Charge Nurse

Description

Emergency Department | Cape Girardeau, MO | 72-ETO

Job Summary

The Charge Nurse assumes the responsibility of: o Patient flow through the emergency department o Overseeing the clinical practice of the emergency department nursing and technical staff o Overseeing and coordinating the clerical duties of the Unit Secretaries o Facilitating communication with ancillary services where necessary o Assures that all equipment in patient care areas and support areas are checked by staff in each area or zone. If necessary makes sure any malfunctioning items are removed from service and work orders are initiated

Essential Functions

• The Emergency Department Charge Nurse shall be competent in the nursing process
• The Emergency Department Charge Nurse shall maintain current knowledge in department specific and organizational policies and procedures which are informed by and/or supported by evidence based practice recommendations as well as resources including but not limited to The Joint Commission standards, the Missouri Nurse Practice Act, Emergency Nursing Standards of Care as well as State of Missouri and Federal Rules and Regulations. Charge Nurse shall possess basic knowledge of essential medical staff by-laws as well as medical staff rules and regulations pertinent to Emergency Services. The Charge Nurse will demonstrate a working knowledge regarding the federal regulations regarding the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and serve as a resource to ED staff, physicians and other staff.
• Shall demonstrate the ability to be a professional role model with increased emphasis in the following areas: communication skills, clinical skills, professional growth, and leadership skills and utilization of the electronic medical record
• Plans, organizes, and directs patient flow and operational functions of the emergency department utilizing the nursing process
• Maintains patient safety as evidenced by completion of compliance checklist and initiation of appropriate work orders as necessary
• Coordinates daily review and follow up of discharged patients� microbiology results
• Documents patient complaints and/or concerns appropriately and initiates service recovery when possible.
• Acts as a liaison between patients, families, staff, community physicians, and other departments
• Delegates responsibility and authority effectively
• Assists staff nurses with maintaining standards of patient care
• If standard of care is not followed, completes staff counseling immediately and follows up with appropriate documentation
• Provides documentation to assist in progressive discipline and counseling, as requested by Nurse Manager and/or Department Director
• Completes appropriate Quality Management event reporting as necessary
• Recognizes when nursing staff need assistance and coordinates additional support as necessary
• Coordinates and arranges for adequate staffing and makes staffing/zone assignments on each shift
• Secures appropriate staffing when necessary to meet the needs of the department; notifies the Emergency department management or designee if emergency department volume or acuity is nearing or exceeding capacity
• May initiate call to hospital administrator or administrative designee to request initiation of High Census Emergency Department Surge Plan or hospital wide disaster plan
• Provides input to the Nurse Manager for employee performance evaluations; completes and assists employees in completing department and hospital competencies; provides input in providing departmental orientation and participates in training for all levels of emergency department staff
• Supports the Nurse Manager and Department Director in the establishment and maintenance of departmental goals and objectives
• Listens effectively and provides appropriate information to patients, family members, physicians, staff members of the department and other hospital personnel; is flexible and willing to accept new ideas and challenges
• Completes management-related work assignments on a timely basis
• Performs other duties as assigned
  

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or Equivalent required
• Bachelor's Degree In Nursing preferred
• Regularly scheduled full-time experience as staff nurse in same or comparable emergency department for minimum of one year prior to applying for Charge Nurse required
• RN - Registered Nurse - State Licensure And/Or Compact State Licensure In the State of Missouri required
• CEN - Certified Emergency Room Nurse preferred
  
• Must maintain current BLS, ACLS, TNCC, ENPC required
• STARR certification required