Program Nurse - Foster Care And Residential Services

Job Description

• Nurse should have experience with the pediatric population.
• Nurse must have a license with NYSDOE that is in good standing. Be familiar with Bright Futures and APA recommendations for pediatric population.
• Nurse shows competency in nursing practices, proper nursing skills, proper use of medical equipment and terminology, employs current nursing protocols and procedures.
• Nurse work in collaboration with medical, mental health, therapists and social work professionals to provide quality and comprehensive medical care to youth in Foster Care.
• Nurse can take vital signs including measuring height, weight, hearing and vision screenings.
• Nurse can safely give immunizations to pediatric population.
• Maintains comprehensive electronic medical record on each assigned youth in real time that is organized
• Schedules initial comprehensive medical appointments sick visits, follow up, vaccine appointments and body checks with medical providers.
• Performs Nursing Assessment’s and appropriate referrals for dental, audiology and vision screenings on initial visit and as needed in a timely manner.
• Nurse provides daily management and coordination of appointments, supplies and medication for the foster children on his/her caseload and acts as a resource to other staff members involved in the patient care.
• Nurse will provide case /care management for all foster children on his/her caseload.
• Provides psychiatrists with medical information, including laboratory results for monthly medication review and scheduling EKG.
• Provides counseling to youth on HIV related information, Sexual and Reproductive health, and other STD’s infections. Discusses preventative health measures and encourages independence with health care
• Nurse will request all medical history, birth records from past medical providers, visit summaries, ER reports and documents them in the EMR. Reviews and makes all follow up appointments and documents in the EMR.
• Nurse provides training for residents and staff on medical condition, health education, medication and proper administration of medication, safely precautions including response to side effects, universal precautions, anticipatory guidance based on resident age. And any other training based on the care plan.
• Attends staff meetings for program and case conferences when indicated
• Schedules appointments/referrals with specialty care providers and appropriate medical specialists in the community.

• Develops a written descriptive plan of care, in conjunction with the medical provider. Maintains the care plan and updates when new medical diagnosis are present for each youth.
• Nurse accompanies foster children to specialty appointments and/or gives instruction to the medical transport. Nurse acts as a liaison between the health care provider and foster child.
• Completes school forms/physical forms, requests for SS cards and WIC forms as needed for youth.
• Oversees consents and HIPAA issues for procedures and treatment.
• Monitors medical and medication compliance for each youth: ensuring youth comply with time frames for appointments/medications and follow-up services.
• Develops health histories and abstracts for youth being transferred to another agency; or school.
• Provides discharge planning and provide summaries for youth aging out of foster/leaving Foster Care of Foster Care.
• Obtains family health history, in conjunction with caseworker, from birth parents.
• Reports all illness and/or accidents, hospitalizations as required by the regulatory agency.
• Makes scheduled visits to group homes to meet with youth and program managers weekly and as needed.
• Document all encounters with youth in electronic medical records.
• Makes hospital visits with youth as needed to advocate and ensure  when necessary.
• Contacts medical providers, hospital clinics, and laboratories for medical reports.
• Attends staff meetings and case conferences when indicated.
• Reviews medical records, medication administration records, laboratory and medical reports.
• Maintains medication record and mental health reports on youth receiving psychotropic medication.
• Provides psychiatrists with medical information, including laboratory results for monthly medication review.
• Provides health education to youth in the practice of preventive health and safety measures.
• Provides training to direct care staff on topics related to preventive health and safety measures.

Reporting to the Director of Nursing, this position is accountable for delivering nursing services, implementing resident’s plan of Care and coordination of care in a residential setting.

• The Registered Nurse functions as a caregiver for a specific resident population to achieve desired outcomes.
• This position focuses on expanding knowledge and skills, provides effective direct care as part of the interdisciplinary team to a variety of residents with complex behavioral and medical needs.
• This position directs and oversees the care provided by other caregivers through delegation, validation, evaluation, and coordination.
• This position effectively coordinates resident care/unit activities among nursing peers, physicians, and support services.
• As a Registered Nurse at SCO, you will be involved in delivering of nursing practices according to the most up-to-date evidence-based research, nursing policies, and standards of care, to provide and ensure safe and excellent delivery of individualized resident care. A day in the life of a Registered Nurse at SCO includes Leadership, Assessment, Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

Responsibilities: Leadership

• Inspire a passion for clinical and service excellence. Support SCO's vision, mission, and shared values.
• Foresees challenges and opportunities; generates break through ideas through innovation.
• Creates a collaborative culture through teamwork, accountability, and adaptability to change.
• Takes initiative to remove barriers and/or obstacles that will result in continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates confidence in self and others and motivates others to perform well.
• Approaches others in a tactful manner and treats others with respect and consideration
• Uses problem-solving and conflict resolution skills to foster effective work relationships with team members
• Follows through on commitments; accepts responsibility for personal actions.
• Remains informed about changes in the field of nursing and Residential programs for youth
• Manage complexity; demonstrate compassion for others having trouble dealing effectively with change.

Responsibilities: Assessment

• Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the resident's health or the situation.
• Performs age and disease specific assessment / data collection independently in a systematic manner focusing on physiologic, developmental, emotional, psychological, and cognitive status.
• Recognizes clinical and diagnostic changes in resident status.
• Identifies variables in resident/family education needs based on age, disease, and culturally specific learning differences.

Responsibilities: Planning

• Develops a person-centered plan of care that prescribes strategies and interventions to attain expected outcomes and is compliant with regulatory and quality guidelines established by SCO, NYS and federal regulators.
• Supports discharge planning process with members of relevant teams including acute and subacute care teams, managed care plan, case manager and internal teams including social work, psychology, behavioral and Residential teams,
• Collaborates with Program Team including education, behavioral, social work, residential and others to support resident’s plan of Care and optimal care management
• Formulates age and disease specific resident / family centered goals / outcomes based on assessment data.
• Develops and coordinates a plan of care which is resident / family focused, prioritized, and encompasses the continuum of care.

Responsibilities: Implementation

• Communicates, coordinates, and implements the plan of care.
• Provides ongoing communication with resident / family, nursing colleagues and other members of the health care team regarding resident's status, rendered Care and treatment plans.
• Implements age and disease specific care in an organized and timely manner.
• Provides or coordinates the resident / family education as needed and ensures understanding.
• Performs according to established protocols in clinical situations, including communicating with appropriate persons and documenting events.
• Provides nursing Care and treatments that reflect the residents' needs, advocates appropriately, and demonstrates evidence-based nursing practice and compliance with standards.
• Performs continuous Point-of-Care electronic documentation of each individual resident's assessments, plan-of-care, interventions, and evaluation of rendered care.
• Medication administration utilizing the newest advancements in documentation technologies designed to ensure the safest delivery of medications to our residents.
• Multi-disciplinary discharging of residents for short stays or to permanent placement to ensure safe transitioning and continuum of care
• Communicates with families, residents, care team, pharmacy, physicians, direct care team, care management team and others as required to support high quality care.
• Creates and/or requests reports for purposes resident Care and services.
• Collaborates effectively with other disciplines and professions, including social work, education, and behavioral teams as appropriate for optimal care resident youth.
• provide an effective nursing service that focuses on resident and employee safety. Participates in review of safety events and partners with Program team and Direct Care Staff
• Participates in development, implementation, and achievement of evidence-based practice standards.
• Participates in organizational-level committee work with clear performance improvement goals consistent with the mission, vision and philosophy of nursing and SCO.
• Collaborates with SCO Center for Professional Development to support staff training and growth
• Contributes to process improvement projects in support of resident care.
• Responds to residents and families as necessary; maintains privacy and confidentiality of all appropriate information and materials handled within SCO as well as the proper release of information.
• Complies with SCO and departmental policies regarding issues of employee, resident and environmental safety and follows appropriate reporting requirements.
• Adheres to SCO Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.
• Other duties, responsibilities and/or projects as assigned.

Responsibilities: Evaluation

• Evaluates progress toward attainment of outcomes.
• Utilizes critical thinking skills based on nursing knowledge to achieve desired resident outcomes.
• Initiates interventions related to resident's change in condition and unexpected response to care.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Identifies ethical issues in the practice setting and brings them to the attention of other team members.
• Recognizes and responds to opportunities to enhance resident satisfaction.
• Must acquire and maintain competencies, certifications, and continuing education to meet any facility accreditation or individual licensing requirements.
• Adheres to American Nurses Association Code for Nurses with Interpretive Statements.
• Lifts a minimum of 35 lbs., pushes, and pulls a minimum of 10 lbs. and stands a minimum of 6 hours a day.
• Adheres to SCO Organizational and Managerial competencies and standards of behavior.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s prepared RN from NYSED accredited school of nursing, or a Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) accredited school.
• NY State Professional Registered Nurse License.
• AHA Basic Health Care Life Support
• Must have six (6) or more months of relevant nursing experience OR must be an active participant with an accredited Nurse Residency Program.
• The ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing resident needs, a strong sense of accountability for improving the lives of our residents and their caregivers, an exceptional focus on teamwork, dedication to ongoing education and the ability and passion to deliver the highest quality of care based on a strong sense of resident focus are all required. Education,
• Capacity to collaborate with diverse populations of team members and to gain consensus and achieve results.
• Must possess the ability to deal professionally and tactfully with colleagues, personnel, residents, family members, visitors, and the public.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• National Certification in area of specialty preferred when eligible.
• Clinical experience in pediatrics and/or behavioral health in long-term care, residential or acute care setting.
• Must be committed to the principles of trauma-informed, trauma-responsive, and person-centered care.
• Able to react quickly and calmly in emergencies.
• Effective organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Must possess digital proficiency including search engines, shared drives, and the MS Office suite. Connected, paperless environment; must be willing to learn and use electronic medical records, state, and enterprise-wide platforms.
• Must be committed to anti-racist principles in resident care, team development and team management. Must be faithful to racial/ethnic equity, inclusion, and diversity.
• Must have a strong understanding of people-management skills including a sense of empathy, accountability, fairness, and consistency.
• Must have strong understanding of the needs of vulnerable populations including youth and young adults with autism, developmental disabilities, communication impairments, and medical comple...