REGISTERED NURSE, BSN - WOUND CARE

Job Summary/Overall Objectives 

Provides age specific care to inpatients and outpatients with abdominal stomas, wounds, fistulae, drains, pressure ulcers and incontinence utilizing the nursing process; assesses the educational needs and learning strategies of patients, families and staff and then plans, implements and evaluates teaching; facilitates an interdisciplinary approach to achieve positive patient outcomes. 

Essential Job Functions              

• Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending education workshops, review professional publications, establish personal networks, and participate 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.
• Maintain safe and clean working environment by complying with procedures, rules and regulations; calling for assistance from health care support personnel.
• 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.
• The Registered Nurse may provide direct oversight of the GN, LPN, Technical Partner, ALS Technician, Nurse Extern and Unit Clerks. This oversight includes the Registered Nurse conducting the initial comprehensive assessment and interpreting the assessment to initiate the interprofessional plan of care. This oversight includes support of the delegation of duties that are within the scope and capability of the care team.
• Ensures that assessment of the patient and the direct and indirect care provided is delivered in accordance with the PA Nurse Practice Act, hospital policies procedures, protocols and other professional standards of care.
  • Collects patient health assessment data on admission and in an ongoing systematic manner as it relates to wound, ostomy and continence care, focusing on the physical, psychological, age specific, cultural and spiritual needs of the patient
  • Documents according to hospital policy within the established time frames
  • Assists the nursing staff in developing a realistic plan of care for each patient assessed with wound, ostomy of continence needs.
  • Reassesses the patient's condition and the effectiveness of the nursing interventions and makes recommendations or revisions to the plan per skin integrity protocol
  • Involves the patient/family and initiates patient referrals to community agencies when appropriate
  • Complies with completeness, accuracy and timeliness of documentation
• Develops an educational process for the provision and coordination of patient care activities that promote and maintain health, fosters self-care and improves outcomes.
  • Assesses the educational needs and learning strategie