Job Description

HOURLY RANGE: $44.10 - $59.58

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS: The work involves directing, coordinating and supervising professional and nonprofessional nursing staff and participating in the nursing and daily activity needs of patients/residents on a unit, for an assigned shift. This is a professional/supervisory nursing position requiring a high degree of competence and tact. Work is performed under the direct supervision of higher ranking professional nursing staff. Supervision is exercised over lower level professional and non-professional nursing staff. Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

CLINICAL

• Monitors and ensures that established standards of care and the nursing process are utilized in the delivery of patient/resident care including but not limited to assessment, care planning, intervention, evaluation, discharge planning and health teaching;
• Participates and ensures the maintenance of safety standards for staff, patients/residents and visitors;
• Plans and conducts needed patient/resident centered conferences;
• Intervenes in identified patient/resident problems and seeks resolution;
• Communicates to physicians, higher ranking nurses and other staff the needs of patients/residents;
• Assures the processing and implementation of physician orders in a timely manner;
• Establishes patient/resident care priorities;
• Serves as a clinical resource person to other staff;
• Serves as liaison between patients/residents, family, physician and the health care team;
• Provides nursing care as needed;
• Assures documentation of patient/resident condition as required.

NON-CLINICAL

• Assesses overall unit activity and patient/resident care needs for assigned shift;
• Makes patient/resident care assignments according to departmental standards;
• Communicates all clinical and operational activities from shift to shift;
• Communicates immediate concerns related to staff performance issues, physician or patient/resident concerns or other unit management issues to the unit manager/higher ranking nurse;
• Reinforces cost effective utilization of personnel and supplies;
• Supports and participates in the quality improvement process;
• Participates in the evaluation of staff performance and the orientation of new staff;
• Ensures assigned staff attends in-service as scheduled;
• Maintains knowledge of new and current skills and trends in nursing;
• Provides input into scheduling;
• Contributes to formulation of unit/facility goals and objectives.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Good knowledge of the principles, procedures, techniques, and terminology of professional nursing; Good knowledge of the biological, physical, social and medical science as they relate to nursing care; Ability to develop management skills; Ability to work effectively with others; Ability to work well in crisis situations; Ability to assist in administration of nursing and non-nursing ancillary activities; Ability to perform more difficult professional nursing duties; Ability to maintain records and prepare reports;
Good communication skills, both oral and written; Sound professional judgment; Initiative; Resourcefulness; Industry;
Dependability; Tact; Good health; Physically capable of performing the essential functions of the position with or without
reasonable accommodation.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Graduation from an accredited school of professional nursing and possession of a license to practice as a registered professional nurse in New York State and either:
A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor's degree in nursing and six (6) months of professional nursing experience in the specialty area to which assignment is requested; or
B) One (1) year of professional nursing experience in the specialty area to which assignment is requested;
C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

Specialty areas shall include *critical care, *emergency nursing, medical/surgical, operating room, hemodialysis, ambulatory care and behavioral health.

*Please note that critical care experience will meet the minimum requirements for positions in the post anesthesia recovery room and the cardiac catheterization laboratory.*

NOTE: Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.