Discharge Educator

Overview

DESCRIPTION OF POSITION:
Identifies patients for teaching, discharge, and extended care facility needs. Collaborates with physicians, caregivers, patient, family, other departmental team members, and payor to proactively develop and implement a safe and appropriate discharge plan.

Reports directly to Director of Nursing

• Educate/Reiterate education on diagnosis.
• Use resources such as Truven, Ipad education.
• Ensure patient has a plan for how they will get their new prescriptions.
• Offer to have medication filled at our facility's pharmacy to ensure that the patient has access to their new medications before they are discharged from the hospital.
• If patient is low income, or no insurance offer to fill prescriptions at Moss pharmacy, where there are programs to help with affording medications.
• Go over medications to ensure patient understands what the medications are for and why they are taking them.
• Anticipate when patients are nearing discharge.
• Huddle with discharge planners, case management, social service.
• Round with providers.
• Communicate with assigned nurses/charge nurse/ PT.
• Educate on home care
• Educate on specific diagnosis
• Educate on new medicates, make sure able to afford medications.
• Educate on DME.
• Make sure preferred pharmacy documented and updated.
• Review previous day's discharges to check for hospital follow up appointments.
• Ensure any patient discharged to home has follow up appointment.
• Identify patient criteria for follow up phone calls:
  Patients discharged in last 72-96 hours;
  Patients discharged to home;
  History of frequent re-admissions.
• Make follow up phone calls to patients regarding, medications, appointments, DME, Home Health, etc.

• Graduate of School of Nursing
• Current Louisiana Registered Nurse license or compact state license as Registered Nurse
• BLS-CPR certified
• 2 years of bedside nursing care, preferred but not required.
• Cardiovascular Certification preferred

• Work requires a variety of physical activities including sitting, standing and walking.
• Bending, stooping, and lifting is minimal.
• The work environment may be physically confining.
• Must have normal hearing or utilize adaptive hearing devices if duties require listening with a stethoscope to discern breath sounds, heart sounds, and bowel sounds.
• Visual acuity required for a variety of activities.
• Ability to do shift work as required.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.