Position: Registered Nurse
Department:General Internal Medicine (Adult Primary Care)
Schedule: Per Diem - Days/Evenings

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Experience with durable medical equipment (DMEs)
• Ability to function in a high-paced outpatient clinic.
• Experience with telephone triage preferred
• Triages the effectiveness of the care given by the interdisciplinary care team, identify problems, and guides the patient to solutions.
• Knowledge of adult vaccines
• Basic computer proficiency inclusive of ability to access, enters, and interpret computerized data/information.
• Effective interpersonal skills to facilitate communication with various members of the health care team, patients, and families.
• Performs assessment data collection and documents subjective and objective data. Reviews basic health history information for patients.
• Organizational skills to set priorities and efficiently complete assigned work.
  Multilingual skills (beyond that of English) in languages appropriate to the patient populations served by the medical center preferred.
• Analytical ability to solve clinical nursing issues and conduct quality improvement research utilization projects.
• Ability to effectively delegate appropriate patient care activities.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills appropriate to the patient populations served.
• Physical ability to meet the core job responsibilities in accordance with practice setting demands for the patient populations regularly served.
• Ability to effectively manage stress due to critical issues related to patient care, changing organizational climate and personnel issues.
• Ordering, administering, and documenting physician approved medication treatments
• Provide education about health conditions to patients and their families.
• In emergency/crisis situations, demonstrates effective decision making in accordance with standards of clinical nursing practice, re-prioritizes patient care needs, initiates appropriate response actions, and directs other team members to ensure a complete and coordinated response.
• Documents patient's response to interventions as well as revisions in diagnoses, outcomes and plan of care according to departmental policy.

STANDARDS OF PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE

• Systematically evaluates the quality, cost, and effectiveness of nursing practice.

• Participates/leads quality improvement and/or research activities as appropriate to the individual's position, education, skills, and practice environment.

• Uses the results of patient satisfaction, quality improvement and/or research data to initiate changes in practice.

• Accounts for completing daily patient classification data and incident reports in a timely manner.

• Participates in cost containment initiatives and practices.

• When two or more practice options exist that achieve the same quality of expected patient outcome, evaluates factors related to safety, effectiveness and cost when selecting the appropriate option.

• Acts in a professional manner relative to practice standards, statutes, and regulations.

• Practices in compliance with established practice standards, policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, statutes and regulations (example: DPH, JCAHO, Fire Code, OSHA, and DEA).

• Functions without supervision in a manner appropriate for level of experience and education.

• Responsible for seeing things through to completion and for informing appropriate staff of outcomes.

• Offers, seeks out and acts upon constructive feedback regarding professional practice to improve daily practice and to achieve goals identified during performance appraisal.

• Takes appropriate steps to effectively resolve peer conflicts or investigate questionable activities. Discusses such with individuals involved and seeks assistance from nurse manager when appropriate.

• Maintains accurate annual professional development record.

• Demonstrates flexibility and ability to positively adapt to changing staffing/clinical/patient census needs including but not limited to offering assistance to others, adjusting patient assignments, floating to other areas/units, etc.

• Demonstrates reliability in regard to attendance and punctuality standards.

• Maintains a presentable appearance in accordance with dress code requirements including wearing a visible identification badge that identifies one's self as a registered staff nurse.

• The nurse acquires and maintains current knowledge in nursing practice.

• To maintain clinical competence in appropriate practice area, participates in ongoing educational activities to enhance clinical knowledge and update requisite skills.

• Independently identifies need for in-service/educational sessions and seeks experience to meet such needs and to maintain clinical skills.

• Completes the following mandatory requirements: annual BLS certification, institutional mandatory education, e.g., safety regulations, infection control standards, etc., and departmental/unit specific competencies.

• Actively participates on unit or departmental based task forces, councils, or committees.

• The nurse contributes to the professional development of peers, colleagues, and others.

• Takes initiative to share knowledge and skills willingly with colleagues, students, and novice practitioners in a collegial manner.

• Provides peers with constructive feedback regarding their practice and professional skills.

• Acts as a resource for new employees, float staff, and other unit team members.

• Assists in the orientation and/or acts as preceptor for new employees and/or nursing students.

• The nurse's decisions and actions on behalf of patients are determined in an ethical manner.

• Delivers care in a manner that preserves/protects client autonomy, dignity, confidentiality, and rights.

• Acts as a patient advocate in order to facilitate meeting identified patient needs.

• Delivers care in a non-judgmental and nondiscriminatory manner that is sensitive to and demonstrates respect for patient diversity.

• Seeks available resources to help formulate ethical decisions.

• The nurse collaborates with client, significant others and health care providers in delivering client care.

• Communicates and consults with client, significant others and members of the health care team regarding required patient care.

• Works cooperatively and constructively with all departments and health care team members to establish an environment that supports the process of collaboration.

• Participates as an integral member of the health team during family/staff meetings, formal/informal shift rounds/reports, and medical/grand rounds.

• Coordinates appropriate internal and external referrals to assist patients to gain access to services, pre-approvals, etc.

• Coordinates discharge activities including arranging for home/agency referrals when necessary.

• Interprets/translates for patient/family/visitors when conversant in their native language as needed

• Acts as a shift charge nurse when requested/needed and oriented to charge.

• Performs all other related duties as assigned.

EDUCATION:

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing with an Associate's degree or Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN). BSN preferred.

• Candidates who do not have a BSN must be enrolled in a Baccalaureate program within 6 months of hire and must complete their BSN within 36 months of hire.

• Registration and current RN licensure in the state of MA in good standing required.

• Outpatient experience strongly preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED:

• Licensed to practice professional nursing as a registered nurse in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

• Requires current basic life support (BLS) certification.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans