Charge Nurse

At Houston Methodist, the Charge Nurse II Operating Room (OR) Department Premium ADN position is a licensed professional Registered Nurse (RN), who, as an experienced clinician, functions at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benners model of clinical practice. This position coordinates interdepartmental communication with all those involved in the care delivered to our diverse patient population (i.e., Anesthesia Board Runner, Sterile Processing staff, Pre-op, PACU, Bed Control Perfusionists, ICU, Monitoring, and Cell Savers) as well as creates an environment for the management and delivery of safe patient care. In addition to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a clinical nurse, the Charge Nurse II OR Department Premium ADN position is a role model and assists in coaching and mentoring department staff in areas of clinical and professional practice. Role modeling compassionate communication with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, the Charge Nurse II OR Department Premium ADN position assumes leadership responsibilities with high level contributions in the unit, service line, and across the institution. Responsibilities for this position may include but are not limited to leading unit and shared governance activities, assessing unit needs related to practice and improvement opportunities, serving as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff and coordinating unit and hospital-wide education in partnership with management.

This job code is reserved for RNs who are dedicated to the OR departments only.

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Accurately and clearly communicates information regarding the OR schedule and staffing resource needs. Reviews next day OR schedule and works with the management team to make room assignments based on skill and knowledge. Communicates with staff concerning changes in their assignment, taking into consideration staff competency. Reassigns staff to another room as appropriate, directly informing staff or their manager.

• Ensures students, new medical students, residents, and visitors, etc. have been appropriately processed/credentialed accordingly. Maintains constant awareness that observers and visitors do not scrub, escalating issues as they arise.

• Fosters staff engagement by demonstrating active listening, requesting, and acknowledging feedback, making equitable decisions, providing rationale when appropriate, and supporting organizational goals. Anticipates the needs of the staff members and proactively offers assistance. Role models interprofessional communication, which includes active listening and teaching, and assists with staff stress management as needed. Improves department scores for employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Leads the patient and family-centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Practices in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles. Proactively recognizes, determines a plan of action, and responds to situations, such as emergency codes.

• Coordinates activities that align the surgeon and their schedule for efficiency and effectiveness by going to rooms and communicating with the surgeon and staff assigned as to the projection for time to send for the next patient. Communicates and discusses information with Anesthesia board runner and staff assigned to to-follow case.

• Confers with the Lead in Sterile Processing/Materials Management to ensure all cases are pulled and all equipment, instrumentation, and supplies are available for scheduled cases and any appropriate resources are ready for use.

• Maintains ongoing interactions with entire care team, and patients and families as appropriate, throughout the perioperative experience, on improvement of patient care through consistent rounding, as needed. Drives department service standards and activities to improve department score for patient satisfaction, through role modeling and fostering accountability.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Models the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document by actively participating in continuous improvement environment initiatives to improve quality and safety scores on the unit and hospital scorecards, through peer-to-peer accountability, using teachable moments, reporting near misses, and identifying solutions by collaborating with the interprofessional team promoting situational awareness.

• Coordinates OR flow throughout the shift considering staff skill level and safety to ensure that duty to patients can be met. Reviews surgery schedule the day prior and at the beginning of the shift, delegating appropriately with Sterile Processing Department (SPD) team. Informs staff, anesthesia, and surgeon of any issues.

• Facilitates seamless patient flow to/from/through the department by providing an accurate report to oncoming OR Charge Nurse or upcoming on-call staff, ensuring all emergency add-on cases are posted on the schedule, anticipating any changes to schedule, communicating to OR staff and to all involved department. Role models the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Reviews the OR schedule on a regular ongoing basis with Anesthesia board runner and interprofessional health care team, determining room availability, to maximize productive use of operating rooms.

• Ensures staff have checked their rooms and removed what is not needed and that restocking has occurred. Holds assigned staff accountable for restocking. Oversees shift by shift resource utilization through the allocation of staff, supplies and contributions to the patient throughput.

• Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and encourages others to do the same through timely documentation of care, optimizing efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime, and other areas according to department specifications.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Encourages identification and implementation of innovative solutions for practice changes to improve patient care or unit operations such as reduction of hospital readmissions or other department-specific measures by leading and/or participating in unit projects and shared governance activities. Incorporates evidence-based practices which are presented to shared governance and leadership. Supports change initiatives and adapts to unexpected changes.

• Identifies and assumes responsibility of own learning needs and seeks continuing education opportunities to meet those needs. Develops and disseminates, as appropriate, informational/educational resources and programs designed to improve quality and professional practice Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Graduate of education program approved by the credentialing body for the required credential(s) indicated below in the Certificates, Licenses and Registrations section

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Two years operating room nursing experience with demonstration of progressive leadership skills

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure and/or Compact State Licensure within 90 days or
• RN-Temp - Registered Nurse - Temporary State Licensure within 90 days and
• BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA) and
• ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support (AHA) and
• PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support (AHA) or
• NRP - Neonatal Resuscitation -- as defined by unit/service line and
• CNOR - Certified Operating Room Nurse (CCI) -- through National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) or American Board for Specialty Nursing Certification (ABSNC) within 6 months

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Strong assessment, organizational and problem-solving skills as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components

• Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team and patients and their families

• Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act

• Demonstrates proficient time management skills

• Demonstrates highly developed assessment skills; contributes to policies, procedure, and protocols

• Has knowledge of department Dashboard and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores

• Demonstrates expertise in operating the electronic medical record

• Ability to circulate and scrub surgical cases as required per assigned Operating Room

• Ability to remain calm in the presence of emergency situations and manage the emergent situation

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs Yes
• Business professional No
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL
Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL
Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Company Profile:

Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital is a Magnet-recognized, not-for-profit, faith-based hospital that serves the growing Northwest Houston community. With 358 licensed beds, Houston Methodist Willowbrook is committed to providing quality, cost-effective health care in a compassionate environment for a full range of services, including emergency care, cardiology, orthopedics and sports medicine, comprehensive women’s services, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, and primary and general medicine.

Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer inclusive of women, minorities, disabled persons and veterans.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractor – priority referral Protected Veterans requested.

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