Department
Nursing – Wound Care
Job Summary
Assists the professional nursing staff in providing maximum patient care, assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of each assigned patient. Under supervision gives direct and indirect patient care as assigned. OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Class I.
Job Qualifications
- Education: Graduate of an accredited School of Vocational Nursing.
- Personal job-related skills: Effective oral and written communication skills. Negative pressure wound therapy, compression wraps.
- Licensure, registry or certification: Licensed Vocational Nurse currently licensed by the State of Texas. BCLS and ACLS preferred.
- Prior Work Experience: One year of Licensed Vocational Nursing preferred. Wound Care preferred, but not required.
- Technical Training: Current CPR training.
- Physical and Mental Requirements: Duties of the position require extended periods of standing and walking. Bending, stooping, twisting, reaching and lifting up to 50 pounds. Occasional heavy lifting when moving or supporting patients who may suddenly become weak or helpless.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Utilizing the nursing process, completes basic physical and psychosocial assessment of patients and takes nursing histories to provide a basis for development of patient care plans under the direct supervision of the licensed professional.
- Identifies teaching/learning/discharge needs at time of admission and throughout treatment.
- Provides a basic assessment that accurately reflects overt physiological and psychosocial needs of patients and reports unusual findings to appropriate licensed personnel.
- Uses input from patient, family, significant others, physician and health care team members.
- Provides care appropriate for the pediatric, adolescent and geriatric patients served based on demonstrated knowledge of the principles of
growth and development over the life span. - Observes and reports data on the pediatric, adolescent and geriatric patients’ status to identify patients’ requirements relative to their age-specific needs and provides care needed as stipulated in departmental policy.
- Using nursing process, plans and provides patient/family care; evaluates patient’s response to care provided and redirects care as necessary under the supervision of a Registered Nurse.
- Assists with formulating appropriate nursing diagnosis and identifies patient problems from admission database and ongoing assessment.
- Establishes patient outcome goals that are realistic, specific, measurable and progressive.
- Initiates interdisciplinary communications and incorporates recommendations.
- Consults with Registered Nurse to formulate care plans that reflect concern for holistic patient needs for patient, family and significant others.
- Observes and reports patient-response/outcome and makes appropriate modifications on the care plan.
- Reviews and updates care plan as needed with the assistance of the Registered Nurse to reflect patient’s current status throughout hospitalization.
- Implements and monitors appropriate nursing care to meet patients’ needs and identifies expected outcome for planned nursing intervention and ensures vital information is passed between shifts.
- Administers medications according to policy including IVs, IMs and topical as prescribed by physicians.
- Knows actions, indications, contraindication, precautions, adverse reactions, dosage and route of administration on all drugs before administering to patient and verifies against medication administration record for accuracy on each shift and on an ongoing basis.
- When required, gives exchange report to other health care personnel providing accurate and complete information on each patient at the change of shift, when transferring patient to another unit and at intervals during the shift.
- Observes patients at the beginning of shift for acuity of patient needs/problems and based on that observation, establishes priority in which work activities are consistently completed by the end of the shift.
- Performs basic nursing skills competently to include but not limited to intake and output, vital signs, urine testing, specimens/cultures, dressing changes, compression therapy, negative pressure wound therapy, personal hygiene for patient, skin care, glucose monitoring, basic oxygen administration, urinary catheterization, drains and intravenous catheterization.
- Notifies supervisor and physicians of emergency situations promptly.
- Recognizes variances of vital signs and assessments that should be reported to the Registered Nurse, supervisor and the physician and notifies physician in a time appropriate to the variance.
- Functions proficiently in wound care nursing modalities.
- Consistently checks for new patient orders throughout the shift and implements them in an appropriate timeframe.
- Participates in the healthcare educational needs for the client family and others with regard to patient care needs, disease prevention and health maintenance measures.
- Assists the Registered Nurse in the development and implementation of an individualized teaching and discharge plan at admission and throughout treatment.
- Initiates and documents progressive patient, family or significant other teaching on admission and throughout treatment.
- Acts as a liaison between patient, physician, family or significant other and other health disciplines.
- Maintains accurate and timely records according to hospital policy and procedures.
- Accurately documents on each shift the nursing patient care activities and the patient’s response to nursing interventions and delegated medical management.
- Assists with maintaining a patient care plan that is current and reflects individual needs and preferences of patients and others.
- Documents teaching completed and patient, family or significant other response in the patient record.
- Transcribes and/or co-signs physician’s orders completely and accurately according to hospital policy and practice.
Other Significant Requirements
- Maintains confidentiality while working with confidential matters on a daily basis.
- Provides service direct to patients while maintaining a positive patient relations atmosphere.
- Interacts with patients, family members and Medical Staff members on a continuous basis.
- Follows aseptic procedures and precautions when involved in direct patient contact or handing potentially infectious materials.
- Follows safety guidelines and policies for the Healthcare System.
Benefits
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
