Registered Nurse Shift Leader - Hospice House (Full-time, 11:00pm - 7:00am)

Description

Come join a great team and do great work at our Hospice House.  If you have a passion for hospice care and supporting patients and families through one of life's most difficult journeys, we'd love to speak with you. 

Reporting to the Hospice House Manager, the Registered Nurse Shift Leader provides supervision to their respective shift team. This includes both support and guidance related to comprehensive case management for patients admitted to the Hospice House, as well as direct care. In addition, the RN Shift Leader coordinates resources to plan, organize, implement and evaluate shift operating routines necessary to achieve patient well-being and organizational objectives.

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Perform the following essential functions and supervises others performing the same. Provides coaching and counseling as appropriate in alignment with Agency mission and optimal patient care. 
• Collect accurate and current data in partnership with the patient and family in the following areas:

        o Health histories

        o Physical assessment, nutritional needs

        o Emotional, spiritual and social needs

        o Cultural and religious factors affecting health

        o Risk factors that affect health

        o Strengths that maintain and promote safety and comfort.

• Explain Hospice services, philosophy and limitations during the admission process and provide ongoing reinforcement. 
• Consult with patient/family/interdisciplinary team (IDT) in developing a comprehensive plan of care upon admission. 
• Revise the interdisciplinary plan as goals and objectives are achieved and/or changed every 14 days as needed. 
• Record nursing interventions and patient/family responses in a systematic and concise form and according to program policy and procedures.
• Clinical supervision Hospice LNAs and LPNs according to agency policy and State and Federal regulations
• Respond to the changing needs of the patient and families during the care of the patient. 
• Provide input into the bereavement needs of the patient and family upon the patient’s admission and at IDT meetings thereafter. 
• Provide appropriate support to patients and caregivers throughout the grief process. 
• Serves as the primary nurse and an advocate for the patient and family to achieve Hospice care goals.
• Teach the patient and family self-care concepts and skills, and assist in modifying the environment to encourage their use. 
• Validate observations, insights and new data with colleagues, supervisor, families and patients. 
• Participate in the evaluation of care through record audit and other methods of peer review. 
• Request team meetings/family conferences when needed to clarify service goals and patient/family needs 
• Incorporate appropriate changes in practice suggested by self-evaluation, client’s evaluation, peer review and professional development activities. 
• Actively participate in patient care conferences, support meetings and staff meetings by attending, presenting and offering input. 
• Obtain initial and ongoing physician orders according to agency policy for interventions and treatment; visit frequency and duration and paraprofessional services. 
• Follow agency and program guidelines, policies and procedures including but not limited to:

        o Case management

        o Admission policy and procedure

        o Patient rights and responsibilities

        o Priority of visits

        o Physician certification/re-certification of plan of care

        o Clinical record format and documentation policy

        o Medical policies and nursing standing orders

        o Procedure for Hospice nurse in evaluating patient’s change in status with home 

        o Infusion therapy

        o Declaring death

        o Disposal of prescription drugs

        o Discharge policy

        o Postmortem care

• Participate in the weekend, holiday, on-call, community and off-shift rotations as required to meet patient and program needs.
• Attend the in-services /conferences required for position/program yearly and initiate requests to attend training to improve job performance.
• Identify opportunities and offer constructive suggestions/solutions. Demonstrate follow- through to resolve identified opportunities.
• Demonstrate flexibility in role by accepting other duties as assigned for which qualified. 
• Promote the development and retention of a warm, supportive, homelike environment.
• Provide direct resident care per plan of care. Delegate care to staff according to the Plan of Care. Ensure that team members follow the care plan. 
• Communicate with the Hospice House staff, Hospice on-call nurses, volunteers and families regularly assuring continuity of care and services.
• Ensure respect and dignity of residents, their families and guests, house staff and volunteers.
• Ensure meals are planned and prepared to meet residents’ nutritional needs according to the Plan of Care.
• Support/assist residents with ADL’s (walking, bathing, shaving, mouth-care, grooming, eating, transfers, management of incontinence).
• Oversees medications administration. Establishes medication records and renews orders with the patient’s physician when indicated.
• Works with the Hospice House Operations Coordinator to ensure that the Hospice House is a safe, orderly, clean and comfortable environment.
• Ensure notification of the resident’s attending, house provider and family/guardian within 24 hours of accident or injury requiring medical attention.
• Orient, teach and review resident care standards with staff on an ongoing basis. Participate in training of staff, students and volunteers.
• Respond to requests for in service and community education on Hospice House when requested.
• Provide input for in services on an ongoing basis.
• Participates in maintaining the patient case needs within the budget process.
• Provide meaningful feedback to Hospice House Manager regarding team member performance in support of continued growth and development. 
• Address clinical care issues immediately and provide feedback to Hospice House Manager on the same. 

Other Job Functions

• Understands and demonstrates the agency’s safety policies and procedures.
• Adheres to the Agency’s standard of professional appearance and the Agency’s dress code policy.
• Adhere to the Agency’s policy and procedures regarding confidentiality and patient rights. 
• Attends in services/conferences required for position/program annually. Assumes responsibility for necessary competencies.
• Performs job duties in a safe manner in order to prevent injury to yourself and others

Requirements

 Minimum Qualifications and Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited nursing program; BSN preferred
• Must have a minimum of 2 years acute care nursing experience
• 3 to 4 years of recent experience as an RN in home health or hospice medical/surgical in an acute or skilled long-term care setting; 2 years oncology experience and IV Infusion Therapy experience preferred
• Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care; preferred
• 2+ years of prior supervisory experience preferred