RN On Call Weekends

Columbus Hospice•Columbus, GA

About The Position

The RN provides skilled nursing intervention and supportive care in accordance with Columbus Hospice, Inc.'s philosophies and goals. This on-call role covers weekends, holidays, evenings, and nights, including after-hours admissions. The RN assesses patients' and families' physical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs; delivers and documents nursing care; responds to urgent pain and symptom needs; and collaborates with patients, families, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary team. The role also includes telephone triage, maintaining a call log, completing admissions when designated admissions staff are unavailable, and following hospice policies, licensure requirements, care plans, and physician orders. The RN must maintain required licenses, certifications, annual competencies, and continuing education. At least 12 of the required 15 annual continuing-education hours must cover hospice-specific topics. The RN must attend one annual Memorial Service and all mandatory meetings and in-services. Work may involve long hours, night work, occupational hazards, inclement weather, grieving families, and emotionally intense situations. A $5,000 sign-on bonus may be available for the on-call RN night position. Wage rate is determined by education and years licensed as an RN; an additional 3% is added to the base rate for a BSN or MSN.

Requirements

Associate's degree from a two-year college or technical school.
One year of RN experience.
Current Georgia and Alabama RN licenses or a multi-state compact RN license.
Valid driver's license and motor vehicle record in good standing.
Automobile insurance coverage meeting company policy requirements.
Current BLS CPR certification.
Influenza vaccine during November through March.
Reliable transportation.
Ability to solve practical problems and handle situations with limited standardization.
Ability to interpret written, oral, diagrammatic, and scheduled instructions.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
Ability to read and interpret business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, governmental regulations, and scientific and technical journals.
Ability to write standard nursing documentation and communicate information effectively in response to questions from managers, patients, and families.
Ability to respond to inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
Ability to work long hours and at night and to handle occupational hazards, inclement weather, grieving families, and emotionally intense situations.
Regular ability to talk and hear; frequent use of hands to finger, handle, or feel and to reach with hands and arms; occasional standing, walking, and sitting.
Ability to occasionally lift or move up to 100 pounds.
Close, distance, and peripheral vision, depth perception, ability to adjust focus, and day- and night-driving vision.

Responsibilities

Promote Columbus Hospice's mission and values and model the behaviors and standards set by its mission statement.
Assess patients' and families' initial and ongoing physical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs.
Communicate effectively and courteously with patients, families, caregivers, coworkers, managers, and other members of the care team.
Proactively solve problems and seek assistance from registered or clinical nurses or a manager when needed.
Collaborate with the departmental team and other teams.
Receive patient referrals and complete after-hours, weekend, holiday, and on-call admissions when needed in the absence of designated on-call admissions staff.
Document care promptly and concisely and submit documentation according to company policy.
Organize personal workload and assist colleagues as needed.
Maintain a call log for telephone triage calls.
Maintain the expected standard of nursing care and use resources effectively.
Advocate for patients and protect individuals' rights.
Follow each patient's comprehensive care plan and communicate with the interdisciplinary team.
Seek emergency pain and symptom relief for hospice patients and follow up with the primary nurse.
Support patients and families in preparing for death and provide professional support when death occurs.
Encourage families to participate actively in patient care.
Follow occupational safety and health procedures and recognize and respond appropriately to workplace hazards.
Follow and support Columbus Hospice policies and standards.
Complete 15 continuing-education hours annually, including at least 12 hospice-specific hours; failure to do so may affect merit-increase eligibility and may result in termination.
Attend one Memorial Service per year, all mandatory meetings and in-services, and achieve annual competencies.
Protect confidential information about patients, staff, and Columbus Hospice operations.
Represent the company positively and professionally.
Consult management regarding matters not defined by applicable nurse practice acts, company policies and procedures, licensure regulations, or physician orders.
Complete responsibilities thoroughly, use good judgment, seek supervisory assistance when uncertain, and meet attendance and punctuality requirements.
Assist with special projects and perform other assigned duties.