Job Duties

• Performs and accurately documents physical, psychosocial, and emotional assessments. All assessments take into consideration age specific criteria (children, adolescents, adults and older adults).
• Actively anticipates patients' and/or patient's family needs and expectations and utilizes these in conjunction with the assessment to develop an appropriate plan of care for the patient. Utilizes critical thinking skills in planning and prioritizing nursing care. Maintains and utilizes competencies per unit expectation
• Identifies and implements appropriate nursing interventions based on the completed assessment. Completes accurate and timely documentation of these interventions. Active coordinator of the interdisciplinary plan of care. Confers with all members of the health care team in a collaborative fashion, sharing information and observations of the patient and/or patient's family in a manner that contributes to optimal patient care.
• Appropriately prioritizes nursing interventions based upon completed assessment. Promptly identifies changes in condition as evidenced by nursing assessment, labs, x-rays, etc. Reports changes, takes follow-up action as appropriate.
• Evaluates implemented interventions and modifies care according to the evaluation. Documents interventions and modifications to the plan of care in an accurate and timely manner.
• Adheres to appropriate hospital and/or Department of Nursing policies, procedures, clinical pathways and nationally accepted standards of nursing practice while delivering nursing care to patients. Suggests practices to enhance Nursing care based on current literature and research.
• Provides appropriate and timely answers and/or education to patients and/or patient's families. Completes accurate and timely documentation of all education provided. Obtains feedback/evaluation of understanding from patient/family, i.e., have we helped you? Patient/family verbalizes comfort with after discharge care. Demonstrates effective communication with children, adolescents, adults and older adults.
• Welcomes and orients patient/family to the unit. Encourages patient/family participation in care. Reviews plan of care with patient/family every shift. Explains special diets, tests, procedures and medications in easily understood and appropriate language. Makes frequent rounds on patients, communicates when will return; patient infrequently needs to use call light.
• Assumes accountability for all actions in the workplace. Reports errors promptly and takes appropriate follow-up action to rectify the error.
• Effective patient/family advocate. Responds to patients and/or patients family's complaints in an appropriate and effective manner. Reports complaints to the Clinical Nurse Manager or their designee in a timely manner. Utilizes the chain of command appropriately to resolve patient, operational, or personal work related problems.
• Participates in performance improvement activities as directed. Attends at least 80% of scheduled staff meetings and 100% of mandatory educational sessions.
• Provides supervision of and direction to unlicensed support personnel and nurses new to the environment. Delegates duties appropriately and within legal parameters.
• Duties performed may include one or more of the following core functions: a) Directly interacting with or caring for patients; b) Directly interacting with or caring for human-subjects research participants; c) Regularly maintaining, modifying, releasing or similarly affecting patient records (including patient financial records); or d) Regularly maintaining, modifying, releasing or similarly affecting human-subjects research records.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Education
  Bachelor's Degree candidates are nurse graduates with a minimum of a Bachelor's degree who have graduated from an ACEN or CCNE accredited/state approved program or or
  Associate's Degree (ADN) with current UTSW experience
  

• Experience
  1 year of RN independent practice experience (non-precepted)
  

• Licenses and Certifications
  (NLC) NURSING LICENSURE COMPACT-BNE Current Texas (or BNE Compact State) license and
  (BLS) BASIC LIFE SUPPORT Course accredited by the American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC).
  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must be able to read, write and communicate in English.
• Self-directed and able to organize and manage multiple tasks/projects simultaneously.
• Work requires high level of effective written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
• Work requires interdisciplinary collaboration between nursing, physicians and allied health professionals.

• Working Conditions
  Clinical Setting
  Hospital Setting

• P-Problem Solving To achieve excellence in patient care and service, all employees are expected to take ownership in solving problems effectively, efficiently and to the satisfaction of the patient.
• A-Ability, Attitude and Appearance In keeping with a professional healthcare environment, all employees are expected to have the ability to perform their jobs and to appear and conduct themselves in a professional and positive manner.
• C-Communications and Compassion It is our goal that all our communications are clear, courteous, timely, and delivered with compassion, respect and appropriate confidentiality.
• T-Teamwork In our medical environment, our patients regard every employee they encounter as a member of the Southwestern Medical Center team. Our goal is to individually work hard to contribute to our team, support our co-workers, and to achieve not only excellent patient care and service, but also a satisfying, caring environment for each other.