CHARGE NURSE

REPORTS TO: 

Nurse Manager

SUMMARY STATEMENT & PURPOSE

The Charge Nurse, as part of an interdisciplinary team, is responsible directing the activities of patient care in accordance with the established standards of care, mental health practices, and facility policies, goals, and objectives. This position contributes to the hospital’s philosophy, objectives, educational and quality improvement efforts, while providing guidance to nursing staff. 

This position ensure that all employees are pleasant, respectful, and courteous in all interactions with patients, families, staff, and visitors of the Hospital, as well as being a positive representative of INBH at all times.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate from an accredited nursing program
• Currently licensed to practice by the State Board of Nursing
• Experience as a registered nurse in a psychiatric health care facility
• BLS, Handle with Care, and Verbal De-escalation certified and provided by INBH

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Supervisory/managerial experience

EMPLOYEE RATES AND BENEFIT

• In addition to base hourly rate, employees receive shift differentials ranging from $2.00 to $8.00 per hour
• One hundred sixty-eight hours paid time off per year to include 6 major holidays.
• Employees (and their families) are covered by medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance with FSA/HSA available.
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Tuition reimbursement
• $10k Sign on bonus with 24 month commitment

SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES

All functions are essential functions unless otherwise noted. The job functions of this position are not limited to the duties listed below.

1. Constantly evaluate the current processes in place, consistently using a team effort, to make improvements and updates to the process of continuity of care and evaluation of patients/customer satisfaction.
2. Ensure that communication between shifts is ongoing and that shift report is written using appropriate descriptors, and that it is precise and informative. Further ensures that shift change report contains all hand off communication regarding acuity, as well as medical issues and that each individual patient has been seen and introduced to the oncoming nursing staff.
3. Ensures that patient education regarding medication is ongoing and monitored through assigned audits. This includes Pharmacy specific education through staff training as needed.
4. Ensure that any medication variances are documented with accuracy and timeliness and reported through set protocol.
5. Prioritizes unit coverage and provides direct patient care services based on unit milieu, staffing, patient care needs, and number and classification of assigned staff available to provide care.
6. Ensures that the observation sheets are being conducted according to policy. The Charge Nurse will ensure that observation round are being made correctly, documented in real time, and are consistently complete within time parameters.
7. Ensure completion by assigned night shift staff of the night shift audit tool and that the corrective deficiency protocol is followed.
8. Ensure reporting of critical test and lab values as per hospital policy.
9. Ensure that the staff assignments are completed in a timely manner and are completed accurately. Staff assignment sheet to include first and last names of staff, specific assigned break times and lunch time, and are in coordination with the Administrative Supervisor working with Intake to address anticipated unit admissions and discharges.
10. Ensure that staff use Kronos to accurately account for times of arrival, breaks, and departure.
11. Implement program schedule and communicate with Administrative Supervisor when variation occur. Rapidly assess milieu changes and quickly adjust assignments based on milieu needs.
12. Facilitates treatment planning and ensuring that patient needs are communicated, and treatment plans include nursing interventions.
13. Will assist Administrative Supervisor in identifying possible performance issues or staffs failure to follow acceptable guidelines and expectations.
14. Will report noncompliance of standards, policies, procedures, protocols, and competencies to Administrative Supervisor and nursing manager.
15. Follows facility/nursing procedures in completion of forms: incident reports, medication error, employee injury, and Patient compliant/investigation.
16. Reviews facility policies and monitors ordered precautions related to: medical risks, suicidality, detox, falls risk, elopement risks, med management, discharge process, documentation.
17. Manages the unit and workflow appropriately, including; Completes assigned tasks in a timely manner, managing unit based daily operations (follows unit schedule) and identifies and acquires unit resources as needed.
18. In conjunction with the nursing supervisor and leadership team, ensures the emergency equipment is checked daily and is able to verbalize the TERM requirements around emergency medical equipment.
19. Anticipates staffing needs and plans ahead to meet changing demands. Works closely with nursing leadership and the staffing coordinator. Has reviewed and understands the staffing grid. During low or high census times appropriately flexes staffing
20. Manages change and mentors others to accommodate change. Collaborates with team members to develop solutions to problems.
21. Assigns patient care tasks to team members based on levels of experience, competency, and knowledge.
22. Maintains a safe environment; does not engage in or tolerate bullying, hostile behaviors, or lateral or positional violence by self, staff, other team members, patients or family members
23. Monitors and reports significant events such as near misses, adverse events, patient/family complaints, and any situation that affects the timely and safe delivery of patient care
24. Ensure that handoff communication occurs when there is a change in frontline leaders or staff/team members.

PHYSICAL & SENSORY REQUIREMENTS, WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS:

• Ability to move frequently is required in the delivery of patient care.
• Ability to lift, push, pull, twist, and stoop in the delivery of patient care.
• Lifting and holding a patient may be required without assistance.
• Ability to work inside with air conditioning in summer and heat in winter.
• Visual acuity is needed for accurate reading of gauges, patient changes, and reports.
• Ability to frequently handle hazardous/infectious waste and respond to exposure to blood and body fluids.
• Ability to work in an environment where chemicals are frequently used for cleaning, where mechanical and electrical hazards may occasionally be present, and where dust, mist, and steam are frequently generated in housekeeping tasks.

All employees of Inland Northwest Behavioral Health who have direct or indirect access to patient health information must treat that information with the strictest confidentiality. 

Salary : $2 - $8