Major Responsibilities:

• Nurse/Patient Relationship: Develops and maintains a therapeutic relationship throughout the healthcare continuum.
  • Demonstrates adaptive communication styles based on individual patient needs
  • Provides individualized care to promote physical and psychosocial comfort
  • Assesses patient and family readiness and involves them in planning and implementing care. Seeks consultation as needed.
  • Incorporates an individualized, holistic approach in the plan of care

• Assuring/Improving Quality Care: Facilitates the patient and family's right to receive quality, cost effective care.
  • Mobilizes appropriate resources in response to situations that have the potential to negatively impact patient and family outcomes
  • Adapts practice to the latest standards according to evidence-based literature.
  • Participates in quality/process improvement initiatives
  • Participates in efforts to reduce risk and improve patient safety
  • Meets regulatory and mandatory requirements on the unit
    
• Patient/Staff Education: Demonstrates a commitment to meeting the learning needs of patients and families. Utilizes appropriate resources to meet those needs and achieve positive patient outcomes. Assists in creating an environment that promotes educational growth opportunities for nursing peers and colleagues.
  • Assesses patient and family readiness to learn, and modifies approach as necessary
  • Seeks out opportunities to enhance knowledge, skill, and competence of department members
    
• Nursing Process: Demonstrates the use of nursing process as a problem-solving model.
  • Recognizes changes in clinical situations. Evaluates and implements changes to the plan of care
  • Consistently makes sound clinical decisions, demonstrating the ability to care for patients with complex problems
  • Prioritizes and organizes patient care and ensures follow through with planned care
  • Initiates referrals and discharge planning for assigned patients and actively coordinates utilizing the interdisciplinary approach.
  • Applies ethical decision making.
  • Monitors for confidentiality and assures appropriate business conduct.
  • Delegates correctly to unlicensed assistive personnel.
  • Seeks resources for disruptive behavior that impedes care delivery.
    
• Leadership/Collaboration/Professional Development: Demonstrates respect and understanding for peers and other clinical disciplines and participates as an effective member of the patient care team to formulate an integrated approach to care. Demonstrates leadership behaviors and is committed to the development of self and others.
  • Participates in unit meetings and activities that improve patient care or administrative systems Utilizes available resources to maintain current knowledge base relevant to practice
  • Demonstrates effective communication, feedback, and conflict resolution skills, promoting collaboration among healthcare team members
  • Demonstrates ability to critique own nursing practice and achieves required certifications or Bachelor's Degree
  • Earns a minimum of 10 contact hours per year

Licensure:

• Nurse, Registered (RN)

Education/Experience Required:

• Graduate from an accredited school of nursing * Earn 10 continuing education credits annually
• One year of medical surgical experience * Has demonstrated proficiency for the requirements for NC I

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills * Good documentation skills. * Computer skills * Good time management and organizational skills * Familiarity with patient care equipment
• Current Illinois RN license * Current CPR

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

• Ability to work weekends, holidays, and different shifts in order to accommodate staffing * Ability to take "on call" assignments. * Ability to handle multiple tasks and complete work within short timeframes. * Ability to transport objects, patients, and equipment * Ability to respond quickly to patient needs and work at fast pace * Work environment includes probability of exposure to adverse, hazardous, or unpleasant conditions while caring for the sick * Routinely works with potentially infectious specimens and patients * Ability to respond to patients in a timely manner and access all areas of the unit * Ability to lift up to 100 pounds occasionally and/or in excess of 50 pounds frequently and/or in excess of 20 pounds constantly * Must be able to travel to all areas within the Advocate service area in all extremes of weather on all types of roads. Exposed to widely varying social and environmental conditions in patient's neighborhoods and homes. Must be willing to work occasional overtime if needed. Required to make visits to private residences which may not be accessible to people with disabilities. * Must be able to assist with ambulation including turning and transferring patients up to 200 pounds
• If position has direct patient care or direct patient contact the following lifting requirement supersedes any previous lifting requirement effective 06/01/2015. Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For patient lifts of over 35 pounds, or when patient is unable to assist with the lift, patient handling equipment is expected to be used, with at least one other associate, when available. Unique patient lifting/movement situations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.