Team Nurse

Our Mission, Vision, & Model of Care

At Union Community Care, our purpose is at the forefront of all that we do: we stand for whole health to help you live your fullest life.

We envision vibrant and healthy communities supported by inclusive healthcare that embraces each member's unique culture, needs, and values, and emboldens them to make healthful choices that fuel their well-being and the well-being of others.

We believe in whole health. This means we address and heal disease but equally important, we work at the causes of the causes, the social ills that must be addressed to achieve true equity.

We listen, learn, and embrace the complex lives and unique strengths of our patients, and we work hard to break down all barriers to care. This means we look through a grassroots lens. We connect with our communities because we are our communities. Each of us is a neighbor, a friend, a family member, and together, we are a trusted community health center.

JOB SUMMARY

Under the general supervision of the Practice Manager, the Team Nurse is responsible for patient triage and assisting in direct patient care by providing pre and post visit counseling with patients as an extension of staff clinicians. The nurse is involved in care management of patients, medicine reconciliation, and patient and Clinical Support Staff education. The nurse directly triages patients via the phone line and the e-HR by utilizing nursing assessments that allow the nurse to collaborate care between clinicians and patients with particular attention to pregnant patients. The nurse focuses on assessment, prioritization, and referral of appropriate level of care. The nurse oversees the over the phone interactions of Clinical Support Staff.

SPECIFIC JOB DUTIES

1. Works with the care team to take patient histories prior to visits and reconcile medications.

2. Provides post-visit education to patients, reviewing the care plan as determined by the clinician and providing care management, if needed.

3. Provides patient education regarding disease process, therapies and healthy behaviors.

4. Educates Clinical Support Staff on chronic medical conditions.

5. Works closely with staff to ensure that obstetrical patients are going to maternal fetal medicine appointments and high-risk OB appointments. Also, works closely with the Healthy Beginning Plus staff to ensure that specific patient populations receive appropriate prenatal care.

6. Assists with prior authorizations for both medications and DME products.

7. Monitors, oversees and responds to triage calls on the nurse phone line and the e-HR.

8. Creates protocols to ensure appropriate over the phone patient interactions.

9. Talks directly to patients on the telephone and then directs them to emergency rooms, urgent care centers, or schedules the patient for same day or next available office appointment.

10. Determines urgency of seeing the patient based on brief assessment and familiarity with patient's condition and history.

11. Uses computerized clinical decision making by utilizing algorithms that closely imitate physician logic and thought patterns as a guide.

12. Send patients with high- risk chief complaints such as chest pain, severe abdominal pain, and/or headaches to ER immediately.

13. Arranges appointments for patients who do no need to go the ER but need to see a practitioner. RN will consult with the practitioner as needed.

14. Provides appropriate home health advice to patients utilizing recommendation of over- the -counter medications and remedies when appropriate.

15. Ensures that accurate notes of all telephone conversations that occur with patients, care givers, or other professionals are placed in Athena patient record.

16. Serves as a clinical resource and professional role model for other nursing staff.

17. Prioritizes work tasks and services and completes tasks in a timely manner.

18. Communicates appropriately and tactfully to staff, consultants, patients, families, and community.

19. Ensures timely response to calls.

20. Performs other work-related duties as assigned.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Current Pennsylvania RN License

BLS Certification

Minimum of two years experience in direct patient care preferably in an ambulatory and/or obstetric setting.

Leadership experience in role as staff nurse (Charge nurse, nurse manager) preferred.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including strong organizational, detail and interpersonal skills.

Strong team building skills.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively with men and women of diverse races, ethnicities, ages and sexual orientation in a multicultural environment.

English proficiency required

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

In order to fulfill the requirements of this position, duties 1-20 are considered essential functions of the job.

ORGANIZATIONAL INVOLVEMENT

This position is required to participate in mandatory all staff meetings, team meetings and trainings.