RN - Neurology; Inpatient

Staff Registered Nurse (RN)

The staff Registered Nurse (RN) is a professional caregiver who assumes responsibility for a group of patients for a designated time frame and provides care to these patients via the utilization of the nursing process, nursing trends, technology, financial and human resources within the philosophy of the institution.

Qualifications:

• Certifications:
  
  Basic Life Support (BLS) within 30 days - American Heart Association (AHA);
  Licensed Registered Professional Nurse (RN) - Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)
• Education:
  
  H.S. Diploma/GED;
  Associate's Degree

Responsibilities:

• Performs all responsibilities and duties required by unit as specific to the scope of service.
• Implements procedures and theories related to the specific area of practice.
• Maintains up-to-date and accurate documentation of nursing care provided to assure the integration of information for use by the healthcare team.
• Completes initial assessment upon patient admission and develops appropriate plan of care in accordance with unit standards and that is based on patient and family needs.
• Implements plan of care, nursing interventions, and patient care procedures.
• Modifies plan of care based upon continuous evaluation.
• Takes responsibility for patient and employee safety by reporting and/or correcting safety hazards and incidents.
• Communicates with others directly and in private when necessary to resolve issues.
• Offers constructive feedback to assist in the professional development of peers, and confers with colleagues to expand knowledge base.
• Identifies own learning needs and takes initiative to begin appropriate solution.
• Fulfills all requirements of departmental competencies.
• Receives patient Bedside Shift Report from an RN at the beginning of each shift, ensuring the inclusion of the patient input, visual validation of a safe patient room environment at the time of shift change and updating of the patient communication board found in each patient room.
• Delegates patient care tasks/responsibilities to assigned HCT’s and validates completion of delegated tasks throughout the shift.
• Completes and documents basic RN patient care activities such assessments, interpretation of vital signs, ensure physician order completion, admission/discharge of patients, hourly rounding completion on each assigned patient, care plan documentation and patient education.
• RN will provide patient medications utilizing the patient 5 Rights:
  Right Patient, Right Medication, Right Route, Right Dose and Right Time.
• Maintains patient safety as the highest priority level: ensuring safety measure compliance such as fall precautions, pressure ulcer prevention, isolation precautions and patient ambulation safety.
• Maintains a positive attitude at all times on unit that promotes a healthy work environment and a healing patient environment.
• Keeps a diligent focus on prompt answering of patient call lights to ensure effective triage and completion of patient requests/medical needs.
• Uses critical thinking to evaluate the overall patient condition and uses nursing judgement to identify and act on changes in patient status.
• Effectively communicates within the healthcare team to promote interdisciplinary collaboration, effective patient care coordination and patient safety.
• Provides competent care for patients who display mild to severe brain injury due to stroke, trauma or surgery;
  Can specifically identify and respond immediately to neurological changes and/or seizure activity.