Charge Nurse

ESSENTIAL JOB RESULTS:

Leadership Responsibilities:

* Coordinate staffing with leadership to include daily weekly, and monthly medical assistant assignments to ensure patient care activities are completed.
* Collaborates with care team to deliver care to patients by following the nursing process assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcomes, planning implementation and evaluation. This includes assessing the urgency of patients' medical needs and acquiring the appropriate appointment as needed.
* The charge registered nurse is responsible to ensure that the medical assistants are clinically competent and understand their roles and responsibilities in the context of a patient centered medical home.
* Address any areas of concern with medical assistants.
* Conducts periodic meetings with medical assistants to provide information and resolve problems.
* Serves as liaisons and effectively communicates between providers, providers, patients, front office, pharmacy, medical records, referrals, behavioral health, medical assistants, and practice managers.
* Rounds to ensure that medical assistants are following processes to closes gaps of care, and the "Patient Care Medical Home" (PCMH) model, and that the medical care is coordinated to include referrals, testing, follow-up, and services with other organizations.
* Serves as a resource to all by educating team members with knowledge, and tools to deliver safe quality care.
* Handles escalating situations between patients and health care team.
* Evaluating, over see training for new medical assistants and meeting with preceptors and orientee weekly. Write weekly narrative of orientee and communicate with DON or designee.
* Maintain clinic inventory such as medication, medical supplies, medical equipment, and vaccines.
* Submit pharmacy, equipment, medical supply orders.
* Understand the Vaccine for Children (VFC) program


* Oversee and audit weekly and monthly assignments per organization policies.
* Ensures facilities are clean, follow proper disposal procedures for hazardous materials and biological fluids by following set guidelines.
* In conjunction with the nursing support staff team leader, ensure all medical equipment and all quality control logs and all other logs are completed in an appropriate and timely manner.
* Serve on committees as needed or assigned.

Communication Skills:

* Attempts to resolve patient complaints or issues in real-time, if necessary informs Nurse Leadership or practice manager, when potential problem is communicated by patient regarding physician-patient relationship or regarding patient concern with care rendered.
* Provides explanation to patient and/or family regarding treatment plan.
* Initiate referral to in-house and community support services and utilize standing order for Community Health Worker or behavioral health services. Coordinate for patient appointment scheduling as needed.
* Demonstrate appropriate telephone techniques.
* Communicate healthcare provider orders to pharmacies and other healthcare facilities.
* Maintain a current knowledge of office procedures, pertinent laboratory / diagnostic testing facilities' regulations and nursing responsibilities through review of memos, policy & procedures, established protocols, nursing practice, etc. Write routine reports and correspondence. Read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operation and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, etc.
* Communicate new policy & procedures, changes that affect the nursing department.
* Identifies strengths and weaknesses in own work to improve work performance. Remains aware of goals set annually and works toward accomplishing those goals.

Patient Care:

* Conduct patient triage/assessment following SH protocols, ask questions about current symptoms, medical history, and medications. Work closely with providers and or providers to complete a deep understanding of the patient's current medical needs.
* Provide a variety of direct patient care:
* Wound care, IV starts, foley management, suture, and staple removal,
* Nasopharyngeal swabbing,
* Streptococcus A, INR, glucose, vital signs
* Administrating different medications or treatments
* Observation of signs and symptoms of illness, reactions to treatment, general behavior, or general physical condition and determination of whether these exhibit abnormal findings: and based on this determination, the implementation of appropriate reporting, or referrals per protocols, or the handling of medical emergencies as recommended by the registered nurse scope of practice.
* Perform in-clinic and telephone triages.
* Perform patient assessment to evaluate situation.
* Prioritize patient care and interventions. Collaborate with medical professionals to provide medical treatment as appropriate.


* Prepare and assist patient with completing appropriate forms as needed.
* Prepare and maintain safe and clean examination and treatment areas.
* Prepare patients examination room and assist with routine and specialties examinations.
* Prepare patient examination room for and assist with procedures, treatments, and minor office surgery.
* Apply pharmaceutical principles to prepare and administer oral, parenteral and nebulizer medications per healthcare provider orders.
* Maintain medication and immunization records.
* Provide first aid / CPR as required until healthcare provider/emergency personnel arrives.
* Coordinate community health activities and serves as a liaison health professional between the home, outside medical services, and the community.
* Provide education to patients as needed.

Legal Concepts:

Identify and respond to issues of confidentiality. Perform within legal and ethical boundaries. Establish and maintain the medical record. Document appropriately, accurately and completely. Maintain, on an ongoing basis, accurate and up to date quality assurance logs.

Participates in continuing nursing education to maintain current nursing standards of patient care and education, within skill level and scope of practice.

Operational Functions:

Perform an inventory of medications, supplies and equipment. Maintain stock through appropriate ordering and disposal. Perform routine maintenance / quality control checks of appropriate clinical equipment. Report any malfunctioning/in-operable equipment to appropriate personnel.

Float to other sites as scheduled. Accomplish additional duties as requested or volunteering.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Individual must be able to perform medical office duties which he/she is capable of by virtue of appropriate training and with the scope and limits of the nursing practice, perform each essential duty listed above satisfactorily and with professionalism and courtesy to others, able to effectively and efficiently organize and carry out workload. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

* Must be able to obtain a fingerprint clearance card. If not already obtained, Fingerprint Clearance card application must be submitted within 5 business days of employment.
* Must be able to successfully pass a background check and a health and drug screen.

EDUCATION/LICENSES/EXPERIENCE:

* Degree or diploma as Registered Nurse from an Accredited School of Nursing.
* Current Arizona or compact state R.N. Licensure
* Active CPR card.
* Prefer three years of experience as a registered nurse in primary care ambulatory medicine or

other nursing field.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Bilingual in English and Spanish required.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Ability to add, subtracts, multiply, and divides in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Able to calculate and utilize Math for Medication use.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Must be mature in personal interactions and possess ability to work well with the public and coworkers. Must keep all medical and personal information strictly confidential. Work in stressful situations in a calm, professional and competent manner. Use a computer and various software applications.