Hospice RN (Registered Nurse) - Trinity Health At Home - Grand Haven, Casual

JOB STATUS:  Casual. Minimum 2 shifts per month, weekend and holiday rotation required. 

General Definition and Scope of Job

A clinically competent Registered Nurse who functions as a case manager and delivers direct patient care in the home setting or the Hospice Residence.  The RN delivers quality care through developing, implementing and continuous evaluation of an individualized plan of care.  Effectively interacts with the patient, caregiver, and other health professionals while maintaining the standards of professional nursing practice.  Provides clinical supervision to home health aides.

In this role, you will have the ability to:

• Manage the overall care and well-being of patients and their families at end-of-life
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to provide holistic care to our patients
• Access our Health system as a great support network with immediate access to patient care resources
• Serve a smaller, intimate patient base
• Operate within a radius of services within 30 miles of Grand Haven

What are the Minimum Skills, Experience and Educational Requirements?

• Valid license as a Registered Nurse in Michigan.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Current BLS certification.
• Bachelor’s degree in nursing preferred.
• CHPN RN preferred.
• Minimum of 2-3 years experience as a Registered Nurse with some Hospice or Home Care nursing preferred.
• Excellent assessment skills and critical thinking ability.
• Must be able to practice independently.

What are the Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities? 

• Demonstrates clinical judgment, critical thinking, analysis, and decision-making, based on knowledge and skill in the application of the nursing process using assessment, planning, and management of complex human responses to serious or life-threatening illnesses for patients and their families.
• Promotes an interdisciplinary team approach in the provision of hospice care to the patient with serious or life-threatening illness and their family. Promotes hospice care concepts to the public regarding potential or actual physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of living with a serious or life-threatening illness. The RN establishes the plan of care in collaboration with the physician and IDT based on the evaluation of the patient’s immediate and long-term needs.
  
  • The RN shall have a substantial role as the Case Manager in assessing patient needs, consulting with the physician and IDT to develop the overall plan of care.
  • The RN involves other healthcare professionals as needed.
• Effectively utilizes the nursing process to assess, develop, implement and continuously evaluate the individualized patient care plan.
• Communicates effectively with hospice patients, their families, and healthcare professionals by applying knowledge of communication theory and principles. Demonstrates effective communication skills with patients and caregivers to continuously evaluate their needs and goals throughout their episodes of care.
• Maintains a high level of clinical knowledge and competency to provide patients and caregivers with:
  • Excellent clinical skills
  • Education relative to their diagnosis, comorbidities, medications, and end-of-life issues etc.
  • End of life issues
• The RN coordinates the patient’s plan of care through communication and collaboration with other health care professionals in the ongoing evaluation and effectiveness of the plan of care through:
  • Attendance and participation at IDT meetings
  • Utilization of care coordination notes
  • Case conferencing
• Incorporates ethical principles and nursing professional standards in the care of patients and families receiving hospice care while advocating for patients’ and families’ rights and access to quality palliative care across the continuum. Demonstrates leadership and professional standards in the form of:
  • Functions as the patient case manager
  • Accountability for personal, ethical, and legal standards
  • Responsibility for clinical nursing decisions
• Delegates and coordinates the care provided by the home health aides through:
  • Appropriate delegation of tasks
  • Clear, concise specific plans of care
  • Supervises the care provided
• Maintains a continuing knowledge of Medicare and other payer rules and regulations. Demonstrates and promotes culturally and spiritually competent care by respecting diversity regarding race, ethnicity, culture, spirituality, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, education level, literacy, and location.
• Demonstrates knowledge, skills, confidence, and the application of adult learning principles when providing hospice education to patients/families, healthcare professionals, and the community inherent in the role of the hospice Registered Nurse.
• Demonstrates knowledge, skills, and behaviors consistent with ANA and HPNA’s Palliative Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice.
• Attends staff meetings and in-services.
• Will obtain or be working on CHPN certification within the established time frame.
• Utilizes evidence-based literature to help improve outcomes for hospice patients and their families.
• Completes all clinical and non-clinical paperwork promptly, – according to the organization’s policy.
  • Responds to requests for additional information for timely submission to Medicare
• When on-call, responsible for the following:
  • Telephone triage
  • Calls to physicians / NP providers or administrator as necessary and appropriate.
  • Troubleshooting and critical thinking skills for Hospice issues.

What are the Minimum Skills, Experience and Educational Requirements?

• Valid license as a Registered Nurse in Michigan.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Current BLS certification.
• Bachelor’s degree in nursing preferred.
• CHPN RN preferred.
• Minimum of 2-3 years experience as a Registered Nurse with some Hospice or Home Care nursing preferred.
• Excellent assessment skills and critical thinking ability.
• Must be able to practice independently.

What are the Critical Demands of the Job?

• Able to lift 50lbs.
• Able to climb multiple stairs with nursing equipment.
• Able to sit, stand and drive for prolonged periods of time.
• Able to communicate effectively with a diverse population of patients and caregivers.
• Able to rotate on-call nights, weekends and Holidays.

What are the Working Conditions?

• Required to drive in all types of weather conditions.
• Able to adjust to diverse social, cultural and economic ranges.
• Able to adjust to less than ideal situations in the home including:
  • Lack of plumbing, water
  • Lack of telephone
  • Various degrees of cleanliness
  • Hostile pets