Registered Nurse (RN) Job Description
Job Description Summary:
The Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible for providing over the phone and direct patient care to terminally ill patients after regular business hours and/or on weekends. Responsibilities include triaging phone calls, making visits to patients and families, assisting with after-hours admissions, following the plan of care, providing treatments, providing on-going support to the patient’s caregivers, and working collaboratively with the members of the team to help meet positive patient care outcomes.
Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities:
• Answers afterhours phone calls, assesses needs of all agency patients or family by completing a nursing assessment, provides education over the telephone and coordinates on-call staff to provide appropriate care
• Performs a short evaluation of the patient situation to estimate severity of illness and/or injury including learning about chief complaint and obtaining vital sign and mental status information; and determines urgency of seeing the patient based on the assessment and familiarity with patients’ condition and history
• Provides direct patient care as defined in the scope of practice, including specialized duties related to end of life care, by utilizing all elements of the nursing process; provides basic nursing services in accordance with the Interdisciplinary Care Plan; initiates and applies preventative and therapeutic nursing procedures and techniques; fulfills the obligations of case assignments; uses and prepares equipment and supplies effectively, adhering to aseptic technique when indicated
• Responds to patient’s medical or emotional crisis and/or death of patient and makes home visits to provide direct patient care as needed
• Provides accurate medication administration, nursing documentation such as: medical records, authorization forms, laboratory requisitions. Implements pain management assessment and documentation.
• Provides appropriate pain/symptom management, administers medicine within scope of practice and as directed by the RN Case Manager; evaluates patient’s response to treatment/medications, and communicates with RN Case Manager as appropriate
• Reports to the Case Manager/RN services rendered and contact made after completion of visit; communicates anticipated needs, changing and/or unmet needs of patient and/or caregivers; observes the patient for changes in condition and reports changes to RN Case Manager
• Assists the patient with activities of daily living and facilitates the patient’s efforts towards self-sufficiency and optimal comfort care
• Contacts interdisciplinary team as necessary to report any identified needs
• Reports, documents and communicates patient observations in EMR system; provides accurate and timely documentation of patient contact and services to reflect the Plan of Care
• Receives report from the Clinical Manager or designee at designated time
• Provides a safe environment for the patient, ensuring all needs can be met appropriately
• Provides continuous care, as needed
• Adheres to HNCO payroll, billing and documentation policies and procedures
• Assumes responsibility for on-call duty as scheduled (including holiday rotation) and consistent with HNCO policies and procedures
• Participates in HNCO quality assessment performance improvement initiatives and activities
• Participates in personal and professional development
• Attends HNCO meetings, trainings, seminars and HNCO sponsored events.
• Performs all other duties as assigned
Position Qualifications:
Experience and Education:
• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing (BSN preferred)
• One to two years recent acute care, home care, and/or hospice care experience, preferred
• One to two years of telephone triage experience, preferred
Required Certification/Licensure:
• Current RN licensure in the state of Ohio
• CHPN certification, preferred
• Current CPR certification
• Valid Ohio driver’s license with current automobile insurance
• Reli