Advanced Patient Care Specialist

Christus Health is seeking an Advanced Patient Care Specialist to join our team. This role will provide routine and complex care, with the ability to plan for long-range goals or plans. The ideal candidate will continue to develop the ability to cope with and manage contingencies of clinical nursing.

• We are looking for a skilled nurse who meets the expectations of applicable OneCHRISTUS Competencies: Leader of Self, Leader of Others, or Leader of Leaders.
• This position involves providing nursing care utilizing the nursing process, including assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention and evaluation for assigned patients.
• The successful candidate will address increasingly complex psychological, emotional, cultural, and social needs of patient and families in accordance with their level of practice.
• Duties include administering medications and treatments; monitoring for side-effects and effectiveness of the treatment prescribed.
• Responsibilities also include documenting patient history, symptoms, medication, and care given.
• We are looking for a nurse who can assess learning needs and provide education to patients, family members and/or care givers; identify issues and resources.

This position utilizes critical thinking skills to assess the basic physical, psychosocial, social, cultural, spiritual, and development needs of patient and families.

• The successful candidate will communicate findings to appropriate healthcare team members.
• This role involves developing and using a specific plan of care and modifying it to meet individual patient needs using evidence-based practice.
• Responsibilities also include implementing patient care and therapeutic procedures; monitoring and documents progression of treatment and teaching goals.
• The ideal candidate will evaluate the care and treatment(s) provided to the patient and the patient response to the care and treatment(s).
• We are looking for a nurse who can perform timely reassessment and documentation.
• This position may involve performing unit-specific competencies based on the specific patient care need for the designated unit's patient population.

The successful candidate will anticipate and plan for admission/discharge/transfer needs to facilitate patient flow.

• Duties include utilizing appropriate systems of communication and tools to facilitate the discharge process.
• We are looking for a nurse who can coach on tools and techniques for checking, cross checking and validating orders to ensure accuracy.

This role plans, directs, and evaluates the overall nursing care and functions in a particular nursing unit during an assigned shift.

• The successful candidate will demonstrate good stewardship in proper use and maintenance of equipment and Supplies.
• We are looking for a nurse who can assess departmental staffing needs; actively participates in resourcing efforts.
• Duties also include educating and training others on the operations, ethics, and regulations within the industry.

This position incorporates patient safety practices/guidelines to promote a safe environment resulting in positive patient outcomes.

• We are looking for a nurse who demonstrates accountability for nursing research and quality improvement activities.
• This role involves providing evidence-based nursing care.
• The successful candidate will communicate patient information effectively across the continuum of care.
• We are looking for a nurse who educates and trains others on the operations, ethics, and regulations within the industry.
• The ideal candidate should have knowledge of federal, state and local healthcare-related laws and regulations; ability to comply with these in healthcare practices and activities.

This position follows a specific set of standards and associated clinical procedures.

• The successful candidate will analyze policy and standards documentation and ensures organizational compliance.
• We are looking for a nurse who provides feedback for improvement of procedures.
• Duties also include assisting in the development and implementation of specific procedures.
• The ideal candidate will work with control and monitoring mechanisms, tools and techniques.

This role shares experiences with maintaining paper and electronic patient documentation.

• We are looking for a nurse who can walk through the steps and procedures for receiving, validating and updating patient records.
• The successful candidate will describe the flow of information between various stations or units.
• Duties include discussing the functions, features and document flow of electronic documentation.
• We are looking for a nurse who transcribes verbal orders; explains techniques for ensuring their accuracy.
• The ideal candidate will explain health information documentation best practices and their rationale across health care practices.

This position describes experience with basic medical equipment used in own unit or facility.

• The successful candidate will use standard diagnostic tools and techniques to resolve common equipment problems.
• We are looking for a nurse who educates patients about the appropriate use of home medical equipment.
• Duties also include ensuring that all equipment and related supplies are in proper working order prior to use to ensure patient safety.
• The ideal candidate will inspect, troubleshoot and evaluates incoming equipment.

This role shares experiences with processing medical orders for one or more groups of patients or conditions.

• We are looking for a nurse who can describe functions and features of the system used to enter, validate, update and forward medical orders.
• The successful candidate will discuss common errors, their sources and procedures for correcting.
• Duties include explaining considerations for entering and following standing orders.
• We are looking for a nurse who differentiates between standing orders and preprinted orders and considerations for each.

This position describes experiences in reading and interpreting patient charts for patients on unit and under own care.

• The successful candidate will review patients' charts for completion and accuracy; identifies and alerts to mistakes or omissions.
• We are looking for a nurse who recognizes unexpected readings and alerts nursing or medical staff.
• Duties also include relating examples of mis-readings or misinterpretations and lessons learned.
• The ideal candidate will review, discusses and validates own interpretation with others.

This role shares experiences with ensuring safety for one or more patient groups or settings.

• We are looking for a nurse who explains key features of safety guidelines and procedures for those groups and settings.
• The successful candidate will listen and respond to safety inquiries from patients and family members.
• Duties include recognizing and addressing physiological and psychological signs of problems.
• We are looking for a nurse who describes considerations for patients who can cause to harm to self, versus harm to others.
• The ideal candidate will utilize appropriate systems to document misses and near misses, participates in immediate investigating, analysis and reporting in real-time.

This position requires a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, preferred.

• One year of experience in the related nursing specialty preferred.

BLS required.

• RN License in state of employment or compact.

Estimated salary range for this position is $75,000 - $100,000 per year, depending on location and experience.