Senior Specialist Nurse, Labour & Delivery

JOB DESCRIPTION

Organization & Management

• Adherence to nursing care vision, mission, goals, and objectives, aligns with the scope of nursing services and midwives Code of Practices and performs shift duties as assigned by the Unit Manager to ensure high-quality care rendered.
• Notifies the unit manager of any changes in the situation that could impact the standards of care.
• Obtains and handovers a report of patient progress, ensuring all doctor's orders are followed and notifying of any incidents or problems encountered.
• Visit patients in the unit to assess conditions, re-visit nursing care, and determine nursing priorities based on patient needs and staff availability.
• Conduct comprehensive health assessments, including physical and abdominal examinations for expectant mothers, providing personalized care with accurate documentation and timely reporting of abnormal findings, as well as providing high-quality maternity care, emergency procedures, a national registry for childbirths and deaths, and safe maternal and child healthcare.
• Conducts nursing rounds, provides emotional support, accompanies and assists doctors during rounds and procedures, and assists new mothers with breastfeeding, providing education and guidance such as how to latch babies, recognize hunger cues, and breastfeeding positions to ensure successful experiences for both mother and baby.
• Collaborate and execute the doctor's orders, coordinating with team members related to patients’ treatment, and fostering effective communication with all disciplines, patients, and relatives to ensure patient satisfaction.
• Supervises labor progression using continuous cardiotocograph (CTG) monitoring, interpreting data, and promptly reporting any concerns to the attending obstetrician
• Assist the obstetrician by facilitating various delivery methods, managing complex cases like postpartum hemorrhage, antepartum hemorrhage, umbilical cord prolapses, and caring for asphyxiated newborns.
• Executes proper identification bands for both mother and newborn, provides immediate care for newborns delivered via cesarean sections, and assists or resuscitates asphyxiated newborns in urgent situations before medical intervention.
• Coordinates admission plans, patient care strategies, parent craft classes, and discharge preparations, supervising new mothers on self-care, newborn care, breastfeeding, providing postnatal home care education, and support and family planning.
• Educate and advocate parents about express breastmilk, milk storage, supply management, treating nipples and engorgement, checking baby growth and weight, and ensuring proper growth and food intake.
• Manage individual or group lactation support services, including prenatal education, in-hospital visits, postpartum home visits, follow-up calls, and counseling to healthcare providers, families, and the community.
• Creating and executing breastfeeding classes and workshops, as well as promoting and sustaining breastfeeding practices.
• Participate in the unit meetings, dialogue sessions, and hospital activities.
• Provide clear, compassionate, and culturally sensitive communication with patients, ensuring their understanding of their condition, treatment options, and care plan comprehensively.
• Collaborate with the unit manager in administration, setting care standards, and fulfilling duties in the absence of the unit manager, while also carrying out assigned tasks and providing feedback.
• Assist with patient transfer inter-services and discharge procedures, scheduling specialist clinic appointments (if needed), handling death cases with respect, and ensuring safe transfer to the mortuary.
• Charge accurately, incorporating charges for equipment and consumable items into the patient's charges and verifying their completeness.
• Inspect and document the supply of sterile packs to ensure the integrity of the packaging and maintain an adequate supply of unit stock from Central sterile supply services.

Human Resource and Development

• Accountable for personal and professional growth and keeps up to date with professional change by maintaining mandatory learning hours.
• Executes continuous professional development through annual competency evaluations, and is proficient in performing calculations, cardiotocograph (CTG), vaginal examination, and medication calculations.
• Participates and contributes to the teaching program of the unit/ward and orientation of new members of staff to the ward routine.
• Engage in the supervision of staff, which includes: Fresh graduate registered nurses, Assistant Nurses, Midwives, Care Assistants, and student nurses assigned to the unit for their clinical experience to achieve the clinical attachment objectives.
• Establish and coordinate the training 20 hours Baby Friendly Initiative Hospital for clinical and non-clinical staff.
• Collaborates with the unit manager to evaluate staff performance, provide constructive feedback, and optimize staff, supply, and service utilization for efficient resource allocation and coordination with consultants for effective bed management.
• Participate and contribute to the development and maintenance of the nursing process, ensuring effective patient care and documentation.
• Participates in research initiatives and advocates for quality improvement through evidence-based practice.

Policies & Procedures

• Participates in the review and revision of nursing policies, procedures, and work instructions, providing valuable insights, promoting best practices for optimal patient care, and continuously improving the process.
• Inspect the psychotropic drugs with the previous shift's nurse in charge and adhere to hospital policies and procedures in medication care, custody, and administration.
• Checks daily and audits resuscitation trolley periodically as scheduled.
• Promotes infection prevention and control by ensuring staff follow protocols, implementing surveillance activities, and demonstrating commitment through personal involvement.
• Maintain confidentiality of patient’s personal and medical history.

Facilities & Equipment

• Operates and maintains specialized equipment in a unit, guiding new staff on the use of it and maintaining accurate records.
• Collaborate with the unit manager to maintain equipment, medical supplies, consumable items, and drugs, ensuring proper functioning, service according to the planned preventive maintenance (PPM) schedule, and adequate stock and linen supply.
• Notify biomedical personnel of faulty equipment and assist in maintaining instruments and equipment through proper cleaning, handling, disinfection, and usage.
• Participate in a quarterly stock count with the finance staff.

Safety & Quality Improvement Activities

• Participate in and support activities aimed at the continuous improvement of nursing services, including quality assurance, infection control, and fire and safety programs.
• Conduct thorough investigations, root cause analyses, appropriate response actions, and timely completion of incident reports within the stipulated timeframe.
• Collaborate with unit manager to collect and evaluate clinical and administrative data, and participate in hospital-wide surveys like MSQH, JCI, IMS, etc., and act as internal auditor for continuous quality improvement efforts.
• Coordinate and prepare for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative certification survey.
• Participate and contribute to obstetric drills at regular intervals.
• Adhere to the Occupational Safety and Health Act and Regulations 1994, which mandate reasonable work care, employer cooperation, protective equipment use, patient safety goals, World Alliance recommendations, patient and family rights policies, standard people practice, and 5S activities.

JOB REQUIREMENT

• Registered with the Nursing Board of Malaysia with a valid license to practice as a Registered Nurse.
• Post Basic in Midwifery.
• Registered Nurse with at least 3 years of clinical experience and diversity in clinical experience.
• Possess certifications in BLS and NRP (according to the specialties).
• Attended Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative 20 hours, 40 hours training, and lactation counseling course.
• Proficient in writing and conversing in English and Bahasa Malaysia.
• Caring, honest, and responsible workers and team player.
• Microsoft Office literacy.
• Good leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Critical thinking, negotiation, and problem-solving skills
• Willingness to work on scheduled hours, shifts and weekends, public holidays, and any time called during an emergency.
• Passionate and committed to patient-centered care and continuous quality improvement.
• High integrity, patience, and attention to detail.