Psychiatric Practical Nurse

Department of Veterans Affairs•Newnan, GA

37d•Onsite

About The Position

The LPN completes assigned duties and responsibilities that involve performing non-standard and specialized practical nursing activities requiring broad nursing knowledge, experience, and skills to address a wide range of care needs.

Responsibilities

Manages patient care problems and deviations using self-direction in accordance with VA Nursing Practice and LPN licensure standards.
Assesses, records, and reports vital signs, neurological signs, weight, and blood glucose levels. Appropriately triages and prioritizes patient needs as routine, urgent, or emergent in the clinic setting and modifies patient care/treatment as needed.
Checks patients into the clinic, interviews patient and/or significant other, and documents intake data as per policy.
Performs telehealth services, store and forward, clinical video teleconference, video connect, tele performance such as tele-retinal screening, tele-dermatology, tele-wound care and other telehealth services as identified, and referred providers.
Serves as a Tele-presenter coordinates Telehealth services and is part of the clinic team. Available for all telehealth meetings and visits.
Performs phlebotomy procedures following a sequence of steps approved for sample collection. Independently responsible for selecting the best venipuncture site, most suitable phlebotomy equipment (needle type, size and length), most appropriate cleansing agent(s), proper collection vials and assessing the patient's condition before, during and after the procedure.
Follows the Laboratory procedures for collecting specimens in the appropriate container, maintains specimen under appropriate conditions, follows guidelines for collecting timed specimens at the appropriate times to insure specimen viability.
Demonstrates knowledge, skill, and ability to promptly recognize and effectively intervene in potentially urgent or emergent situations.
Maintains and implements knowledge of anatomy and physiology as well as scientific principles underlying nursing care and procedures.
Serves as a resource for complex/specialized procedures (i.e. non-complex suture removal, non-complex wound care, blood draws, and clinic specific procedures, such as ear irrigation).
Demonstrates knowledge of standard precautions, medical asepsis, and sterile technique with the ability to correctly apply these principles and techniques and assist others with implementation in the clinic setting.
Demonstrates the knowledge and skill to interpret common test results and other medical data.
Takes an active role in health promotion and disease prevention to improve patient outcomes.
Teaches patients and families principles of health, self-care, and treatments related to wellness and health promotion.
Communicates calmly, courteously, and professionally with all patients, personnel, and visitors while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations and Medical Center policies.
Collaborates with the PACT team and other interdisciplinary services in the development, implementation, and evaluation of patient care.
Serves in a leadership role within the PACT team to promote holistic care and optimize clinic efficiency.
Active participant in quality improvement projects/hospital committees to promote evidence-based practice and performance improvement in the clinic setting.
Actively seeks out educational opportunities to enhance nursing knowledge and skills. Demonstrates knowledge of medical equipment and supplies with advanced skill to set up and/or operate specialized equipment.
Assists in coordination of care during and after the transition of a patient from inpatient to outpatient and vice versa.
Performs Clinical Pertinence reviews to ensure compliance with nursing practice standards related to nursing clinical reminders.
Uses self-direction is assessment of scheduled and walk-in patients and identifies potential clinical problems or deviations from normal. Uses sound judgment to determine and initiate action as appropriate.
Enters orders in a timely and accurate manner within Expanded Scope of Practice and VA policy.
Initiate consults per PACT/Expanded Scope of Practice, such as Home Tele-Health, audiology, optometry/ophthalmology, prosthetics, patient education, Home Based Primary Care, etc.
Collaborates with PACT team to identify and proactively manage high-risk patients through frequent telephone contacts and/or face-to-face visits using the nurse health maintenance clinic.