Registered Nurse (RN) Job Description
POSITION SUMMARY: The On-Call nurse directs hospice care after business hours and on weekends, follows the patient plan of care, provides education to the patient and the family and meets the needs of patients and families within their homes and communities during hours that the office is not in operations. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 1. Performs all duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Nurse Practice Act. 2. Orders medications through pharmacy portal as approved by the on call provider. 3. During visits, assesses patient status to include need for change in levels of care and collaborate with the hospice on call provider. 4. Initiates level of care changes in accordance with agency policy. 5. Carries trunk supplies to include, but not limited to: (a) admission binders; (b) continuous care folders; (c) veteran flags, and (d) medical supplies. 6. Provides health care instructions and education through triage process for non-emergent patient situations. 7. Answers phone calls from call center and waits for direct connection to patient/family. 8. Visits patients with symptom and pain management needs or falls. 9. Documents same day visits in the patient’s electronic clinical record. 10. Attends deaths and provides post-mortem care and other processes in accordance with agency policy. 11. Provides an on-call report to the team each morning by 9:30 a.m. 12. Communicates with the primary care physician and Hospice Medical Director regarding patient’s needs and reports changes in the patient’s condition, obtaining and receiving orders as required. 13. Provides education to the patient and family / caregiver as needed and appropriate regarding disease related topics, medication, use of oxygen, and other clinical items. 14. Assesses patient safety and recommends changes in residential setting. 15. Admits new patients as assigned. 16. Performs general inpatient visits as assigned. 17. Contacts hospital and coordinates care and return home for hospitalized patients. 18. Attends monthly All Staff education/meetings and in-services. 19. Provides wound care as necessary. 20. Utilizes the plan of care when providing care to patients and families. 21. Complies with all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements in accordance with federal, state, and organizational policies. REQUIRED SKILLS, ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE: 1. Ability to assess, evaluate, and respond to patient situations quickly, providing emergency care in crisis as quickly as possible. 2. Ability to work independently, while collaborating with other team members and managers. 3. Works with diverse social and economic situations without imposing own values on patient or family. 4. Maintains appropriate professional boundaries. 5. Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication and public relation skills. 6. Demonstrates excellent assessment skills. 7. Demonstrates excellent organizational skills. 8. Demonstrates effective listening skills. 9. Proficient in the use of electronic medical records and other portals to include pharmacy and DME. 10. Comfortable with administering medications to provide comfort to end of life patients. 11. Able to distinguish exposure to blood borne pathogens, infections, and universal precautions. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Activity 1 2 3 4 Sitting X Climbing X Bending X Crouching X Squatting X Crawling X Kneeling X Balancing X Pulling with force X Reaching above head X Reaching above shoulder X Push/pull (up to 25 lbs.) X Lift/carry (up to 25 lbs.) X Lift from floor level up X Lift from waist level up X Lift above shoulders/head X POSITION QUALIFICATIONS 1. Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. 2. Minimum two years of acute or hospice care experience in an institutional setting. 3. Current licensure in the state of Illinois. 4. Current CPR Certification. 5. Experience supervising C.N.A.’s or othe