GENERAL SUMMARY: Provides professional nursing care according in accordance with the Illinois Professional Registered Nurse Practice Act, and hospital policies and procedures. Employs critical thinking skills, assesses patients’ condition, recognizes changes, plans and evaluates care, monitors patients’ progress, and records pertinent observations. Delegates appropriate patient care tasks to other staff. Functions as a team member to fulfill unit goals. The following are general characteristics of this job, although duties may vary by assigned unit or shift.

CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY: It is the obligation of each employee of Edward - Elmhurst Health to abide by and promote the mission and values of the System to ensure that excellent services are delivered with compassion.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: (The following duties and responsibilities are all essential job functions, as defined by the ADA, except those that begin with the word "May.")

• Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of patients served. This includes knowledge of the physical and psychological needs of patients served and the ability to respond appropriately to those needs.

NURSING PROCESS Patient Assessment/Diagnosis

• Conducts initial and ongoing assessments based on observation, patient/family interview, input from other health care providers and other pertinent data Patient Care Planning and Outcome Identification

• Analyzes and prioritizes assessment findings to initiate an evidence-based patient plan of care.

• Systematically documents assessments in accordance with Assessment Policy

• Collaborates with patients, families, and other health care providers to establish plan of care and measure outcomes

• Uses the plan of care to provide direction to other members of the health care team. Patient Care Implementation and Evaluation

• Adheres to the Illinois State Nurse Practice Act and other criteria designated by regulatory/credentialing bodies.

• Provides care in a safe, timely, and ethical manner.

• Demonstrates ability to individualize care based on patient characteristics such as age, culture and patient preference.

2 Patient Care Implementation and Evaluation contd.

• Monitors and evaluates patient’s response to care and modifies the plan of care as needed.

• Coordinates care assignments daily based on patient needs and unit workload; delegates patient care tasks as appropriate.

• Provides education to patients and/or families on an ongoing basis according to patient needs and organizational guidelines.

• Plans and coordinates patient discharge or transfer throughout the patient’s course of treatment. As needed, includes other members of the health care team in planning patient discharges.

• Plans for and provides for seamless transition of care for the patient throughout the healthcare experience. Relationship Based Model of Care

• Introduces self to patient and family; explains role; elicits questions

• Calls patient by his/her preferred name

• Uses touch appropriately to enhance patient comfort

• Sits with patient each shift (or during each encounter for outpatients) to review plan of care; goals for the day; procedures; etc.

• Lives our DRIVEN values when planning and providing care

• Communicates effectively with members of interdisciplinary team to coordinate care

• Prepares for any interaction with physicians and patient hand-offs using SBAR communication

• Involves patients who are able to participate in plan of care

• Routinely rounds with physicians and APNs on inpatient units Patient Safety Expectations

• Consistently verifies the patient’s identity and uses source documents at the point of care when administering medications, collecting specimens or treating the patient. Uses the proper scanning procedure where available to administer medications. Asks patients to state name and birth date when verifying the identity of outpatients without armbands or upon initial banding of patients. Labels patient specimens appropriately.

• Consistently writes down orders or test results taken via telephone or verbally, and “readback” the order or test results.

• Refrains from using unapproved abbreviations and trailing zeros (refer to list or policy). Clarifies physician’s orders that contain unapproved abbreviations.

• Identifies a test result as critical and takes steps to immediately notify the appropriate caregiver. Implements the chain of command if the appropriate caregiver is unavailable. Documents the date and time the critical result was communicated.

• Consistently performs hand hygiene according to policy.

• Reconciles medications on admission by using the admission medication order form. Reconciles the patient’s home and hospital medications at the time of discharge and completes the Discharge Medication Record for all patients.

• Assesses the patient for fall risk and identifies at risk patients appropriately. Consistently implements fall risk reduction strategies to limit the patient’s risk from falling. Use lift equipment and safe patient handling techniques, according to guidelines.

• Follows the Universal Protocol, isolation procedures, and infection control guidelines.

3 PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCE Quality/Research

• Participates in quality improvement activities.

• Uses results of quality improvement activities to initiate changes in nursing practice.

• Uses best available evidence to guide practice decisions.

• Documents care provided according to the nursing process, practice standards and organizational guidelines.

• Participates in research activities as appropriate. Professionalism/Leadership

• Responsible for own professional development. Maintains knowledge of current trends and developments and shares knowledge and skills with peers by attending seminars, conferences, inservices and reading appropriate literature. Maintains documentation of presentations and attendance at educational programs.

• Identifies professional areas of strengths and identifies opportunities for growth. Accountable to demonstrate and maintain proficiency in clinical analytical skills.

• Supports and provides feedback to members of the health care team regarding their practice. Assists others to succeed by assisting in orientation and education of other nursing and ancillary personnel.

• Actively participates in organization, departmental, and shared leadership activities; supports department and unit goals in daily behaviors.

• Uses appropriate chain of command to resolve clinical issues.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

1. Preferred Education, Skills and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in Nursing

2. Required Education, Skills and/or Experience:

• Associate Degree or higher in Nursing

• If Associate Degree in Nursing is the highest degree held, must graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing within five years of position start date (effective September 1, 2021)

• Current incumbents with an RN Diploma are grandfathered OR RN Diploma Nurse if position start date is prior to September 1, 2021 3. Required License and/or Certification:

• Current State of Illinois Registered Nurse licensure

• Current CPR Certification issued by either American Heart Association or American Red Cross Additional Required License and/or

• ACLS within one year of start date
• NIHSS within one year of start date

4. Work requires the ability to walk or stand for an hour or more at a time, lift or carry objects weighing up to 50 pounds, push or pull laundry or supply carts, gurneys or wheelchairs, lift and position patients, proofread and check documents for errors, use a keyboard to enter, retrieve, or transform words or data and closely examine specimens, images or reports.

5. Work conditions include working in a confined area for two or more hours at a time, working with equipment or performing procedures where carelessness would probably result in minor cuts, bruises, or muscle strains, arresting or restraining patients or others, and performing laboratory or patient care duties requiring extreme precautions to avoid illness or injury.

6. RNs who work in specialty units and who possess unique and specialized skills that either cannot be easily substituted or which are required through the completion of a procedure may, as a 7 condition of employment, be required to take call and or to extend agreed upon work shifts as needed. RNs who work in non-specialty units may be asked to take call as needed. In the event of (1) any declared national, state or municipal disaster or other catastrophic event or (2) any implementation of the hospital’s disaster plan that will substantially affect or increase the need for health care services any nurse may be required to work mandated overtime.

7. Regular on-time & on-site attendance, due to patient care needs, is an essential function of this position.