Charge Nurse/RN-Medical/Surgical

Schedule: Full-Time Nights, 7p-7a Department: Medical Surgical Unit Description: Provides direct and indirect patient care in the medical-surgical setting. The charge nurse is responsible for the quality of care during the shift. A charge nurse helps to facilitate multi-disciplinary communication including social services, physicians, and other departments to optimize patient outcomes. Provides patient care when census dictates it. Makes Assignments and assigns admissions - Serves as a role model for staff through professional and effective communication. - Practices within the standards and standards and scope of the American Nurses Association including but not limited to collaboration, leadership, communication, and quality of practice. - Provides direct and indirect patient care in the medical-surgical setting. The charge nurse is responsible for the quality of care during the shift. A charge nurse helps to facilitate multi-disciplinary communication including social services, physicians, and other departments to optimize patient outcomes. Provides patient care when census dictates it. Makes Assignments and assigns admissions - Serves as a role model for staff through professional and effective communication. - Practices within the standards and standards and scope of the American Nurses Association including but not limited to collaboration, leadership, communication, and quality of practice. - Ability to perform a head-to-toe assessment on all patients and reassessments as per policy. This includes: pediatric, adolescent, geriatric and the general patient population. - Ability to adequately assess and reassess pain. Utilizes appropriate pain management techniques. Educates the patient and family regarding pain management. - Ability to revise plan of care as indicated by the patients response to treatment and evaluate overall plain daily for effectiveness. - Ability to perform waived testing (point-of-care testing, glucometers) per Clinical Laboratorys and the resident care units policies and procedures. - Ability to interpret results of waived tests; take appropriate action on waived test results. - Performs patient care responsibilities considering needs specific to the standard of care of patients age. - Knowledge of medications and their correct administration based on age of the patient and their clinical condition. - Follows the six (6) medication rights and reduces the potential for medication errors. - Formulates a teaching plan based upon identified learning needs and evaluates effectiveness of learning, family is included in teaching as appropriate. - Demonstrates an ability to assist physicians with procedures and performs services requiring technical and manual skills. - Demonstrates ability to perform treatments and provide services to level licensure. - Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and the skill necessary to provide age appropriate care to the patient population served. Able to interpret data about the patients status in order to identify each patients age specific needs and provide care needed by the patient group. - Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/healthcare errors. Supports a culture of quality and safety. - Consults other departments as appropriate to provide for an interdisciplinary approach to the patients needs. - Communicates appropriately and clearly to Nurse Director/Supervisor, co-workers and physicians. - Identifies and addresses psychosocial needs of patients and family; communicates with Social Services regarding both in hospital and post discharge needs. - Documentation meets current standards and policies. - Manages and operates equipment safely and correctly. - Coordinates and supervises patient care as necessary. - Performs other related duties a assigned or requested. BASIC SKILLS - Basic computer skills REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS - High School diploma or equivalent (GED) - Current RN license in the State of Texas - Current BLS Certification - ACLS Certification within first 90 days - NIHSS certification within first 90 days - PALS certification preferred LANGUAGE SKILLS - Ability to communicate effectively in English both verbally and in writing - Additional languages a plus PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Must be able to lift 50lbs. alone and 150 lbs. with assistance Must be able to stand and walk 75% of shift on hard surfaces. Must be able to sit, bend, stoop and reach above ones head Environment is a temperature controlled indoor environment Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individual