RN - NICU

Job Title: RN - NICU
Job Location: San Antonio, TX
Job Duration: 2-3 Months (Possibilities of Extension)
Shift: 7:00PM - 7:00AM
Summary:

• The competent Nurse, in the same or similar clinical setting, practices independently and demonstrates an awareness of all relevant aspects of a situation.
• Provides routine and complex care, with the ability to on long-range goals or plans.
• Continues to develop the ability to cope with and manage contingencies of clinical nursing.
• Makes appropriate assignments and delegates to other care providers as a means to help manage the clinical situation.

Responsibilities:

• Consistent with the ANA Product and Standards of Practice, provides nursing care utilizing the nursing process, including assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention and evaluation for assigned patients.
• Addresses increasingly complex psychological, emotional, cultural, and social needs of patient and families in accordance with their level of practice.
• Using the appropriate protocol, administers medications and treatments; monitors for side-effects and effectiveness of the treatment prescribed.
• Documents patient history, symptoms, medication, and care given.
• Assess learning needs and provides education to patients, family members and/or care givers; identify issues and resources.

CORE COMPETENCIES:
Standard I: Utilizes the Nursing Process:

• Uses critical thinking skills to assess the basic physical, psychosocial, social, cultural, spiritual, and development needs of patient and families
• Communicates findings to appropriate healthcare team members
• Develops and uses a specific plan of care and modifies it to meet individual patient needs using evidence-based practice
• Implements patient care and therapeutic procedures; monitors and documents progression of treatment and teaching goals
• Evaluates the care and treatment(s) provided to the patient and the patient response to the care and treatment(s)
• Performs timely reassessment and documentation
• Must be able to perform unit-specific competencies based on the specific patient care need for the designated unit's patient population.

Standard II. Patient Throughput & Patient Flow Process:

• Anticipates and plans for admission/discharge/transfer needs to facilitate patient flow.
• Utilizes appropriate systems of communication and tools to facilitate the discharge process.
• Coaches on tools and techniques for checking, cross checking and validating orders to. ensure accuracy.

Standard III. Unit Operations:

• Plans, directs, and evaluates the overall nursing care and functions in a particular nursing unit during an assigned shift.
• Demonstrates good stewardship in proper use and maintenance of equipment and Supplies
• Assesses departmental staffing needs; actively participates in resourcing efforts.
• Educates and trains others on the operations, ethics, and regulations within the industry.

Standard IV. Safe Practice/Quality Care/Regulations:

• Incorporates patient safety practices/guidelines to promote a safe environment resulting in positive patient outcomes.
• Demonstrates accountability for nursing research and quality improvement activities.
• Provides evidence-based nursing care.
• Communicates patient information effectively across the continuum of care.
• Educates and trains others on the operations, ethics, and regulations within the industry.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local healthcare-related laws and regulations; ability to comply with these in healthcare practices and activities.

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

1. Clinical Policies and Standards:

• Follows a specific set of standards and associated clinical procedures
• Analyzes policy and standards documentation and ensures organizational compliance
• Provides feedback for improvement of procedures
• Assists in the development and implementation of specific procedures
• Works with control and monitoring mechanisms, tools and techniques

2. Health Information Documentation:

• Shares experiences with maintaining paper and electronic patient documentation
• Walk through the steps and procedures for receiving, validating and updating patient records
• Describes the flow of information between various stations or units
• Discusses the functions, features and document flow of electronic documentation
• Transcribes verbal orders; explains techniques for ensuring their accuracy
• Explains health information documentation best practices and their rationale across health care practices

3. Medical Equipment:

• Describes experience with basic medical equipment used in own unit or facility
• Uses standard diagnostic tools and techniques to resolves common equipment problems
• Educates patients about the appropriate use of home medical equipment
• Ensures that all equipment and related supplies are in proper working order prior to use to ensure patient safety
• Inspects, troubleshoots and evaluates incoming equipment

4. Medical Order Processing:

• Shares experiences with processing medical orders for one or more groups of patients or conditions
• Describes functions and features of the system used to enter, validate, update and forward medical orders
• Discusses common errors, their sources and procedures for correcting
• Explains considerations for entering and following standing orders
• Differentiates between standing orders and preprinted orders and considerations for each

5. Patient Chart Reading and Interpretation:

• Describes experiences in reading and interpreting patient charts for patients on unit and under own care.
• Reviews patients’ charts for completion and accuracy; identifies and alerts to mistakes or omissions.
• Recognizes unexpected readings and alerts nursing or medical staff.
• Relates examples of mis-readings or misinterpretations and lessons learned.
• Reviews, discusses and validates own interpretation with others.

6. Patient Safety:

• Shares experiences with ensuring safety for one or more patient groups or settings.
• Explains key features of safety guidelines and procedures for those groups and settings.
• Listens and responds to safety inquiries from patients and family members.
• Recognizes and addresses physiological and psychological signs of problems.
• Describes considerations for patients who can cause to harm to self, versus harm to others.
• Utilizes appropriate systems to document misses and near misses, participates in immediate investigating, analysis and reporting in real-time.

Job Requirements:

1. Education/Skills:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, preferred.

2. Experience:

• 1 year of experience in the related nursing specialty preferred.

3. Licenses, Registrations, or Certifications:

• BLS required.
• RN License in state of employment or compact.

Position Requirements:

1. Education/Skills:

• All newly hired experienced RNs must attend New Nurses Orientation within the first 30 days of hire.
• New hires are precepted by a designated trained staff member and initial on-boarding requirements are validated through successful completion of the designated organizational entry competency validation and a Perinatal Department-specific competency validation.
• Completion of all annual competency verification requirements.

2. Experience:

• Perinatal RN Residency, or recently practicing in a Perinatal Setting is preferred.

3. Licenses, Registrations, or Certifications:

• Current STABLE (Post-resuscitation/Pre-transport Stabilization Care of Sick Infants) certification from one of the following courses: Participant, Lead Instructor, or Support Instructor at the time of hire for experienced nurses.
• If previously uncertified, certification must be obtained within 30 days of hire as they cannot practice independently without it.
• For new graduates and experienced nurses new to the specialty, certification must be obtained within 4 months of hire and maintained thereafter.
• Current NRP certification at time of hire for experienced nurses; within 60 days for new graduates and experienced nurses new to the specialty then required to maintain certification thereafter.