Hospital - Adv Care Charge RN (PT-Days)

UT Health San Antonio•San Antonio, TX

About The Position

The Advanced Care Charge Nurse fosters an environment for managing and delivering safe patient care in a hospital setting. In addition to fulfilling clinical nurse duties, the charge nurse serves as a role model and coach to department personnel, helping develop their skills and knowledge. The role provides nursing care to a diverse patient population and models compassionate communication with physicians and the interprofessional health care team. It also assumes leadership responsibilities with high-level contributions across the institution. The charge nurse supports staff engagement, effective team dynamics, patient- and family-centered care, service standards, quality and safety, regulatory compliance, and efficient patient flow. The role coordinates nursing care across the shift, supports staffing and resource utilization, participates in care coordination and shared governance, and helps implement evidence-based practice and improvements to patient care and unit operations. The position also serves as a clinical resource and supports staff development and professional practice.

Requirements

Current Texas Board of Nursing or Compact State RN license, or a Temporary Texas RN License with a permanent Texas license obtained within 90 days of hire.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification within 7 days of hire.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
Demonstrated skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, as evaluated through ongoing skills and competency assessments and performance evaluations.
Sufficient English speaking, reading, and writing proficiency to perform essential job functions, particularly those affecting patient or employee safety or security.
Ability to communicate effectively with patients, physicians, family members, and coworkers using a customer-service focus and positive language principles.
Strong assessment, organizational, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and role components.
Ability to function independently and exercise judgment with physicians, interprofessional healthcare teams, patients, and families.
Ability to use critical thinking and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act.
Proficient time management skills.
Highly developed assessment skills and ability to contribute to policies, procedures, and protocols.
Knowledge of the Nursing Unit's Dashboard and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.
Expertise operating the electronic medical record.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office products.

Responsibilities

Foster staff engagement by listening to feedback, making equitable decisions, explaining decisions, and supporting organizational goals.
Anticipate staff needs, offer assistance, model interprofessional communication, and support staff stress management.
Support unit turnover and retention goals and model fair, consistent leadership and team-building practices.
Coach staff in effective communication and patient- and family-inclusive care planning; provide input into performance reviews.
Mentor and serve as a resource to unit staff, and oversee students, new employees, and preceptorships.
Identify and resolve concerns, complaints, and disputes involving patients, families, physicians, and interprofessional team members.
Lead patient- and family-centered care standards; mentor staff on specialty populations and audit plans of care.
Round with patients, families, and staff to improve patient care, collaborate with other departments on patient process issues, and improve patient satisfaction.
Model nursing care standards and participate in improving nurse-sensitive quality indicators and patient safety goals.
Coordinate nursing care throughout the shift based on patient acuity, staff skill level, and safety.
Model regulatory and professional practice standards and facilitate patient flow through the department and continuum of care.
Ensure patient care plans and documentation are accurate and timely, coaching staff when deficiencies are identified.
Coordinate with OAs and bed management on timely patient placement.
Recognize and respond to situations such as rapid responses, CERTs, and emergency codes.
Contribute to quality and safety improvements through peer accountability, near-miss reporting, solution development, situational awareness, and audits.
Implement department strategies to meet financial targets, including documentation, length of stay, efficiency, overtime, and resource use.
Attend daily care coordination rounds and ensure follow-up on identified concerns or issues.
Manage productivity according to the staffing grid and provide input on unit capital and operational budget needs.
Oversee shift-by-shift resource utilization.
Lead or participate in unit projects and shared governance activities to develop and implement improvements to patient care and unit operations.
Investigate and incorporate evidence-based practices and support change initiatives and unexpected changes.
Expand personal nursing knowledge, coach staff development, serve as a clinical resource, and develop or disseminate educational resources and programs.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.