Job Description * Job Summary * Independently assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates the nursing care of patients from admission through discharge. In collaboration with the patient and family, provides theory-based professional nursing care and coordinates care delivery with the physician and other members of the healthcare team. * Minimum Qualifications * Education/Training * Valid RN license in the State of Maryland. * * Experience * 1 year RN experience. * * License/Certification/Registration * CPR certification. * * Knowledge, Skills & Abilities * Demonstrated ability to precept. Demonstrated high level of clinical competence. Effective interpersonal skills, including verbal and written communication. Basic math skills. Basic computer skill preferred. * Primary Duties and Responsibilities * Communicates patient's clinical information clearly and accurately in verbal and written format. Clearly and accurately documents pertinent information in the patient's medical record. Consistently demonstrates effective documentation practices and develops strategies to ensure complete documentation of patient care. * Completes timely initial and ongoing patient assessments, considering the physiological, psychosocial, spiritual, cultural, and developmental needs of patients and families. Serves as resource in planning evidence based care for complex patients. Based on assessment of physical, emotional, biophysical, and spiritual needs provides direct patient care and evaluates outcomes. Incorporates the principles of patient-centered care. * Contributes to optimal patient outcomes as coordinator of a unit-based health care team. Supervises the provision of nursing care to assigned patients. Consistently demonstrates effective leadership behavior. Maintains patient privacy and confidentiality. Facilitates collaboration among other health team members fostering effective communication with other disciplines. Introduced to precepting. Delegates appropriately to peers. * Contributes to the achievement of established department goals and objectives and adheres to department policies, procedures, quality standards and safety standards. Complies with governmental and accreditation regulations. * Demonstrates ability to do an evidenced based literature search and identify resources in the organization to explore evidence-based questions. Explores practice questions by doing an evidence-based literature search and can identify resources in the organization which assist the identification of valid data sources. * Evaluates the patient's response to treatment and progress toward identified goals and revises plan of care as appropriate. Monitors medical condition, intervenes using critical thinking, and reports patient changes to appropriate personnel. Initiates and monitors discharge planning activities in collaboration with other members of the health care team. Takes the lead in facilitating timely discharge. Learns how to critique care provided to improve patient satisfaction. * Fiscal Responsibility: Call staff off during low volume/census or participates in decision-making by supporting decisions to call off/cancel extra staff. Utilizes Square Shifts to proactively fill difficult shifts and decrease agency usage. Ensures ParX compliance. * Identifies health teaching needs of patients and families. Develops, implements, and evaluates a health teaching program to meet the identified needs. Effectively uses and adapts a variety of teaching resources in meeting he learning needs of patient/families. * In collaboration with the patient, family, and other members of the health care team, systematically develops, revises, and coordinates the patient's plan of care. Formulates nursing diagnosis as necessary. Assists others in developing, revising, and coordinating patient's plan of care. Identifies and prioritizes coordination of care. * In coordinating the delivery of patient care, delegates activities to unlicensed staff in accordance with MedStar/facility policies, principles of Patient-Centered Care, and the Maryland Nurse Practice Act. Supervises the performance of the delegated nursing task by the unlicensed staff. Assists staff in delegation/time management skills. Identifies ways to facilitate working relationships among all levels of staff. * Maintains a safe and therapeutic environment of caring for patients and families. Provides basic patient comfort measures. When necessary, provides environmental support to expedite timely patient admission or transfer. Identifies and acts upon opportunities to improve the environment of care. Provides for the emotional support of patients and families during the crisis of illness. Models patient/family advocacy. Proactively uses clinical skills to exercise safe patient care. * Must obtain 5 contact hours from a nationally approved provider within the past year. * Participates in meetings and on committees and represents the department and hospital in community outreach efforts as required. *