Description
Job Summary
The Emergency Department RN provides direct and indirect patient care in the emergency care setting Provides care that reflects initiative, flexibility and responsibility indicative of professional expectation with minimum supervision. Able to triage every patient that enters the emergency care system safely, rapidly, and accurately. The RN determines priorities of care based on physical and psychosocial needs, as well as factors influencing patient flow through the system. They communicate with Physicians about changes in patient's status, symptomatology, and results of diagnostic studies; they have the ability to respond quickly and accurately to changes in condition or response to treatment.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Provides direct patient care, evaluates outcomes, consults with other specialists as required and adjusts nursing care processes as indicated to ensure optimal patient care.
- Ability to perform a head-to-toe assessment on all patients and reassessments as per policy. This includes pediatric, adolescent and geriatric patients and the general patient population.
- Uses triage process to ensure timely and appropriate care to patients. Accurately assigns triage categories.
- Ability to adequately assess and reassess pain. Utilizes appropriate pain management techniques. Educates the patient and family regarding pain management.
- Ability to monitor hemodynamic status of patient and correctly interpret the results.
- Demonstrates knowledge of cardiac monitoring, identifies dysrhythmias and treats appropriately.
- Ability to perform waived testing (point-of-care testing) per Clinical Laboratory’s and the patient care unit’s policies and procedures.
- Ability to interpret the results of waived tests; takes appropriate action on waived test results.
- Maintains current knowledge of medications and their correct administration based on age of the patient and his/her clinical condition.
- Follows the seven (7) medication rights and reduces the potential for medication errors.
- Prepares, hangs, monitors and discontinues IV fluids.
- Maintains accurate and continued nursing documentation including patient histories, conditions, treatments, responses and assessment of changes.
- Performs all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.
- Supports and maintains a culture of safety and quality.
- Treats patients and their families with respect and dignity. Identifies and addresses psychosocial, cultural, ethnic and religious/spiritual needs of patients and family. Functions as liaison between administration, patients, physicians and other healthcare providers.
- Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and the skills necessary to provide age appropriate care to the patients served. Able to interpret data about the patient’s status in order to identify each patient’s age specific needs and provide care needed by the patient group.
- Interacts professionally with patient and family and involves patient and family in the formation of the plan of care.
- Formulates a teaching plan based on identified learning needs and evaluates effectiveness of learning; includes family in teaching, as appropriate.
- Maintains established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, performance improvement program, safety, environmental and infection prevention and control standards.
- Maintains a safe, comfortable and therapeutic environment for patients and families in accordance with hospital standards.
- Ensures an adequate stock of supplies and proper functioning of equipment.
- Assists in cost containment through appropriate ordering and conserving of supplies and equipment.
- Cooperates with other staff to achieve departmental objectives, maintain good employee relations and interdepartmental objectives.
- Demonstrates the ability to assist physicians with procedures in the Emergency Department.
- Leads one or more employees performing similar work; supervises temporary employees and employees who do not supervise; trains new employees; allocates and monitors work of others.
- Participates in performance improvement activities.
- Enhances professional growth and development through participation in educational programs, current literature, in-service meetings and workshops; shows responsibility for own professional practice and ongoing education.
- Adheres to dress code, appearance is neat and clean.
- Completes annual education requirements.
- Maintains regulatory requirements.
- Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
- Completes in-services and returns in a timely fashion.
- Attends annual review and department in-services, as scheduled.
- Actively participates in performance improvement and continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities.
- Complies with all organizational policies regarding ethical business practices.
- Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.
Requirements
Minimum Requirements
- Graduate of an accredited school of nursing with up to six (6) months registered nurse experience.
- Current RN license in Idaho
- Current BLS Certification.
- ACLS Certification within six (6) months of hire.
- PALS Certification within one (1) year of hire.
Preferred Requirements
- TNCC Certification (Trauma Nurse Core Course).
- ENPC Certification (Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course).
- Bi-lingual (Spanish and English).
Skills/Competencies
- Read, write, and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos in English.
- Effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
- Basic computer knowledge.
- Compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
- Apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form and deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
Work Environment
The work environment described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee frequently works near moving mechanical parts and is frequently exposed to fumes or airborne particles. The employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, toxic or caustic chemicals, and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is sometimes loud. Other conditions include Blood-Borne Pathogens, and Physical, Chemical, and Respiratory Hazards.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move more than 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and depth perception.
