Resource Nurse - Acute Care Services

Luminis Health•Lanham, MD

4h•$39 - $58

About The Position

The Resource Nurse, described in the position purpose as the Rapid Response Nurse, is part of a multidisciplinary team that includes respiratory therapy, X-ray, and laboratory personnel. The nurse responds to patients showing potentially life-threatening symptoms, works with the primary nurse to assess and stabilize the patient, and communicates with the attending physician to coordinate the care plan and determine whether transfer to a higher level of care is needed. The role also supports, educates, and mentors nursing staff and contributes to performance improvement and evaluation of rapid-response outcomes.

Requirements

ACLS certification.
Current CPR/BLS certification.
Graduate of an accredited School of Nursing.
RN license in Maryland or a compact state.
Ability to concentrate on moderate-to-fine detail for extended periods.
Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
Ability to hear normal sounds with some background noise.
Ability to remember schedules, tasks, and where activities left off.
Ability to sit, stand, and walk for extensive periods.
Ability to understand and operate from the conceptual basis of tasks and activities.

Responsibilities

Use approved nursing protocols to intervene in urgent situations and collaborate with the primary nurse to assess patients requiring a rapid response.
Receive reports from primary nurses and communicate patient information using the SBAR method; document the patient’s response to interventions.
Communicate routinely with physicians to exchange information and facilitate patient care.
Promote patient safety, use equipment and supplies appropriately, report missing or malfunctioning equipment, and follow up on service needs.
Accept assignments, round in patient care areas, assist with non-emergent patient care, and support patient throughput initiatives.
Educate, mentor, and support staff through skill enhancement, demonstration, and education, including explaining circumstances underlying changes in a patient’s condition.
Recognize potentially life-threatening clinical situations and implement appropriate standing orders, emergency protocols, and Emergency Cardiac Orders.
Evaluate clinical findings, patient history, and ongoing therapies, and coordinate interventions with other medical personnel.
Assist the primary nurse with patient assessment and stabilization, organize information for the attending physician, and communicate with that physician.
Use Intensivist backup if the attending physician does not respond and the patient is unsafe in the current setting.
Check ordered tests and communicate relevant information to the attending physician and, when necessary, the Intensivist.
Assist with transfers to a higher level of care, communicate with the patient’s family, and monitor the patient until transfer when necessary; coordinate with the Administrative Nursing Supervisor and ICU Charge Nurse when needed.
Provide feedback to the primary nurse about the patient’s condition and opportunities to improve care; if the patient is not transferred, reassess the patient one hour after the initial call.
Participate in rapid-response performance improvement and collect data on activation reasons, call locations and times, interventions, and outcomes.
Attend continuing education programs, unit in-services, mock drills, external conferences, departmental meetings, and executive meetings as needed.
Collect and present outcome data to stakeholders, including statistics on rapid-response outcomes versus codes, long-term effects on nursing retention, and financial benefits.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Retirement plan with employer match for employees who work more than 1,000 hours in a calendar year.
Paid time off.
Tuition assistance benefits.
Employee referral bonus program.
Paid holidays for full-time employees.
Disability coverage for full-time employees.
Life and AD&D coverage for full-time employees.
Wellness programs.
Employee assistance programs.