Registered Nurse, Geriatric Psychiatry Unit, Per Diem - Heywood Hospital

Hours: Per Diem 

Job Summary: 

Under the supervision of the Nurse Manager or designee, the Registered Nurse functions as a professional participant in the health care team providing direct and indirect patient care to patients, families, and significant others utilizing the nursing process in accordance with the philosophy and goals and objectives of Nursing Service.

Essential Functions

• 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.
• 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 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.
• Performs assessment of psychiatric and physical needs on each patient upon admission and uses data collected to create and/or revise nursing plan of care.
• Performs pre-admission screenings and appropriate insurance procedures.
• Assesses the unit milieu and makes decisions to maintain a safe environment for all patients, staff and visitors.
• Understands the indication, therapeutic effect, dosage, and side effects of psychoactive medications on the geriatric patient.
• De-escalates volatile situations and/or individuals using non-violent techniques.
• Creates and updates the Master Treatment Plan, coordinating with hospital and community providers and significant others.
• Participates actively in multi-disciplinary treatment team in planning, coordinating, implementing and evaluating patient care.
• Meets with families and significant others and residential providers in planning appropriate disposition and discharge.

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.

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, concern for order, flexibility, initiative, self-confidence, customer service oriented, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, analytical thinking and information seeking.

Job Requirements

Minimum Education

• Associates degree in nursing required.  Bachelors preferred.

Minimum Licenses and Certifications

• Registered Nurses, Current MA License
• AHA CPR required

Minimum Work Experience

• Experience handling crisis and emergency situations

Required Skills

• Good interpersonal skills. 
• Demonstrates mature professional behaviors, (i.e. tact, empathy, diplomacy). 
• Promotes a positive working environment. 
• Physical and mental health to meet the demands of the position.