PD RN Pre-Admissions - Per Diem

Guthrie Enterprise•Sayre, PA

About The Position

The Pre-Admission Registered Nurse performs verbal assessments before admission through phone interviews or in-person visits and gathers medical history from previous records. The RN collaborates with the anesthesia and Prep/Recovery departments to coordinate patient needs and supports a varied caseload of surgical and procedural patients at Robert Packer Hospital. The role involves advanced assessment of patients’ physical and psychosocial needs, peri-anesthetic care, pre-surgical status, and post-operative status, along with patient teaching and problem solving, including emergency intervention. The RN is a team member who helps facilitate patient flow through pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative phases. The RN practices telephone and patient triage, reviews medical histories, coordinates required diagnostic tests, and ensures pre-operative requirements are completed through the nursing process. The role includes patient education, documentation, communication with patients and clinical teams, referral to appropriate resources, and ongoing integration of discharge and home-care planning into the multidisciplinary plan of care. The RN provides direct care to patients of all ages and interacts with family members when needed.

Requirements

Current Registered Nurse licensure in the state of practice or employment.
At least one year of registered nursing experience, or less than one year of experience if transitioned to the position from the Newly Licensed Registered Nurse Residency Program.
Maintain BLS certification.
Meet the Nursing Department and nursing unit's educational requirements during employment.
Demonstrate excellent communication skills by telephone and in person.
Have a good working knowledge of nursing theory, practice, legal aspects of nursing, and techniques, care, and use of equipment in a surgery setting.
Have strong computer skills and experience with health care applications and Microsoft and/or Windows applications.
Work in a self-directed environment and prioritize with little supervision.
Independently solve problems in a positive, results-oriented manner.
Apply organizational skills to facilitate smooth workload flow.
Use an articulate telephone voice and pleasant speech pattern.
Demonstrate professionalism, teamwork, and high-quality customer service to patients, families, physicians, and coworkers.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
Perioperative experience.
ACLS certification, depending on the unit.
PALS certification, depending on the unit.

Responsibilities

Conduct verbal patient assessments before admission by telephone or in person and communicate relevant information to appropriate team members.
Collect and review medical histories, including pre-existing conditions, allergies, medications, and previous surgeries, to identify potential risks or complications.
Coordinate and perform diagnostic tests, including blood work, ECGs, X-rays, and other assessments required to determine whether patients are medically fit for procedures.
Ensure pre-operative care requirements are completed using the nursing process of assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Provide patient teaching and education as established by the department, including surgical and NPO instructions consistent with surgeon and anesthesia guidelines.
Assess patient information, plan and document interventions, and evaluate results.
Promote patient safety by assessing physical and psychological needs and responding to urgent or emergent risks.
Respond to telephone inquiries, practice appropriate triage, and refer callers to appropriate medical, hospital, ambulatory, or community resources within established procedures.
Document telephone encounters thoroughly and promptly using manual or online information systems.
Alert anesthesia to laboratory results, physical assessment findings, and special needs of patients with medical problems before surgery.
Communicate relevant patient-care information to surgeons and anesthesiologists, and communicate special physician orders.
Ensure patient charting is accurate, concise, and timely.
Develop an in-depth patient database using interviews, observation, physical examination, and information from internal and external sources.
Provide safe, competent, and efficient care within policies, procedures, standards, and the multidisciplinary plan of care.
Set priorities and adapt to changing patient and unit or clinic situations.
Manage nursing care for individual patients with accountability as a member of the team.
Integrate nursing interventions and discharge or home-care planning into the multidisciplinary plan of care on an ongoing basis.
Facilitate patient flow through pre-operative, intra-operative, and post-operative phases.