Charge Nurse - Acute Care for Elderly - Days

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation•Wake Forest, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Charge Nurse - Acute Care for Elderly position at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is a full-time role within the Acute Care for Elderly Program. This position is responsible for facilitating the organization and management of the unit, contributing to safe, quality patient care, and preparing shift assignments. The Charge Nurse supervises and delegates patient care, maintains awareness of patient conditions, and collaborates with leadership on schedule changes and unusual occurrences. They also participate in employee performance evaluations, conduct staff meetings, and direct staff during emergencies. In terms of patient care, the Charge Nurse utilizes the nursing process to provide care, develops and revises individualized nursing care plans, and ensures nursing actions are consistent with the interdisciplinary care plan. They are responsible for patient and family education, and ensuring mutual goals are met. Safety is a key component, requiring compliance with hospital policies, promotion of a safe environment, adherence to universal precautions, and instruction on safety rules. The role also involves participation in performance improvement initiatives, including audits and studies, and providing education to patients, families, and staff. The Charge Nurse practices within the scope of the Nurse Practice Act and maintains current CPR certification.

Requirements

Current Licensure as a professional registered nurse by the State of Georgia or State of North Carolina.
Current certification in CPR.
Graduate of an accredited school of nursing with a baccalaureate or associated degree or a diploma.
Skill and proficiency in the principles, concepts and techniques of nursing and management.
Two to four years of progressive nursing experience in a healthcare environment.
Demonstrated clinical competency as a professional nurse.
Demonstrated leadership skills and/or advanced education in leadership.
Verbal ability and communication skills needed for interpersonal relations (patients, visitors, employees, medical staff) and for presenting information, instructions, recommendations and ideas.
Ability to objectively assess and analyze situations and employees in actual job duties.
Ability to function effectively and effectively under stress and to make sound judgments in critical situations.
Must be able to use visual near and distance acuity.
Must have verbal ability to communicate in person and over the phone or radio.
Must be able to assist co-workers in transfers and transport supplies, patients/residents, or equipment using good body mechanics.
Must have functional range of motion of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spines, upper and lower extremities with a grip strength of 60-80 pounds, specific to the job class evaluation.
Must be able to forward reach, overhead reach, bend, squat, kneel and change from one position to the other rapidly.
Must be able to lift 25-60 lbs. and carry 25-50 pounds specific to job class evaluation.
Must be able to tolerate high noise, busy atmospheres and noxious odors.
Must be able to work in noisy environments and be self-directed to complete jobs as ordered.
Must be able to remain calm under stressful situations.
Must be able to assess and respond to multiple situations simultaneously.
Must be able to assist co-workers in multiple overlapping tasks simultaneously.
Must be able to prioritize job tasks and organize workspace to be efficient and conducive to completing work tasks as assigned in a timely manner.
If job class is identified as falling under POPE C, the individual must pass the cardiac recovery test.

Nice To Haves

Certification in rehabilitation nursing (CRRN) preferred
Knowledge of rehabilitation nursing preferred

Responsibilities

Facilitates the organization and management of the unit.
Contributes to the provision of safe, quality patient care.
Prepares shift assignments utilizing knowledge of staff member's education level, work experience and job description and patient acuity.
Monitors unit activities to ensure assignments are completed in a timely, neat and appropriate manner.
Collaborates with the Patient Care Supervisor and/or Director of Patient Care to make schedule/assignment changes.
Receives and records calls for absences in the absence of the staff.
Supervises and delegates patient care as needed.
Maintains awareness of notification of appropriate physician, when indicated, of changes in patient's condition.
Notifies Director of Patient Care or Patient Care Supervisor of unusual occurrences, change in patient's condition, etc.
Evaluates, monitors and documents patient and/or situation; appropriately intervenes to eliminate, prevent or minimize crisis.
Observes all patients at least twice per shift.
Makes rounds with physicians, when indicated, or delegates to staff nurse.
Assists in coordinating patient's admissions, transfers and discharges.
Initiates appropriate action to correct disciplinary problems and documents and communicates action to Director of Patient Care.
Assists Director of Patient Care with employee performance evaluations.
Conducts monthly meetings with shift employees from a prepared agenda and submits copy of minutes to Director of Patient Care.
Directs staff during emergency situation and/or drills.
Reviews safety and emergency procedures with staff at least twice per year and documents.
Participates in developing and/or revising Rehabilitation Nursing Standards and Nursing Policies and Procedures.
Attends and participates in at least 80% of Nurse Management and Performance Improvement Meetings.
Voluntarily accepts additional responsibilities.
Performs and documents patient assessment on admission and throughout patient's stay.
Formulates nursing diagnosis based on data collection, overt and covert needs and anticipated or predicted needs.
Utilizes lab, radiologic, medical and departmental reports to anticipate and/or predict changes in patient's health status.
Develops and reviews/revises and individualized Rehabilitation Nursing Plan of Care.
Utilizes individual nursing care plans to prevent complications and to maintain or restore the patient's physical and psychosocial function.
Ensures nursing actions are consistent with the interdisciplinary care plan and congruent with Rehabilitation Nursing Standards.
Demonstrates the ability to set priorities and shows knowledge of multiple complex health problems.
Must be trained and competent to treat patients with any diagnosis, at any age, and be able to demonstrate knowledge and skill appropriate to the age served.
Documents that mutual goals identified by the patient, family and primary nurse have been met.
Reviews, revises and prioritized interventions consistently as patient's needs change.
Utilizes appropriate resources to assist in resolving difficult problems.
Documents objective solutions to problems.
Documents on patient/family Education Form and Discharge Summary, the patient's understanding of procedures to continue after discharge.
Complies with hospital policies and procedures relating to safety for self, patient, visitors and staff.
Promotes safe environment for self, patients, visitors and other employees.
Adheres to Universal Precautions/Body Substance Isolation.
Instructs patients and/or families of safety rules during admission and as patient's condition dictates.
Consistently documents such instructions and patient/family responses.
Identifies high risk factors through patient and/or family verbalization, direct observation and assessment.
Intervenes to minimize risks.
Utilizes principles of body mechanics.
Seeks assistance when transferring heavy, agitated and/or impulsive patients.
Wears and monitors nursing staff member's use of Back Savers braces.
Instructs staff, patients, families and/or visitors in principles of infection control/Body Substance Isolation.
Identifies need for equipment repairs or replacement and initiates work request for repairs when indicated.
Identifies and reports factors in the environment that are not in compliance with fire codes.
Attends and participates in annual mandatory in-services (fires, safety, disaster, infection control, body mechanics, guest relations, etc.) and maintains current CPR certification.
Demonstrates knowledge and competence in response to codes and other emergencies and documents properly.
Initiates and completes variance report and employee injury form when indicated.
Documents incident in patient's chart if appropriate.
Participates in Performance Improvement as scheduled.
Recognizes and reports deviations from the standard.
Monitors and initiates audits of medication cart and crash cart and reports discrepancies to the Director of Patient Care.
Initiates and completes at least one additional PI study per year.
Documents patient's use of chargeable items.
Provides teaching patients, families, and staff to assist in the learning process.
Prioritizes and documents knowledge deficits of actual, potential and/or possible health problems.
Evaluates and documents the effectiveness of patient/family learning.
Serves as a professional role model and mentor to nursing staff.
Practices within the scope defined by the Nurse Practice Act.

Benefits

Comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs
Competitive compensation
Generous retirement offerings
Programs that invest in your career development
Paid Time Off programs
Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
Educational Assistance Program