Nurse Specialist

Position Summary:

The RN is responsible for delegating, coordinating, and managing all aspects of nursing care and services provided to the patient and family in a safe, timely, cost-effective, and respectful manner. Patient and family centered care is delivered in collaboration with the patient, family, and members of the health care team.

Core Behaviors

Dependability, Attendance and Punctuality.

a. Unscheduled absences and tardiness must be minimal.

b. Properly uses home clock and badges for clocking (if applicable).

c. Calls 2 hours prior to the start of a shift..

d. Demonstrates respect for others time by arriving on time.

e. Is ready to being work by scheduled start time.

Safety

a. Communication/Teamwork.

b. Safe working practices.

c. Respect for others and patient privacy/dignity.

d. Environment of Care/Employee safety/Emergency management.

e. Incident Reporting.

f. Promotion of safe practices and accident prevention.

g. Hand Hygiene

Compliance and Adherence to Policies, Procedures and Regulations

a. Demonstrates his/her knowledge and willingness to comply with all policies, procedures and regulations.

Organizational Priorities & Position-Specific Responsibilities / Performance Standards

List the major duties/key responsibilities of the position with details on how to achieve that responsibility. Classify each key responsibility under one of the UTMC Organizational Priorities: Service, Efficiency/Effectiveness or Quality/Safety.

Service

The Nurse Specialist is responsible for delegating, coordinating and managing all aspects of nursing care to the patients during diagnostic and interventional procedures in the Cardiovascular Interventional Center. Patient and family centered care is delivered in collaboration with the physician, patients, family and all CIC team members.

a. Provides prompt compassionate service that exceeds patient expectations following UTMC nursing professional practice model.

b. Patient and family advocate while maintaining appropriate therapeutic boundaries.

c. Treats others with honesty, courtesy, and respect.

d. Communicates with courtesy, clarity, and respect and keeps patients and families informed with regular updates.

e. Resolves interpersonal and interdepartmental issues/conflicts in a timely manner using effective resolution techniques.

f. Answers phone calls and patient call system with a pleasant tone and professional manner.

g. Answers and responds to calls in a timely manner.

h. Demonstrates an awareness of visitation restrictions and special precautions required to enter a patient's room.

i. Responds to patient inquiries appropriately, maintaining confidentiality and safety.

j. Unit meets customer service goal.

Efficiency and Effectiveness

Initiates the development of a plan of care based upon nursing assessment, medical diagnosis and clinical information gathered from the patient, family and other health care providers.

a. Develops plan of care with the patient, family, and appropriate members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team and based upon appropriate standards of care. b. Coordinates activities of all disciplines to implement the plan of care.

c. Patient and family education is initiated at admission, ongoing throughout stay, completed at discharge, and documented in Patient/Family Education.

d. Reviews monthly performance data as it relates to outcomes, expense, and customer service. Uses the scientific improvement methods outlined in the UT Production Model to identify opportunities for improvement.

The nurse promotes the effective and efficient allocation, distribution and use of unit, service-line, and organizational resources for the delivery of safe, timely, cost-effective and respectful patient care services.

a. Assists with staffing shortages in different departments of the CIC.

b. Monitors supply use and returns unused materials to appropriate place.

c. Maintains equipment function and participates in the most effective and efficient use.

d. Identifies waste and participates in process improvement.

e. Participates in recommending budget needs to include staffing pattern changes, equipment purchases, supply usage, etc and demonstrates an awareness of cost saving initiatives.

Quality and Safety

Collects comprehensive data pertinent to the patient's situation and prioritizes. Actions/interventions to address the patient's immediate, on-going, and long term needs, medical diagnosis, and priority goals of the plan of care.

a. Assists with admission, transfer and discharge of patients.

b. Reviews initial nursing assessment prior to assisting with procedures incorporating disease process, age-specific, and cultural knowledge.

c. Assures time-out is complete prior to procedure per hospital protocol.

Participates in time-out and verifies correct patient, correct procedure, and correct site prior to procedures.

d. Re-assessment is ongoing based upon patient needs, interventions, and expected outcomes.

e. Synthesizes available data and recognizes and reports abnormal findings to appropriate persons in a timely manner.

f. Handoffs are performed using the standardized approach of ISBAR (introduction, situation, background, assessment, recommendation) in a clear, concise, and accurate manner with an opportunity for questions from RN.

g. Nursing actions are based upon standards of care, assist the patient to achieve maximum health capabilities, and promote achievement of the best possible expected outcomes prior to discharging from procedure areas.

h. Patient and family education is based on readiness to learn, priorities of the patient's multi-disciplinary needs, utilization of appropriate resources and expected outcomes.

i. Nursing interventions demonstrate critical thinking and sound judgments based on the presenting data and a timely response based on the expected patient outcome and evidence-based standards of care as well as unit/organizational policies.

j. Nursing interventions are accurately documented in a clear, concise and timely manner.

Considers safety principles and practices to address unit-based issues related to the quality of care and services provided, the appropriate us of technology, and the efficiencies of service delivery.

a. Applies evidence based care to achieve national quality indicator goals including infection prevention, pressure ulcer prevention, fall reduction/elimination, core measures, national patient safety goal, etc.

b. Participates in patient tracers by performing chart reviews.

c. Submits administrative/incident reports when appropriate.

d. Seeks out appropriate resources in identifying and resolving ethical decisions/dilemmas.

e. Identifies, communicate, and resolves patient care, unit and/or organizational issues in a timely manner with the appropriate documentation.

f. Participates in the identification, data collection, analysis/evaluation, and presentation of those aspects of care and service delivery important for quality monitoring and safety.

g. Incorporates Quality Improvement and Performance Improvement findings into the delivery of patient care services.

Continues professional growth and development.

a. Participates in annual performance review with self-appraisal, peer review, and professional goal setting.

b. Participates in Shared Governance activities and initiatives via Unit-Based Council.

c. Attends staff meetings, nursing committees, nursing grand rounds, and performance improvement meetings, in-services, training programs and/or committees promoting the organization mission, vision, and values.

Evaluates the patient's actual and/or potential response to the disease process, interventions, and the outcomes of nursing care and multidisciplinary health care services.

a. Demonstrates critical thinking skills, the ability to prioritize and evaluate the appropriateness of the patient's response to diagnostics, medical treatments and nursing interventions.

b. Evaluates the patient's response to medical and nursing interventions as well as the disease process.

c. Directs the re-assessment, re-ordering of priorities, and revisions in the plan of care.

d. Involves the patient and family in evaluation of the effectiveness of the plan of care.

e. Discharges patient adequately and promptly.

Incorporates evidence-based research in the delivery of professional nursing services.

a.Integrates evidence-based research findings into the development of unit based policies and procedures.

b. Participates in unit based research projects.

c. Nursing care is consistent with appropriate evidence based research.

Provides nursing care specific to population served needs.

a. Recognizes age-related/cultural variations in assessment data and other patient information and reports abnormalities appropriately.

b. Responds to patient need for diversionary activity considering age, developmental stage, and health status every shift.

Responds appropriately to emergency situations or unplanned events.

a. Responds appropriately during emergent patient situations.

b. Assists with falls prevention activities on the nursing area, responding quickly as appropriate to enhance patient safety.

Marginal Responsibilities

Cleans equipment and patient care areas.

Restocks supplies.

Transports patients to and from other departments.

Evaluates new products and equipment.

Enters physician orders into computer system.

Participates on nursing, hospital, and medical staff committees.

Uses all computer programs adequately.

Participates in the development and trial of protocols and programs related to patient and family care and services.

Essential Functions

The essential functions are those functions that the team member who holds the position must be able to perform unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation. The term "essential functions" does not include marginal functions of the position.

The performance of key responsibilities must meet expectations as defined in the performance standards of this position description.

Regular and reliable attendance is an essential function. A team member who does not meet attendance standards outlined in the Personnel Policy, Attendance and Tardiness, is not qualified for this position.

Ability to report for work in a condition to perform job responsibilities and essential functions in a safe and productive manner.

Ability to meet the physical requirements for the position.

Ability to get along with others and consistently engage in and promote positive interactions in the workplace.

Regular and reliable attendance is an essential function. A team member who does not meet attendance standards outlined in the Personnel Policy, Attendance and Tardiness, is not qualified for this position.

The performance of key responsibilities must meet expectations as defined in the performance standards of this position description.

Ability to meet the physical requirements for the position.

Ability to get along with others and consistently engage in and promote positive interactions in the workplace.

Ability to report for work in a condition to perform job responsibilities and essential functions in a safe and productive manner.

This position requires call approximately of 1 time per month.

Position Qualification:

1 year

Required

Minimum of one year critical care or Emergency Room experience. Participates in emergency call and arrive within 30 minutes of notification.

Years of Experience can be related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Licensure, Certification, Registration

RN

Registered Nurse in the state of Tennessee or Multi-State Compact License

BLS

Basic Life Support

ACLS

Advanced Cardiac Life Support