Wound Care Specialist

Job Title: Wound Care Specialist

Description

Essential Job Functions

• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending education workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies.
• Assure quality of care by adhering to therapeutic standards, measuring health outcomes against patient care goals and standards, making or recommending necessary adjustments, and following system/hospital and nursing division's philosophies and standards of care set by state board of nursing, state nurse practice act, and other governing agency regulations.
• Protect patients and employees by adhering to infection-control policies and protocols, medication administration and storage procedures, and controlled substance regulations.
• Document patient care services by charting in patient and department records.
• Maintain continuity among nursing teams by documenting and communicating actions, irregularities, and continuing needs using Nurse Knowledge Exchange techniques.
• Maintain patient confidence and protects operations by keeping information confidential.
• Identify patient care requirements by establishing personal rapport with potential and actual patients, and other persons in a position to understand care requirements.
• Establish a compassionate environment by providing emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to patients, friends, and families.
• Promote patient's independence by establishing patient care goals, teaching patient/family to understand condition, medications, and self-care skills, and answering questions.
• Resolve patient problems and needs by utilizing multidisciplinary team strategies.
• Maintain a cooperative relationship among health care teams by communicating information, responding to requests, building rapport, and participating in team continuous quality improvement and problem-solving methods.
• Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
• Ensure operation of equipment by completing preventive maintenance requirements by following manufacturer's instructions, troubleshooting malfunctions, calling for repairs, maintaining equipment inventories, and evaluating new equipment and techniques.
• Maintain nursing supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level, anticipating needed supplies, placing and expediting orders for supplies, verifying receipt of supplies, and using equipment and supplies as needed to accomplish job results.
• Cognitive ability to function and concentrate on the essential and specialty functions of the job at a high level.
• Achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing an essential or specialty function of the job.
• Ability to think and concentrate for an entire shift.

Specialty Job Functions

• Perform patient assessments according to agency standards in order to identify patient health problems and learning needs.
• Manage conditions such as stomas, draining wounds, fistulas, vascular ulcers, pressure ulcers, neuropathic diabetic ulcers and functional disorders of the bowel and bladder.
• Perform treatment and other procedures under physician's orders and according to agency policy/procedures including Universal Precautions, Infection Control and Safety.
• Consult with and refer patients/families to appropriate DME/agencies as needed.
• Independently document patient care, teaching and responses according to agency standards, legal and regulatory requirements within reimbursement guidelines.
• Utilize a holistic approach in problem solving and planning patient care.
• Active role in supply management.
• Coordinate with all vendors and Home Care/Hospice staff to formulate/implement an effective formulary.
• Utilize supplies and equipment in a fiscally responsible manner.
• Understand the Hospice philosophy and perform care accordingly to enhance the quality of life of the terminally ill patient.
• Maintain and demonstrate an understanding of the Hospice benefit and comply with regulatory conditions of participation.
• Educate patients/families regarding the care needs at the end-of-life, including palliative care measures.
• Function as a core member of the Interdisciplinary Group to develop a plan of care that addresses the physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of the terminally ill patient and their family.
• Provide direct and indirect supervision of personal care provided by the Home Health Aide in the patient's home in accordance with federal regulation and accrediting bodies.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Nursing Program required.
• Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent thinking and decision-making ability, analytical problem solving skills, sound judgment, excellent oral and written communication skills, must be able to function in a team environment, and knowledge of legal aspects and liability of nursing practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• One (1) year experience in a hospital, skilled nursing facility, or a home health agency.
• Wound Care Experience. Completion of a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing.

License, Certification & Clearances

• Current licensure to practice as a Registered Nurse in the State of Pennsylvania required.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) approved curriculum of the American Heart Association (CPR and AED) program required.
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance
• Valid Pennsylvania Driver's License (if out of state hire current Department of Motor Vehicle record report required and obtain PA Current Driver License within 30 days of hire).
• Wound Care Certification thru WANC, WOCN, CANCC within 1 year.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities, but may serve as a coach and mentor for other positions in the department.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Regular, consistent, on-site and timely attendance.
• Incumbent will be scheduled based on operational need (rotate shifts, standby, on-call, etc.).
• Travel may be expected locally between Excela Health locations.

LEAN

• Actively promotes a Lean work culture by performing team member duties to encourage consistent use of LEAN principles and processes, including continually seeking work process improvements. Recognizes the necessity of taking ownership of one's own motivation, morale, performance and professional development. Strives for behavior consistent with being committed to Excela's missions, vision and values.

AAP/EEO

• Excela Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Excela Health to prohibit discrimination of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, non-job related disability, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other protected class. Excela Health will conform to the spirit as well as the letter of all applicable laws and regulations.

Work Environment

• Effective March 2020 or during pandemic: goggles, face shield and mask are required according to CDC guidelines
• When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required.

Physical Condition

• Essential – Absolute Necessity.
• Marginal – Minimal Necessity.
• Constantly – 5.5 to 8 hours or more or 200 reps/shift.
• Frequently – 2.5 to 5.5 hours or more or 32-200 reps/shift.
• Occasionally – 0.25 to 2.5 hours or 2-32 reps/shift.
• Rarely – Less than 0.25 hours or less than 2 reps/shift.

Physical Demands

• When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required.

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