Registered Nurse, Obstetrics, 24-hours, Night-shift

Job Requirements

Minimum Education

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

Minimum Work Experience

• Minimum one year med/surg experience required
• Maternity experience preferred

Minimum Licenses and Certifications

• Current MA license
• IV competent, CPR and NRP certified
• ACLS required for L&D
• For nurses working L&D, must have/complete AWHONN’s Introduction to Fetal Monitoring and also must have/attend AWHONN’s Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring within 1 year

Required Skills

• Demonstrates mature professional behaviors, (i.e. tact, empathy and diplomacy). Promotes a positive working environment.

Functional Demands

Physical Requirements:

Exerts 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. Frequently reaches (extending hands and arms in any direction), handles (seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or working with hands), and feels (perceiving attributes of items such as size, shape, temperature, or texture by means of fingertips). Occasionally stoops (bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist), and kneels (bending the legs at knee to come to rest on knee or knees).

Organizational Expectations

Behavioral Attributes:

The following behavioral attributes are required: achievement motivation, concern for order, flexibility, initiative, self-confidence, customer service oriented, interpersonal effectiveness, teamwork, analytical thinking and information seeking

Essential Functions

• Assesses (and reassesses), plans, implements, and evaluates nursing interventions/plans of care/patient goals
• Provides patient care based on standards of care, standards of practice, protocols, and established policies and procedures.
• Respects each patient as an individual; provides care that fosters the patient’s sense of dignity and positive self-regard.
• Provides patient/family teaching based on identified learning needs, readiness to learn, and barriers to learning.
• Collaboratively plans and prepares patient/family for discharge incorporating support systems/resources as necessary.
• Appropriately delegates and supervises nursing interventions performed by others
• Appropriately prioritizes patient care (e.g. seeks assistance as needed from appropriate resources, reassigns personnel as necessary, recognizes need for emergency intervention, etc.).
• Provides thorough, timely, and accurate documentation of all pertinent data, therapeutic interventions and patient responses according to established standards.
• Provides timely and thorough report on assigned patients to other health care team members to ensure integration of services and continuity of patient care.
• Promotes learning for colleagues and self (e.g. functions as preceptor, instructor, trainer, attends professional development programs, etc.).
• Proactively identifies risk to patient safety and identifies opportunities to reduce medical/health care errors (i.e. appropriate reporting of errors/incidents).
• Identifies ethical issues in care and develops plan to address.
• Safely administers medications and intravenous therapy in accordance with physician’s orders, protocols, policies and procedures.
• Assesses patient pain level upon admission and as necessary, depending upon diagnosis utilizing the numerical pain scale.
• Reassesses effectiveness of pain control and notifies physicians as needed, as well as, documents assessment and patients’ response to medication.
• Provides appropriate care to the postpartum and gynecological patient.
• Safely cares for surgical and postpartum patients, recognizes complications and initiates appropriate nursing interventions in collaborations with physicians.
• Provides appropriate information and education to patients and families based upon individual needs so they may effectively care for themselves during hospitalization and following discharge.
• Ensures new mothers and families have the basic understanding of newborn care and resources available after discharge.
• Demonstrates knowledge of medications and the correct administration based on age of patient and their clinical condition.
• Demonstrates proper technique for assessing fundal height, and uterine massage.
• Demonstrates ability to assess lochia, perineum, breast, bowel, bladder and emotional status.
• Responsible for obtaining supporting information and completing required documentation related to medication reconciliation for use by the Attending MD.
• Provides assessment and planning for individualized patient care in collaboration with physicians and other disciplines.
• Assesses the normal stages of labor, delivery and recovery, as well as, identifies any deviation of the normal pattern and progress and takes appropriate action.
• Utilizes fetal monitoring equipment, correctly interprets FHR patterns and initiates appropriate nursing interventions as needed.
• Assists in the stabilizing of high-risk patients and accompanies them during transfer to a level two or tertiary care center as appropriate.
• Communicates with physicians about changes in patients’ clinical condition.
• Safely administers and demonstrates knowledge of medications used in labor and delivery.
• Implements appropriate procedure for induction, augmentation, NST, MGSO4, terbutaline, cervidil / prostaglandin, epidurals and intrathecals.
• Able to articulate care for patients with fetal demise based on perinatal loss protocol and appropriately provides care when applicable.
• Performs a systematic and thorough newborn assessment based upon knowledge of expected adaptation to extra uterine life so that deviation can be recognized

• Communicates appropriately and clearly with physicians concerning any changes in newborn condition and/or abnormal diagnostic test results.

• Performs neonatal resuscitation, assisting physician as necessary.

• Identifies newborn problems, initiates appropriate nursing interventions, and assists in the stabilization of a critical newborn.

• Provides care and support to mother in her chosen method of infant feeding so that learning is enhanced.

• Demonstrates to new mothers appropriate feeding techniques using literature and teaching video as appropriate (frequency and symptoms of adequate intake).

• Provides teaching to new mother on newborn care based upon individual patient/family needs so that new mother is able to care for newborn upon discharge.

• Utilizes informative discussions, videos, handouts, and one on ones, teaching class to individualize newborn teaching.

• Utilizes appropriate nursing interventions for infants experiencing difficulty adjusting to extrauterine life.

• Sets up an oxy hood, pulse oximetry, and photo therapy according to policy and procedure; demonstrates proper technique for administering CPAP via mask or RAM cannula

• Demonstrates knowledge of medications and their correct administration based on age of newborn and his/her clinical condition.

Statement of Other Duties