Lead / Charge Registered Nurse (RN), Emergency Shelter – Hurricane Readiness

Job Description — Lead / Charge Registered Nurse (RN), Emergency Shelter – Hurricane Readiness

Essential HealthCare Solutions, LLC • LCEC Emergency Nursing Services •

Position TitleLead / Charge Registered Nurse (RN), Emergency Shelter – Hurricane Readiness

Program: Emergency Nursing Services — Hurricane Preparedness, Response & Recovery

Reports To: Clinical Lead / Account Manager for deployment

Positions: One Charge RN per shelter — three designated North Fort Myers sites — each with a named alternate

Work Location : Assigned emergency shelter, North Fort Myers, FL (and other facilities identified in writing during activation)

Employment Type: PRN / as-needed, activation-based • Non-exempt (hourly)

Supervises:  Assigned LPNs and CNAs at the shelter site

Pay:  Commensurate with experience 

Position Summary

The Lead / Charge RN anchors a single emergency-shelter medical station during LCEC hurricane activations and serves as the Florida-licensed registered nurse required on-site at all times. The Charge RN delivers and directs medical screening, assessment, triage, and basic care; maintains continuous readiness to respond to on-site medical incidents within five minutes; supervises assigned LPNs and CNAs; and coordinates emergency escalation and EMS handoff. All work is performed within RN scope of practice (no diagnosis or prescribing) and in compliance with Florida nursing regulations, HIPAA, OSHA, and FEMA / 2 CFR Part 200 documentation standards.

Activation, Schedule & Deployment

• Available for activation up to 72 hours before landfall, through impact, and into recovery.
• Deployments range from 24 hours to 14 consecutive days.
• 12-hour shifts supporting continuous 24/7 coverage; capacity for extended emergency shifts.
• Acknowledge activation and confirm availability promptly (company target: within one hour of LCEC notice); provide estimated deployment time and emergency contacts.
• Maintain continuous on-site presence; follow the staggered / relief break-coverage protocol so a licensed nurse is always available to respond within five minutes.

   

  Essential Duties & Responsibilities

  Clinical care & triage

• Perform medical screening and assessment of shelter occupants and essential personnel; monitor vital signs and health status.
• Triage and provide basic nursing care within RN scope; identify and monitor changes in condition and potential communicable-disease clusters.
• Provide emergency-response support and stabilize patients to EMS handoff; respond to on-site medical incidents within five minutes.
• Administer medications and treatments as ordered and permitted within scope; deliver health monitoring, including behavioral-health / stress-indicator awareness, and patient/caregiver education.

   

  Medical station & supplies

• Set up, manage, and demobilize the on-site medical station; manage medical supplies and inventory.

• Implement infection-prevention practices — hand hygiene, PPE, surface disinfection, and isolation recommendations.

  Supervision & coordination

• Direct and delegate to assigned LPNs and CNAs; ensure adequate coverage and safe patient assignments each shift.
• Coordinate with shelter management, EMS, and the Clinical Lead; execute the emergency-escalation chain.

   

   

  Documentation & deliverables

• Maintain accurate encounter records; contribute to the staffing roster, daily operational nursing reports, incident reports, and supply / inventory reports.
• Support the final after-action report due within 10 business days of demobilization.

   

  Required Qualifications

• Active, unencumbered Florida RN license (or multistate / NLC privilege valid in Florida).
• Current American Heart Association BLS.
• Successful background screening.
• Capacity for extended emergency shifts and austere field conditions; ability to deploy rapidly to North Fort Myers sites.

   

  Preferred Qualifications

• ACLS and/or PALS; triage training.
• FEMA ICS / NIMS (IS-100 / 200 / 700 / 800).
• Prior emergency, storm, shelter, correctional, or field-medical experience.
• Charge-nurse or supervisory experience.

   

  Scope, Compliance & Conduct

• Practice strictly within Florida RN scope — no diagnosis or prescribing.
• Comply with Florida nursing and emergency-management regulations, OSHA, and HIPAA.
• Safeguard medical-record confidentiality; records remain under Contractor control per the SOW privacy construct.
• Follow escalation and replacement protocols; maintain safety and protocol compliance.

Physical & Working Conditions

Work is performed in an emergency-shelter / field environment during severe-weather events. Conditions may be austere and include extended standing and walking, lifting and assisting patients, and potential exposure to communicable disease with appropriate PPE.