Unit Charge Nurse LPN Job Opening

Accountability Objective

The primary purpose of your job is to provide nursing care to the residents, and to supervise the day-to-day nursing activities performed by nursing assistants. Such supervision must be in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations that govern our facility, and as may be required by the Director of Nursing Service or Clinical Coordinator to ensure that the highest degree of quality care is maintained at all times.

Reporting Relationships

This position reports to the Clinical Coordinator/Nursing Supervisor.

Qualifications

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing and licensed as an RN or LPN in the state of Alabama
• Must possess the skills to perform techniques and practices of a licensed nurse.
• Must have knowledge of and interest in the care of the geriatric resident.

Delegation of Authority

As the Unit Charge Nurse you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties.

Performance Requirements

• Carries out duties in accordance with the facility mission and philosophy.
• Demonstrates knowledge of and respect for the rights, dignity and individuality of each resident in all interactions
• Appreciates the importance of maintaining confidentiality of resident and facility information.
• Demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times in the care and use of resident and facility property.
• Knowledge of emergency and disaster procedures of the facility.
• Demonstrates respect for coworkers and responds to the needs of residents by complying with facility policies on attendance and punctuality and dress code. Able to arrive and begin work on time and to report for duty as scheduled on all shifts, weekends and holidays.
• Able to interact effectively with individuals who are cognitively impaired and/or physically impaired.
• Working knowledge and ability to comply with facility policies and procedures for workplace safety including infection control procedures, application of universal precautions for blood borne pathogens, use of personal protective equipment and handling hazardous materials.
• Able to carry out essential functions of this job (with or without reasonable accommodations) without posing specific, current risk of substantial harm to health and safety of self and others.
• Maintain confidentiality of all resident care information
• Monitor all care and activities of residents to ensure that residents are treated fairly, and with kindness, dignity, and respect.
• Report any complaints or grievances made by residents regarding nursing or medical care to the Director of Nursing.

Physical, Psychological Demands

• Must be able to cope with mental and emotional stress of the position. Examples of these stresses include, but are not limited to: shift rotation, weekend and holiday duty, unusual or impaired behavior by residents, family reactions to having a loved one in a nursing facility, death and dying, oversight of state surveyors, ombudsman and federal officials, presence of consultants and attorneys, and variable involvement of medical staff.
• Must be able to work with the ill, disabled, elderly, emotionally upset, and at times hostile people within the facility.
• Essential functions are carried out in a variety of positions including standing and sitting, or pursuing a resident attempting to leave the facility. To meet the resident’s needs, virtually all positions require the ability to move freely through the building and, in some cases, in adjacent courtyards and parking lots. Sitting, standing, stooping, bending, lifting and carrying and running as well as other physical demands may be required as described.
• Ability to effectively communicate with physicians and other employees.
• Must be able to function independently, have flexibility, personal integrity, and the ability to work effectively with other staff members.
• Able to respond to change productively and to handle additional tasks/projects as assigned.
• Must be able to move intermittently throughout the workday
• Must be able to speak and write the English language in an understandable manner
• Must be able to push, pull, move and/or lift a minimum of 50 lbs. (with or without the aid of a mechanical device)
• Must be able to push, pull, move a minimum of 100 lbs. (with or without the aid of a mechanical device.)

Job Duties

Every effort has been made to identify the Essential Functions of this position. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is an essential function of the position.

• Direct the day-to-day functions of the nursing assistants in accordance with current rules, regulations, and guidelines that govern the long-term care facility.
• Ensure that all nursing personnel assigned to you complies with the written policies and procedures established by this facility.
• Periodically review the department’s policies, procedure manuals, job description etc.
• Meet with your assigned nursing staff as well as support personnel in planning the shifts’ services, programs and activities for the day.
• Make written and oral reports/recommendations concerning the activities of your shift as required shift’s services, programs, and activities.
• Cooperate with other resident services when coordinating nursing services to ensure that the resident’s total regimen of care is maintained.
• Participate in the development, maintenance and implementation of the facility’s quality assurance program for the nursing service department.
• Participate in the facility surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies as may be requested.
• Assist in participating in the nursing services portion of the resident’s discharge plan as necessary.
• Admit, transfer, and discharge residents as required.
• Complete accident/incident reports as necessary
• Maintain the daily census report and submit it to the Business Office as required.
• Perform administrative duties such as completing medical forms, reports, evaluation, studies, charting, etc., as necessary/
• Agree not to disclose resident’s protected health information and promptly report suspected or known violations of such disclosure to the Director of Nursing or Administrator.
• Report any known or suspected unauthorized attempt to access facility’s information system.

Charting and Documentation:

• Complete and file required record keeping forms/charts upon the resident’s admission, transfer, or discharge
• Encourage attending physicians to review treatment plans, record and sign their orders, progress notes, etc., in accordance with established procedures.
• Receive telephone orders from the physician and record on the Physicians’ Order Form.
• Transcribe physician’s orders to resident charts, MARs, TARs, ADLs and care plans as required.
• Chart nurses’ notes in an informative and descriptive manner that reflects the care provided to the resident, as well as the resident’s response to the care.
• Fill out and complete accident/incident reports including obtaining witness statements. Submit to the Clinical Coordinator/Nursing Supervisor and/or Quality Assurance Nurse.
• Chart all reports of accidents/incidents involving residents. Follow established procedures.
• Record new/changed diet orders. Forward information to the Food Service Department.
• Perform routine charting duties as required in accordance with established charting and documentation policies and procedures.
• Sign and date all entries made in the resident’s medical record.

Drug and Administration Functions:

• Prepare and administer medications ordered by the physician
• Verify the identity of the resident before administering the medication/treatment
• Ensure that an adequate supply of floor stock medications, supplies, and equipment is on hand to meet the nursing needs of the residents. Report needs to the Clinical Coordinator/ Nurse Supervisor.
• Order prescribed medications, supplies and equipment, as necessary and in accordance with established policies.
• Ensure that narcotic records are accurate for your shift
• Notify the Clinical Coordinator/Nurse Supervisor of all drug and narcotic discrepancies noted on your shift.
• Review Medication Administration Records, medication cards and/or multidose packets for completeness of information, accuracy in the transcription of the physician’s order, and adherence to stop order polices.
• Notify the attending physician of automatic stop orders prior to the last dose being administered.
• Dispose of drugs and narcotics as required, and in accordance with established procedures.

Personnel Functions:

• Participate in determining your shift’s staffing requirements, making recommendations to the Clinical Coordinator/Nursing Supervisor concerning employee dismissals, transfers, etc
• Inform the Clinical Coordinator/Nursing Supervisor of staffing needs when assigned personnel fail to report to work.

Report absentee call-ins to the Clinical Coordinator /Nursing Supervisor or designee.

• Develop work assignments and/or assist in completing and performing such assignments.
• Provide leadership to nursing personnel assigned to your unit/shift.
• Make rounds of your unit/shift to ensure that nursing service personnel are performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards. Report problem areas to the Clinical Coordinator/Nurse Supervisor.
• Meet with your shift’s personnel on a regular basis to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or to improve services.
• Develop and maintain a good working rapport with inter-departmental personnel, as well as other departments within the facility to ensure that nursing services and activities can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of the residents.
• Review complaints and grievances made or filled by your assigned personnel. Make appropriate reports to the Clinical Coordinator/Nursing Supervisor or the Social Services as required. Follow facility’s established procedures.
• Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift.
• Ensure that disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, handicap or marital status
• Report occupational exposures to blood, body fluids, infectious materials, hazardous chemicals in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures.
• Report known or suspected incidents of fraud to the administrator.
• Report known or suspected abuse to the Clinical Coordinator and/or the Director of Nursing Services.

Nursing Care Functions

• Inform nursing personnel of new admissions, their expected time of arrival, room assignment, etc.
• Ensure that rooms are ready for admission including verifying that medical equipment needed by the resident is set up and in working order.
• Greet newly admitted residents upon admission. Escort them to their rooms as necessary.
• Participate in the orientation of new residents/family members to the facility.
• Make rounds with physicians as necessary.
• Complete requisition forms and arrange for diagnostic and therapeutic services, as ordered by the physician, and in accordance with our established procedures.
• Consult with the resident’s physician in providing the resident’s care, treatment, rehabilitation, etc., as necessary.
• Review the resident’s chart for specific treatments, medication orders, diets, etc., as necessary.
• Implement and maintain established nursing objectives and standards
• Make periodic checks to ensure the prescribed treatments are being properly administered by certified nursing assistants and to evaluate the resident’s physical and emotional status.
• Ensure that direct nursing care can be provided by a licensed nurse, a certified nursing assistant, and/or a nurse aide trainee qualified to perform the procedure.

Job Type: Full-time

Experience:

• Medication Administration: 1 year (Preferred)

License:

• LPN (Preferred)

Language:

• English (Preferred)

Benefits offered:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance