Job Summary and Scope

Responsible for the overall operations, and implementation and evaluation of activities for inpatient and emergency care at SRMC. Devotes a majority of work time to supervisory duties and regularly directs the work of two or more other employees. Role accountabilities will ensure the delivery of optimal and safe patient care which includes fiscal management, standards compliance, clinical practice, staff development, oversight and active participation in clinical practice, and performance improvement activities that evaluate program effectiveness. Role includes frequent new and varied work situations. The role involves a high degree of complexity. Role operates independently with minimal supervision. Role works to determine own practices and procedures and also contribute to the development of new concepts. Patient care assignment may include Neonate, Pediatric, Adolescent, Adult and Geriatric age groups.

Essential Functions:

• POLICIES AND PROCEDURES - Maintain established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, and quality assurance programs

• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - Enhance professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, reading current literature, attending in-services, meetings and workshops.

• Administers or makes recommendations regarding performance evaluations, promotions, administration of personnel policies with staff, hiring or discipline.?

• Report potential and actual patient safety, concerns, medical errors and or near misses in a timely manner thru the chain of command and document within the PSN system.

• Establish a compassionate environment by providing emotional psychological and spiritual support to patient, friends and families.

• Organize and direct clinical practice in collaboration with the unit directors through development, implementation and maintenance of practice guidelines/standards.

• Facilitate between hospital/system administration, departments, and medical staff ensuring cost-effective utilization of products, services, processes and resources.

• Actively participate in nursing strategic initiatives such as quality improvement and monitoring, regulatory compliance, recruitment and retention of staff and patient and employee satisfaction.

• Ensure compliance with all regulatory agencies, governing health care delivery and the rules of accrediting bodies by continually monitoring Hospital operations and programs and physical properties; initiate changes as required.

• Participate in key decision making regarding overall planning, work redesign, and staff development associated with implementing changes in patient care delivery.

• Act as liaison as necessary between physicians, staff, patients, families, and other departments to promote and facilitate communication, problem solving, decision-making, crisis intervention, resource utilization, and conflict management.

• Act as a resource & liaison among the hospital, department, health system entities, other institutions and agencies.

• Collaborate with Admitting Office, physicians, and patient care areas when needed as a consultant to facilitate appropriate patient placement based on admitting service, diagnosis, acuity, census, and staffing considerations.

• Participate and authorize transfers to and from other facilities with appropriate physicians, and reviewing all paperwork prior to ensure EMTLA guidelines are met.

• Reports any incidents, and convey staff concerns and identified problems to Administration

• Assign duties in accordance in conjunction with the unit director or designee with the plan of care, patient needs, and within the scope of staff qualifications and licensure/certification/registry, being able to reallocate staff via floating, implementing census management as necessary to balance patient care needs with decisions that reflect concern for the quality of care and cost effective use of resources.

• Supervise and direct staff providing patient care; accountable for care provided to patients on assigned shifts. Round on all departments on responsible shifts, meeting with Charge Nurse to evaluate unit needs.

• Assist with or institute emergency measures for sudden, adverse developments in patients as Lead Rapid Response nurse. Respond to all Code Blue events and initiate ACLS protocols as necessary.

• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

SRMC Core Values

Integrity: Our words and actions match our values

To Serve: We put the needs of others before our own

Excellence: We strive to exceed expectations and/or standards in every activity, every encounter, and every initiative

Safety/Quality: We provide evidence based care, programs, services, and an environment that achieves the best outcomes

Teamwork: We enjoy the ability and power to work collaboratively to deliver exceptional service

Accountability

• Decisions are made with in UNM Sandoval policy constraints and applicable laws and governmental guidelines

• This position is not responsible for budget preparation or capital assets.

• This position informally makes recommendations concerning long-range planning.

Communication Skills

• Contacts are normally made with others within UNM-Sandoval

• Contacts are multidisciplinary within UNM-SMRC

• Contacts frequently contain confidential/sensitive information necessitating discretion at all times

• Percentage of contacts by phone: 25%; percentage of contacts face to face:65%; percentage of contacts by email:10%.

• Percentage of contacts with patients: 50% and percentage with non-patients: 50%.

• Ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing

Required Qualifications

• Knowledge of scope of the Registered Nurse

• Physiological knowledge

• Knowledge in bedside manner

• Knowledge in infection control

• Clinical Nursing Skills

• Skill in administering medication

• Multi-tasking skills

• Teamwork abilities

• Health Promotion and Maintenance abilities

• Patient assessment knowledge

• Critical thinking abilities

• Ability to remain focused and organized

• Ability to independently seek out resources

Education/Experience

Education: Nursing program graduate

Licenses/Certification

• Licensed Registered Nurse (RN) in State of New Mexico or as allowed by reciprocal agreement by State of New Mexico without restrictions or limitations

• RN MATRIX - Complete and maintain unit/clinic based required certifications and competencies as listed in the department expectations/and or the unit/clinic education matrix

• CPR Certification or must obtain within 30 calendar days of date of position

• ACLS Certification or must obtain within 6 months of date of position

• PALS Certification or must obtain within 6 months of date of position

• Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC) must obtain within six (6) months of date of position

• Basic Arrhythmia Certification within one year of hire

Work Experience: Four (4) years specialty area work experience in an ED or ICU setting. Three (3) years charge nurse or equivalent in specialty setting.

Preferred Educational/Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing

• Master’s Degree in Nursing or other related field

• Nationally certified in area of specialty

• Instructor in BLS, ACLS, PALS, and/or TNCC

Supervision

• Job is supervisory to the extent that daily work direction is provided to personnel in subordinate classifications.

• Role is indirectly and directly responsible for all clinical employees on a given shift. This is on average up to 50 employees.

Conditions of Employment

• Must pass a pre-employment criminal background check, reference checks and a post offer drug screen.

• Must be employment eligible as verified by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Government Services Administration (GSA).

• Tuberculin Skin Test required annually

• Hospital required vaccinations

• Hospital required competencies

Working Conditions

• Typical office and/or patient care, acute care hospital environment.

• Must be able to travel locally between facilities and within the surrounding community.

• Occasional exposure to minimal physical risk

• Regularly exposed to the risk of bloodborne/airborne disease.

• May be required to work irregular schedules including but not limited to as applicable: Nights, weekends, holidays, on-call, and overtime