MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONS

Record all entries on flow sheets, notes, charts, etc., in an informative and descriptive manner.

Use the wristband or photo card file to identify residents before administering care, serving meals, etc., as necessary.

Report all accidents/incidents you observe on the shift that they occur.

Use only authorized abbreviations established by this facility when recording information.

Report all changes in the resident’s condition to the Charge/Staff Nurse as soon as practical.

ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND DISCHARGE FUNCTIONS

Ensure that the resident’s room is ready for receiving the resident (i.e., bed made, name tags up, admission kit available, etc.)

Greet and escort residents to their rooms.

Introduce resident to his/her roommate, if any, and other residents and personnel as appropriate.

Make resident comfortable, (i.e., put to bed, get water, etc.)

Inventory and mark the resident’s personal possessions.

Store resident’s clothing.

Assist residents with packing their personal possessions when they are being transferred to a new room or when being discharged.

Transport residents to new room or to the receiving area.

Assist residents with loading/unloading as necessary.

PERSONNEL FUNCTIONS

Follow work assignments, and/or work schedules in completing and performing your assigned tasks.

Perform all assigned tasks in accordance with our established policies and procedures, and as instructed by your supervisors.

Notify the facility when you will be late or absent from work.

Report all complaints and grievances made by the residents.

Cooperate with inter-department personnel, as well as other facility personnel to assure that nursing services can be adequately maintained to meet the needs of the residents.

Create and maintain an atmosphere of warmth, personal interest and positive emphasis, as well as a calm environment throughout the unit and shift.

Meet with your shift’s nursing personnel, on a regularly scheduled basis, to assist in identifying and correcting problem areas, and/or the improvement of services.

PERSONAL NURSING CARE FUNCTIONS

Participate in and receive the nursing report upon reporting for duty.

Assist residents with daily dental and mouth care (i.e., brushing teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, special mouth care, etc.)

Give or assist resident with bath functions (i.e., bed bath, tub or shower bath, etc.)

Give backrubs as instructed.

Assist residents with dressing/undressing as necessary.

Assist residents with hair care functions (i.e., combing, brushing, shampooing, etc.)

Assist residents with nail care (i.e., clipping, trimming, and cleaning the finger/toenails).

Shave male residents.

Keep hair on female residents clean shaven (i.e., facial hair, under arms, on legs, etc., as instructed).

Keep residents dry (i.e., change gown, clothing, linen, etc., when it becomes wet or soiled).

Make beds (occupied and unoccupied).

Position bedfast residents in correct and comfortable position.

Change bed linens.  Keep linens tight to avoid wrinkles forming under the resident.

Put extra covers on beds as requested.

Assist resident with bowel and bladder functions (i.e., take to bathroom, offer bedpan/urinal, portable commode, etc.)

Maintain intake and output records as instructed.

Keep incontinent residents clean and dry.

Check and report bowel movements and character of stools as instructed.

Collect specimens as instructed (i.e., urine, stools, etc.).

Assist residents in preparing for medical tests (i.e., lab work, x-ray, therapy, dental, etc.).

Assist residents in preparing for activity and social programs (i.e., church services, parties, visitors, etc.).

Assist in transporting residents to/from appointments, activity and social programs, etc., as necessary.

Assist with lifting, turning, moving, positioning, and transporting residents into and out of beds, chairs, bathtubs, wheelchairs, lifts, etc.

Answer resident calls promptly.

Assist residents to work with or without self-help devices as instructed.

Perform restorative and rehabilitative procedures as instructed.

Provide eye and ear care (i.e., cleaning eye glasses/hearing aides, etc.).

Measure and record temperatures, pulse, and respirations (TPRs), as instructed.

Weigh and measure residents as instructed.

Assist in preparing the resident for a physical examination.

Assist with the care of the dying resident.

Provide post-mortem care as instructed.

Check residents routinely to assure that their personal care needs are being met.

SPECIAL NURSING CARE FUNCTIONS

Observe and report the presence of pressure areas and skin breakdowns to prevent pressure sores.

Provide daily perineal care.

Turn bedfast residents at least every two (2) hours.

Perform diabetic urine testing (i.e., clinitest, acetest, etc.).

Observe disoriented and comatose residents, record and report data as instructed.

Watch for and report any change in room temperature, ventilation, lighting, etc.

Turn all medications found in the resident’s room/possession over to the Charge/Staff Nurse.

Provide residents with Reality Orientation as instructed.

FOOD SERVICE FUNCTIONS

Prepare residents for meals (i.e., take to bathroom, wash hands, comb hair, raise bed, position tables, place bibs, take to/from dining rooms, etc.).

Serve food trays, assist with feeding as indicated (i.e., cutting foods, feeding, assist in dining room supervision, etc.).

Assist residents with identifying food arrangements (i.e., informing residents with sight problems, what foods are on the tray, where it is located, if it is hot/cold, etc.).

Record the resident’s food/fluid intake.  Report changes in the residents’ eating habits.

Keep residents water pitchers clean and filled with fresh water (on each shift), and within easy reach of the resident.

Serve between meal and bedtime snacks.

Perform after meal care (i.e., remove trays, clean resident’s hands, face, clothing, take to bathroom, brush teeth, clean dentures, etc.).

Check rooms for food articles (i.e., food in proper container, unauthorized food items, etc.).

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

Attend and participate in scheduled training and educational classes.

Attend and participate in scheduled orientation programs and activities.

SAFETY AND SANITATION

Restrain residents in chair/bed as instructed.

Check restrained residents at least every thirty (30) minutes.

Release restraint at least every two (2) hours for range of motion exercises, taking to bathroom, etc.

Maintain a record of restrained residents, the times restraints were released, and how long the residents were released.

Notify the Charge/Staff Nurse of any resident leaving/missing from the facility.

Keep floors dry.  Report spills immediately.

Keep excess supplies and equipment off the floor.  Store in designated areas.

Keep residents personal possessions off the floor and properly stored.

Follow established smoking regulations.  Report all violations.

Keep the nurses’ call system within easy reach of the resident.

Report all hazardous conditions and equipment to the Charge/Staff Nurse immediately.

Follow established safety precautions in the performance of all duties.

Report all safety violations.

Keep bedside rails up when the resident is in bed.

Before leaving work areas for breaks, or a