Registered Nurse (RN) - Hospice - Memorial Health

The Registered Nurse-Hospice provides nursing care to assigned patients through the use of nursing process in accordance with standard nursing practice and established nursing policies and procedures.  Assumes full responsibility and accountability for coordination of patient care; services, referrals and resources for assigned caseload.  Supervises care rendered by LPN/LVN, and Home Health Aides.  Adheres to MHS Mission, Vision and Values and the Illinois Nursing Act. 

Education:

• Graduate from accredited school of nursing
• BSN preferred

Licensure/Certification/Registry:

• IL Licensed Registered Nurse required.
• Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care preferred.
• Current CPR certification required.
• Will accept a MHSvc car for business purposes only as deemed necessary by geography/mileage. Must possess valid Illinois drivers license and must be deemed as an acceptable driver in accordance with the MHS Fleet Safety Policy (five year MVR will be required). Must have availability of personal vehicle with proof of insurance.
• Meets credit range for Clinical Ladder Levels as follows:
• Clinical Nurse I: Registered Nurse who achieves a range of 0-9 credits on the Clinical Ladder Behavior Grid.
• Clinical Nurse II: Registered Nurse who achieves a range of 10-19 credits on the Clinical Ladder Behavior Grid with evidence of behaviors from at least two categories of the Grid.
• Clinical Nurse III:  Registered Nurse who achieves a range of 20-29 credits on the Clinical Ladder Behavior Grid with evidence of behaviors from at least three categories of the Grid. Minimum BSN, enrollment in a BSN or MSN program, or national certification required.

Experience:

• A minimum of two (2) years acute care clinical experience is preferred.  Home health or Hospice experience preferred.

Other Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Must be able to position and/or transfer an average adult patient and possess gross coordination sufficient to perform patient care tasks as required.
• Environmental working conditions include exposure to blood, bodily fluids/tissue, contagious diseases, animals, etc.
• At time of orientation then annually thereafter, completion of education pain modules
• Analytical Thinking: Developing a deeper understanding of a situation, issue or problem by breaking it down or tracing its implications step-by-step. It includes organizing the parts of a situation, issue or problem systematically; making systematic comparisons of different feature or aspects; setting priorities on a rational basis; and identifying time sequences, casual relationships, or if-then relationships.
• Collaboration: Ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with other individuals and/or teams not formally lead; working together as opposed to working separately or competitively.
• Communication: Ability to use written and spoken communication in formal and informal situations to convey meaning, build shared understanding, and productively move agendas forward.
• Community Collaboration: Ability to align one’s own and the organization’s priorities with the needs and values of the community, including its cultural and ethnocentric values, and to move health forward in line with population-based wellness needs and national health agenda.
• Intellectual Curiosity: Underlying curiosity and desire to know more about things, people, and issues, including the desire for knowledge and staying current with health, organizational, industry, and professional trends and developments. It includes pressing for more precise information; resolving discrepancies by asking a series of questions; and scanning for potential opportunities or information that may be of future use, as well as staying current and seeking best practices for adoption.
• Initiative: Ability to identify a problem, obstacle or opportunity and then take action in light of identification to address current or future problems or opportunities. Initiative emphasizes proactively doing things and no simply thinking about future actions.  
• Interpersonal Understanding: Ability to accurately hear and understand the unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feeling, and concerns of others, especially those who may represent diverse background and very different worldviews.
• Professional and Social Responsibility: Demonstration of ethics, sound professional practices, social accountability, and community stewardship. Acting in ways that are consistent with one’s values and what one says is important.
• High Impact Relationships: A high performance culture is built on the foundation of solid relationships with each other. Trusting and being trustworthy, actively listening and fostering mutually respectful working relationships are key drivers of positive colleague, patient and physician experience
• Self-Awareness: Ability to have an accurate view of one’s own strengths and development needs, including the impact that one has on others; willingness to address development needs through reflective, self-directed learning, and by trying new approaches.
• Self-Confidence: Possesses a belief in one’s own capability to accomplish their work. This includes confidence in one’s ability as expressed in increasingly challenging circumstances, and confidence in one’s decisions or opinions.

1. Professional Nursing Care

• In assessment and giving care, demonstrates compassionate and holistic approach with sensitivity and adaptability to the family unit as well as the patient.
• Perform age appropriate assessment utilizing critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrates effective symptom management in chronic, complex disease states.
• Function as a case manager for a group of patients in a particular geographic location.
• Provide after-hours care on a rotation basis.
• Develop and revise an individualized Plan of Care in partnership with patient/caregiver based on Identification of patient problems/need.
• Implement specific interventions to attain outcomes.
• Communicate/collaborate with other disciplines to provide optimal patient care and services.
• Active collaboration and participation in interdisciplinary team meetings.
• Participate in educational offerings (ex: skills day; oxygen inservice; etc.)

1. Supervision and Delegation

• Appropriately supervise performance of LPN.
• Appropriately supervise performance of HHA and provide documentation to support such.

1. Communication and Collaboration

• Demonstrates critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrate effective interpersonal skills.
• Use therapeutic communication techniques.
• Demonstrate assertiveness.
• Communicate relevant patient information to other disciplines and MD as appropriate.
• Document patient care according to MHSvc policies/procedures.
• Ensure appropriate implementation of MD orders.
• Participate in operational meetings (ex: All Staff; MHS Connect; etc)
• Promote patient/family education.
• Precept nursing students, med. Students, residents.
• Participate in clinically/operationally related focus groups.

1. Quality and Safety

• Identify and resolve patient safety risks.
• Participate in continuous quality improvement (Quality Initiative measures) including efforts to improve patient outcomes.

1. Professional Accountability

• Demonstrate ethical decision making.
• Advocate for patients/families/caregivers.
• Responsibly manages all equipment, supplies in his/her possession, including, but not limited to, laptop computer, FAX machine, cell phone, patient care supplies, etc.

1. Performs other related work as required or requested.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job.  Incumbents may be requested to perform tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.