manner.
• Collaborates with the physician and other health professionals in continuing care and discharge planning.
• Assesses patient and family education needs; participates in patient and family teaching when appropriate; recommends referrals as needed.
• Serves as a consultant and educator to health care team members.
• Identifies and participates in clinical research as appropriate; applies research findings to practice.
• Maintains expertise and certification in clinical specialty. Participates in and attends educational programs related to practice.
• The psychiatric mental nurse practitioner functions in an expanded role is able to perform the following functions according to hospital policies and procedures in collaboration with the attending physician:
• Admits, transfers and discharges patients:- Obtains patient histories- Performs physical exams- Writes admission orders- Writes transfer orders- Completes interagency referral forms
• Develops a plan of care to include:- Diagnostic tests- Procedures- Medications- Patient education- Hospital and community resources
• Initiates, reviews and discontinues orders (co-signed within 24 hours):- Wound care and skin care- Activity changes- Monitoring- Safety and protective measures- Medications
• Initiates, consults and follows through with recommendations:Order appropriate laboratory tests including but not limited to:- Blood work - Urinalysis- Stool examinations- Urine, sputum, blood, wound cultures and sensitivitiesOrder diagnostic tests including but not limited to:- General X-rays- EKGs
• Consults with staff as needed around problematic referrals that are urgent or are seeking inpatient admission.
• Liaisons with inpatient partial unit staff regarding patients in the inpatient program/partial program.
• Is responsible for the timely and accurate completion of all documents per hospital policy for the documentation of clinical care and in accordance with established procedures.
• Independently evaluates children, adolescents and families.Collaboratively evaluates complex presentations with other clinical staff. Collaborates with the Treatment Team, including the milieu therapists of the respective programs.
• Is responsible for individual, family or group psychotherapy with children, adolescents and families meeting criteria for treatment service and within the degree of clinical privileges per departmental standards. This shall include the ability to provide care within a brief treatment model for appropriate cases.
• Covers clinical duties as directed by the Program Chiefs.Participates in appropriate outpatient, departmental, education and clinical meetings.
• Observes all hospital guiding principles, policies, rules and regulations, including those pertaining to Quality Improvement, Quality Assurance, Infection Control, Risk Management and Safety.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Licensure as Registered Nurse in the State of Rhode Island by the Rhode Island Board of Nursing or licensure as a Registered Nurse in accordance with the Nurse Licensure Compact agreement of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
• Basic Knowledge:
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span with consideration of aging processes, human development stages and cultural patterns in each step of the care process.
• BSN: Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing; current license to practice in Rhode Island.
• Masters degree in Nursing
• MSN: Graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program. Specialty certification required.
• Experience:
• Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span, with consideration of aging processes, human development stages and cultural patterns in each step of the care process.
• Excellent verbal/written interpersonal and communication skills.
• Minimum of four years of related experience, two years of which must be as a professional nurse in a hospital setting.