Licensed Practical Nurse 36 days, 7a-7p

Hospital for Special Care•New Britain, CT

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the direction of a registered nurse, the Licensed Practical Nurse functions within the care team as a professional caregiver, providing quality care to patients and their families. The role involves collecting data, collaborating with the RN to plan and implement patient care, and assisting in evaluating outcomes. The position is in the Respiratory Care Unit at Hospital for Special Care and is scheduled for 36 hours per week on the first shift, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The work is performed indoors in an often noisy and distracting environment, with occasional outdoor work. The role involves continuous interaction with others, frequent and sometimes unpredictable schedule fluctuations, and responding to emergencies. The employee may be exposed to bloodborne or airborne pathogens, body fluids, infections and contagious diseases, latex, antineoplastic drugs, and other hazardous drugs. The employee may be required to float to other patient care units or departments when operational or patient care needs require it, provided they have the competencies and qualifications for the assignment. The job requires continuous walking, standing, bending, and reaching, with periodic sitting and occasional climbing, squatting, and kneeling. It requires lifting or carrying up to 10 pounds continuously, 20 pounds frequently, and up to 40 pounds frequently when assisting with patient transfers and bed mobility. The role also requires pushing or pulling up to 25 pounds frequently and 50 pounds occasionally. Frequent gross and fine motor and sensory skills are needed to administer medications, perform assessments and treatments, and handle patient-care equipment.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited licensed practical nurse program.
Current licensure as a licensed practical nurse in the State of Connecticut.
Ability to perform the physical activities and meet the lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling demands described for the role.
Ability to identify problems independently, reason abstractly, adapt to changing environments and information, and make quick decisions.
Strong attention, discernment, perception, concentration, written communication, and detail-oriented documentation skills.
Working knowledge of professional and medical terms, definitions, and documentation.
Communication skills for expressing complex ideas, negotiating, active listening, and dialoguing with multiple parties.
Reading and auditory comprehension, including interpreting abstract information and making inferences.
Ability to perform arithmetic operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals, ratios, rates, percentages, and units of weight, measure, and volume.

Nice To Haves

Current CPR certification; required within three months of employment.
At least one year of LPN experience in a medical/surgical or long-term care setting.

Responsibilities

Assist the registered nurse, as delegated and within scope of practice, in collecting patient data.
Collaborate with the RN to form a prioritized, goal-directed plan of care based on anticipated patient outcomes.
Collaborate with the RN in developing a discharge plan consistent with the patient's progression through the continuum of care.
Organize and prioritize patient care and demonstrate competency in psychomotor skills.
Respond appropriately to emergencies according to Hospital for Special Care policy and protocol.
Provide direct care that accounts for patients' disabilities, ages, developmental levels, and cultural backgrounds.
Recognize changes in patients' conditions and communicate them to the RN.
Participate in interdisciplinary team meetings and identify and use appropriate resources to deliver patient care.
Collaborate with the RN and physician, physician assistant, or APRN to evaluate or revise a patient's medical plan of care.
Plan for discharge and education needs; provide necessary materials, referrals, and resources to patients, families, and caregivers.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and external agencies to support effective discharge outcomes.
Administer medications according to Hospital for Special Care policies and standards, including documenting administration.
Document collected patient data, plans of care, interventions, education, interdisciplinary communication, and patient outcomes, collaborating with the RN as needed.
Participate in patient admission, discharge, and transfer processes.
Perform assigned patient-care activities according to Hospital for Special Care standards and follow nursing and multidisciplinary standards, policies, and protocols.
Complete assignments within required time frames and attend staff meetings.
Adhere to regulatory agency guidelines and standards.
Serve as a resource to unit staff and students on clinical affiliations.
Attend internal or external educational in-services and conferences to further professional knowledge.