Minidoka Memorial Hospital

Job Description

Job Title:                  Charge Registered Nurse

Department:             Medical Surgical Department     

Reports To:              Nurse Manager

FLSA Status:           Non-Exempt

Job Summary

This position will be 70% Floor Nurse, 30% Charge Nurse. Working with the Nursing Supervisors, the Charge Nurse provides leadership and clinical expertise on their respective shift and department. They assist RN Supervisor with coordination of unit resources to ensure that staffing to census and acuity is appropriate both clinically and financially. They function as clinical support for staff and are a role model of competency and professionalism.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs appropriate assessment of physical, social and psychological status (including cognitive, communicative and developmental skills as appropriate).
• Seeks and evaluates information acquired from other members of interdisciplinary team: patient, family, physician, non-nursing disciplines, support staff, others.
• Uses assessment information and critical thinking skills to collaboratively develop individualized plan of care.
• Actively seeks patient, family, team, and physician involvement to develop plan of care including needed education.
• Collaboratively plans and prepares patients for further support needs once the current episode of care outcomes are met (i.e., teaching, referrals, and follow-up).
• Directs the interdisciplinary care team via delegation, coordination and collaboration as appropriate.
• Provides or delegates care consistent with plan of care, guidelines of care and professional licensure provisions.
• Demonstrates the ability to set priorities and to coordinate and organize patient care delivery through effectively managing time, supplies, and resources.
• Evaluates patient response to interventions through review of achievement of goals, clinical outcomes, patient and family satisfaction.
• Revises plan of care as indicated, and reassesses changes as appropriate.
• Models professional behavior exemplifying Minidoka Memorial Hospital Mission, and a culture of safety and holding staff accountable for the same.
• Promotes nursing professionalism, coaches and develops others.
• Integrates legal and ethical standards into practice: complies with regulatory standards, practices within scope of licensure, provides accurate & timely documentation, and understands legal implications of care delivery.
• Projects staffing needs for current and following shift and / or department to provide optimal patient care.
• Ensures appropriate nurse to patient ratios by matching staffing skill levels to patient needs and acuity.
• Forecasts and communicates accurate information on admission, discharge and transfer to ensure appropriate patient placement.
• Communicates with appropriate care givers on complex and challenging patients to facilitate coordination of care.
• Assists staff members with direct patient care as needed.
• Communicates effectively shift to shift with all staff.
• Accountable for operational and clinical leadership of the unit/department including setting clear expectations and holding staff accountable for outcomes and behaviors.
• Mediates conflicts between staff, families, physicians, and other departments using the Healing Commitments and behaviors.
• Ensures a safe environment for employees, patients, and visitors.
• Mentors and evaluates staff for professional and clinical development needs and opportunities and is a resource for setting clear expectations related to hourly rounds, communication boards and joint bedside report.
• Guides others and initiates conversations using appropriate tools to resolve problems and to encourage accountability and professional growth.
• Takes initiative to identify needs and improve the work environment.
• Supports and enforces Minidoka Memorial Hospital and unit policies / procedures to ensure safety, quality, compliance, and patient care.
• Activates chain of command and/or code alerts when appropriate to facilitate patient and staff safety.
• Actively participates in and facilitates continuous quality improvement in areas of clinical care, service experience, and operational effectiveness.

Minimum Requirements

• Associates Degree Nursing from an accredited educational institution
• 2 years' experience in nursing on Medical Floor
• Current Idaho RN License
• Basic Life Support Certification for healthcare providers (BLS)
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Preferred Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited institution.
• Charge Nurse work experience is strongly desired.
• Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC).
• 2 year of clinical nursing experience.
• 6 Months of Mentoring experience.

Skills and Competencies

• Read, write, and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos in English.
• Effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Basic computer knowledge.

• Compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

• Apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form and deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.  The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move more than 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception.

MMH provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetic, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position without compromising patient care.