Emergency Department Patient Flow Team Leader

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The work involves coordinating the safe and efficient flow of patients through the Emergency Department at Erie County Medical Center Corporation (ECMCC). The incumbent is responsible for coordinating the delivery of nursing care with allied clinical disciplines to improve hospital throughput, increase bed utilization and reduce patient patient/bed turnaround delays. The incumbent monitors the delivery of nursing care for purposes of quality, safety and equitable work distribution. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Nursing Care Coordinator-Emergency Department. Supervision is exercised over lower-level staff in matters concerning delivery of patient care and patient flow (work assignment, work prioritization, etc.). Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

Facilitates the flow of patients through the Emergency Department safely and efficiently while promoting and supporting and exceptional patient experience;

Monitors the patient bed tracker for availability and turnover; reviews census data for accuracy;

Coordinates with Nursing Care Coordinator-Emergency Department and applicable clerical patient registration staff on pending admissions and continually communicates changes in respective patient acuity/health status;

Communicates with external facilities and emergency medical services companies to receive respective patient acuity/health status on patients pending arrival/admission into emergency department;

Reviews and compares patient acuity/health status with trauma activation criteria for determining need for trauma team activation;

Acts as a liaison with other departments and checks the status and delays in allied services, such as clinical laboratory, radiology, pharmacy, consults, etc.;

Acts as a liaison with the Emergency Department medical staff, hospitalist group and nursing personnel in the delivery of safe and quality care while maintaining efficient patient throughput;

Collaborates with the Charge Nurse in monitoring staff for balanced workload distribution and promotion/delivery of quality care; evaluates the performance of nursing care provided;

Performs professional nursing work as needed.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Thorough knowledge of the principles, procedures, techniques, terminology and equipment utilized in the professional nursing practice in general and in a hospital emergency department setting; good knowledge of the principles and practices of patient throughput in a hospital emergency department setting; good knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations and accreditation standards as they relate to the professional nursing practice; ability to coordinate patient admissions in accordance with bed availability in a hospital emergency department setting; ability to assign nursing work and monitor distribution of work amongst nursing staff; ability to evaluate the delivery of nursing care; ability to coordinate and monitor the delivery of multidisciplinary patient care; ability to handle multiple and changing priorities; ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse constituency; ability to utilize a variety of electronic software applications; sound professional judgment; capable of performing the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Possession of a Bachelor’s Degree* and two (2) years of professional nursing experience in an emergency department setting; or:
2. Graduation from an accredited school of professional nursing and four (4) years of professional nursing experience in an emergency department setting; or:
3. An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Possession of a license and current registration to practice as a Registered Professional Nurse in New York State at time of application and maintenance throughout duration of appointment;

Possession of a Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification from an approved ECMCC provider at time of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment;

Possession of an Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Certification from an approved ECMCC provider at time of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment;

Possession of a Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Certification from an approved ECMCC provider at time of appointment and maintenance throughout duration of appointment.

NOTE: Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S, Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education.  If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency.  A list of acceptable companies who provide this service can be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm.  You must pay the required evaluation fee.

NOTE 2: Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.