Acute Care Charge Nurse

Facility: Douglas Hospital

Job Summary:

The RN Clinical Charge Nurse is responsible for directing and overseeing the daily activities of the unit on an assigned shift to assure successful safe delivery of care. The Charge Nurse is a caregiver and often takes modified patient care assignment. They practice in a clinical environment that is administered by Nurse Managers and other leaders and is supported through the WellStar Shared Governance Model. The framework for practice is steered by the WellStar Professional Nursing Practice Model and evidence based practice and research. RN competencies are derived from these models and supported by the WellStar Core Competencies.
The RN Clinical Charge Nurse is a proactive member of an interdisciplinary team of licensed and unlicensed care givers who ensure that patients, families and significant others receive individualized high quality, safe patient care. Expectations of practice include: accountability; responsibility and authority for the practice of nursing; effective teamwork; delegation; communication; respect; personal development; and development of team members.
The role contributes to the establishment and maintenance of practices that ensure excellence in patient care, provides for the efficient use of resources, and undertakes leadership task such as staff schedules, unit patient flow, subject matter expertise for clinical concerns, physician rounding, committee involvement, survey readiness, and other task as assigned by the manager, which are basic to the department's ability to function in a smooth and effective manner.
The RN Clinical Charge Nurse is a resource to other areas opportunity to learn about operational functionality and hospital/facility awareness. He/she is assists in the growth and development of team members in the unit to help build department skills sets and to inspire expertise. This leader brings with him or her ability to build rapport between nurses and physicians to continue service to the patients and is a role model to others.
It is expected that all RN Clinical Charge Nurses are licensed, knowledgeable and uphold the practice of nursing as outlined by the Georgia Professional Nurse Practice Act and implements the Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics Standards put forth by the American Nurses Association. As a member of the patient services team, it is expected the individual upholds the voice of the patient, system policies and procedures while supporting service excellence goals. She/he possesses (advanced) clinical expertise and utilizes this expertise to support and promote the delivery of safe, age appropriate and culturally aware patient care and serves as a partner in care.

Core Responsibilities and Essential Functions:

Exemplary Practice and Outcomes
- Rounds on every patient daily to evaluate quality and appropriateness of patient care including corrective action when needed utilizing peer coaching and accountability.
- Performs or provides oversight for the Nursing Process (assessment; diagnosis; identification of outcomes; planning; implementation and evaluation) in the performance of clinical care using evidence base practice; analytical/critical thinking insuring that care is individualized; coordinating care through effective partnerships; caring is central to achieve optimal patient care outcomes.
- Provides or provides oversight for relationship based care delivery patient-centered care by partnering with the patient and significant others (as appropriate) using comprehensive hand-off communication processes; interdisciplinary evaluation and communication (i.e., unit rounds, case reviews, peer review, etc.); just in time and planned patient teaching; keeping the patient informed using appropriate communication tools and making the patients goals the focus of the plan of care.
- Practices using current clinical practice standards with a focus on safety and quality .
- Within the Emergency Department Setting: Charge Nurse rounds on patients in a modified method in conjunction with nurses to focus on patient safety concerns and patient care. Teamwork and Collaboration
- Communicates with nurse manager and/or assistant nurse manager any needs or concerns pertaining to care delivery or employee performance.
- Coordinates the delivery and documentation of safe quality patient care which includes promotion of interdisciplinary communication and regular interdisciplinary planning/rounds; completion of timely documentation and promotion of a respectful, inclusive clinical environment (Interdisciplinary rounds do not apply in the Emergency Services setting).
- Demonstrates teamwork and collaboration by practicing in a manner that is fiscally responsible and promotes the recruitment and retention of all healthcare team members.
- Participates and supports performance improvement inclusive of all stakeholders, research and research utilization to promote safe, quality patient care including initiating and/or leading such activities as well as, promoting an inter/intra-disciplinary processes and actively supports/participates in shared governance at all levels in the system. Professional Development
- Ensures patient/family/staff confidentiality and corporate compliance for self (and accountability for team members) requirements including completing all required mandatory education and proficiencies.
- Serves as a preceptor (or mentor) for other professional nurses (and staff or students for all disciplines) to ensure that there is a current and future qualified workforce; modeling the professional practice of nursing and creating a healthy work environment. Evidence Based Practice and Research
- Promotes Evidence based practice, nursing research and performance improvement in nursing. Participates in activities such as value analysis as part of the decision making process in evaluating patient care products.
- Upholds all health care system/organizational policies and procedures and clinical competencies put forth by this job description and professional.association including legal, regulatory and accreditation requirements and standards ensuring by way of example, such goals as TJC Patient Safety Goals and WellStar Health Systems safety absolutes.
- Participates in data collection, poses relevant clinical questions to advance evidence based practice. Consults appropriate experts and uses appropriate resources, data, and evidence to address practice questions. Resources and Support
- Monitors equipment inventory, location and utilization to ensure staff have tools and equipment needed to perform their job.
- Participates in planning and requesting resources for providing high quality care and assists in acquiring appropriate staffing during unexpected staffing shortages or surges in census.
- Proactively plans for the care of patients across the care continuum in the course of giving direct patient care. Participates in the development of protocols and procedures when called upon or through self-initiation in collaboration with care managers and other members of the health care team to achieve best practice outcomes (i.e., decrease in re-admission rates; avoidable days; adverse events; etc). Tactical Responsibilities
- Make Patient Assignments.
- Consideration for new grads, float and type of patient.
- Daily Discharge/Length of Stay Review.
- Round with Physicians/Surgeons.
- Assign Surgery Beds In Conjunction with Surgery Schedule.
- Consult with Supervisor Nursing Administration (House Supervisor) on Bed Flow and Availability.
- Emergency Services: Assignments for sections, manage waiting room, multiple areas open at different times.

Required Minimum Education:

Graduate of an accredited/approved school of nursing as and Associate Degree/Diploma Nurse Required or
Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited school of nursing Preferred

Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s):

All certifications are required upon hire unless otherwise stated.

Basic Life Support or BLS - Instructor
Reg Nurse (Single State) or RN - Multi-state Compact

Additional License(s) and Certification(s):

Required Minimum Experience:

Minimum 1 year nursing experience Required or
Minimum 2 years Preferred and
Experience as relief charge with clinical expertise Preferred

Required Minimum Skills: