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SalaryLocation:Gardner, Massachusetts
Posted Date:03/11/2024
Job Summary
Under the direction of the Director/Manager of Watkins 1/ICU, the Practice Leader is accountable for the assessment, planning, coordinating and evaluating of daily departmental operations to ensure the delivery of optimal emergent patient care, and compliance with regulatory standards. The Department Practice Leader assures adherence to Heywood Healthcare’s policies and procedures and is responsible for the quality of care provided to the patients and for the processes that lead to continuous performance improvement. The Practice Leader participates in planning, implementation, evaluation, and revision of systems to support and enhance the competence, autonomy, and accountability of the nursing staff. The Department Practice Leader performs a variety of direct and indirect patient care activities to assure optimal patient flow and satisfaction. This role includes clinical practice, staff development, leadership and collaboration within an interdisciplinary team to support the philosophy, goals and objectives of the organization.
Job Requirements
Minimum Education
- Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
- Minimum of BS in Nursing is required.
Minimum Work Experience
- Three (3) to five (5) years current ICU experience is required.
- Previous experience in the clinical preceptor, charge or resource role is preferred.
Minimum Licenses and Certifications
- Current MA RN license required.
- AHA BLS required.
- AHA ACLS required.
- CCRN preferred.
Required Skills
- Ideal candidate must possess excellent communication skills, ability to multitask and have a can-do attitude.
FUNCTIONAL DEMANDS
Physical Requirements
Exerts 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or working with hands), and feels (perceiving attributes of items such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by means of fingertips). Occasionally stoops (bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist), and kneels (bending the legs at knee to come to rest on knee or knees).
ORGANIZATIONAL EXPECTATIONS
Behavioral Attributes
The following behavioral attributes are required: achievement motivation, flexibility, concern for order, initiative, self-confidence, self control, customer service orientation, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork and information seeking.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Job Responsibilities: Registered Nurse
- Assesses (and reassesses), plans, implements, and evaluates nursing interventions/plans of care/patient goals.
- Provides patient care based on standards of care, standards of practice, protocols, and established policies and procedures.
- Respects each patient as an individual; provides care that fosters the patient’s sense of dignity and positive self-regard.
- Provides patient/family teaching based on identified learning needs, readiness to learn, and barriers to learning.
- Collaboratively plans and prepares patient/family for discharge incorporating support systems/resources as necessary.
- Appropriately delegates and supervises nursing interventions performed by others.
- Appropriately prioritizes patient care (e.g. seeks assistance as needed from appropriate resources, reassigns personnel as necessary, recognizes need for emergency intervention, etc.).
- Provides thorough, timely, and accurate documentation of all pertinent data, therapeutic interventions and patient responses according to established standards.
- Provides timely and thorough report on assigned patients to other health care team members to ensure integration of services and continuity of patient care.
- Promotes learning for colleagues and self (e.g. functions as preceptor, instructor, trainer, attends professional development programs, etc.).
- Proactively identifies risk to patient safety and identifies opportunities to reduce medical/health care errors (i.e. appropriate reporting of errors/incidents).
- Identifies ethical issues in care and develops plan to address
- Responsible for obtaining supporting information and completing required documentation related to medication reconciliation for use by the Attending MD.
- Safely administers medications and intravenous therapy in accordance with physician’s orders, protocols, policies and procedures.
- Assesses patient pain level upon admission and as necessary, depending upon diagnosis utilizing the numerical pain scale.
- Reassesses effectiveness of pain control and notifies physicians as needed, as well as, documents assessment and patients’ response to medication.
- Responsible for implementing components of the VAP bundle consistently and per protocol. Responsible for alerting the Nurse Manager/Director/Nursing Supervisor if there is a deviation from VAP bundle by Attending MD for case review and follow up as indication.
Job Responsibilities: Intensive Care Unit/Watkins 1- Practice Leader
- Coordinates the daily flow in the Intensive Care Unit and Watkins 1 in collaboration with the Nursing Supervisor to ensure optimal outcome for patients as well as works with other departments to prioritize needs.
- Demonstrates the clinical expertise necessary to function as a role model for staff on a daily basis.
- Collects data as required for monthly quality assessment reports (i.e. restraints, conscious sedation, lab, and radiology quality assessments, etc.).
- Arranges for all equipment, instrumentation and supplies to be available for specific cases.
- Coordinates and organizes annual competencies and orientation for new staff.
- Assists with developing / revising policies and procedures to comply with current standards / regulations.
- Implements education in-service plans, as needed, for new equipment and/or medication.
- Coordinates staff schedule and/or any changes needed, on a daily basis.
- Makes recommendations for clinical competency improvement and/or any needed equipment.
- Supports and promotes adherence to the policy and procedures within the department and hospital.
- Provides direct patient care as needed.
- Responsible for assessing staff performance and adherence to documentation guidelines including medication reconciliation and providing education and refers to Manager/Director for any disciplinary actions.
- Responsible for assessing staff performance and compliance related to quality indicators (i.e. restraints, conscious sedation, lab, and radiology quality assessments, etc.) and providing education and refers to Manager/Director for any disciplinary actions.
- Responsible for assessing staff performance with hand hygiene compliance and participating in compliance rounds as requested by Infection Prevention Director. Provide remediation/education where indicated.
- Responsible for assessing staff performance with VAP bundle adherence and reporting of outliers.
Statement of Other Duties
This document describes the major duties and responsibilities for this job, and is not intended to be a complete list of all tasks and functions. It should be understood, therefore, that employees may be asked to perform job-related duties beyond those explicitly described.
