Registered Nurse (RN)
Fort Lewis, WA
Full Time
Mid Level
- Performs critical care duties, to include assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating age-specific nursing care across all ages. Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of the interrelationship of body systems in maintaining and restoring health. The ICU nurse shall provide labor intensive care to a variety of patients with numerous complex medical and surgical pathologies.
- Clinical documentation according to standard operating procedures including obtaining patient history, pertinent family history and advanced medical directive information.
- Observes, assesses, and records symptoms, reactions, and progress; assists physicians during treatments and examinations; administers medication; administers prescribed treatments, completes admissions, and discharges, and promotes convalescence and rehabilitation.
- RNs are responsible for monitoring and interpretation of collected data by the LVN’s and unlicensed assisted personnel, informing the medical staff as appropriate.
- Functions as a patient advocate. Assesses patient/ family knowledge level, develops, and implements a plan of instruction and documents demonstrated level of understanding. Assessment plans will be targeted at age specific needs. Each nurse will manually and/ or electronically document all patient care given and the progress of the patient utilizing the Department of Nursing documentation standards in the patient’s medical record.
- Manages patients requiring hemodynamic monitoring, titration of vasopressor drugs, and a wide range of procedures where there is high risk for infection such as pulmonary artery catheters, arterial lines, central iv lines, external ventricle drainage devices, chest tubes, internal feeding tubes, endotracheal tubes and mechanically life support equipment.
- Communicates pertinent information to the charge nurse and/ or physician as appropriate. The RN assesses the patient and plans for appropriate nursing care. The care provided is documented in the patient’s medical record along with their progress. RNs also develop and manage nursing care plans; instruct patients and their families in proper care; and help individuals and groups take steps to improve or maintain their health.
- Medications will be administered using the “five rights” and medications shall be administered within the scope of nursing practice and include intravenous, subcutaneous, oral, transdermal, rectal, and intramuscular.
- Assesses patient’s condition for potential or life-threatening crises and can distinguish between normal and admiral physical findings; initiates life saving measures in the absence of a physician. Knowledgeable of the pharmacology of the most commonly used emergency drugs, anticipate results, usual dosages, and their location on crash cart.
- Operates emergency equipment including, but not limited to, defibrillator, EKG machine, cardiac monitor and other equipment determined by MTF, unit and position.
- Depending on position and protocol, may serve as a member of Rapid Response Team or emergency code team.
- Manages and ensures proper procedures are followed with the tissue/skin bank and organ donor bank.
- Assist with management and/ or performs invasive procedures depending on scope of practice, such as pulmonary arterial catheter insertion, balloon pump management, temporary pacemaker insertion, arterial punctures, endotracheal intubations, and other invasive procedures. Performs a vast array of direct patient care procedures to include but not limited to range of motion exercises, lifting, turning, transporting, and positioning patients, personal hygiene care, changing linen and clothing and feeding patients.
- Manages care of patients for a wide range of procedures of an advanced nature and difficulty where there is a high risk for infection and bodily functions are mechanically assisted by life support equipment. Plans and implements care with the collaboration of other healthcare providers. Calls report to the appropriate unit/ward ad provides pertinent data such as surgical procedures performed, patient problems, nursing diagnosis and actions, patient response, specialized care and equipment necessary to support the patient. -Perform duties in accordance with established infection control protocols.
- Registered Nurses shall utilize comprehensive knowledge of workload requirements in conjunction with knowledge of the composition and capabilities of assigned staff to distribute/ redistribute personnel resources in response to unforeseen patient care needs.
- Attends and participates in patient nursing reports, patient care conferences, team/unit/clinic conferenced, discharge planning, and staff conferences as deemed appropriate by administrative officials. Participates in discharge planning as appropriate and convenes multidisciplinary patient care conferences to address complex medical nursing care needs.
- Demonstrates the ability to manage interpersonal relationships and maintains composure and reacts appropriately while relating to patients and families; manages distraught, irritable, unreasonable or angry individuals; and maintains positive rapport with all individuals involved in patient care.
- Demonstrates the ability to react with alertness and skill in any emergency situation, e.g., cardiac or respiratory arrest, hemorrhage, shock, sever physical trauma and psychiatric reaction. Initiate life saving measures in the absence of a physician. Depending on position and protocol may serve as a member of the resuscitation or emergency code team.
- Assesses patient’s conditions for potential or life-threatening crises and can distinguish between normal and abnormal physical findings; initiates life saving measures in the absence of a physician.
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