Job Description

Department Overview

The OPC operates as a 24-hour emergency response center, offering critical information to efficiently triage and manage patients experiencing poisoning or toxic exposure. The center supports both the public and healthcare providers across Oregon and Guam and serves individuals of all age groups. Pharmacists or registered nurses are responsible for answering emergency phone lines. Primary responsibilities include patient assessment, providing treatment recommendations, and facilitating appropriate referrals to healthcare facilities when necessary.

Function/Duties of Position

Ongoing patient evaluation and follow-up are essential components of this role. Registered nurses or pharmacists also participate in OPCs research, educational, and outreach activities, and serve as preceptors for students from colleges of pharmacy, nursing, and medicine. OPC staff utilize a collaborative practice model as a framework for care provision. The policies and procedures in the center are consistent with a planned system.

The toxicologists, pharmacists and nurses at the OPC work closely with healthcare providers at other facilities to treat individuals with poisoning and toxic exposure, ensuring consistent, high-quality care. This collaborative framework emphasizes shared clients, collegiality, mutual accountability, and joint decision-making. Mutual trust and respect are essential in fostering an effective collaborative practice environment.

Serves all individuals who call the OPC. Oregon and Guam are our service regions.

Practice:

• Demonstrate ability to answer poison calls, ascertain necessary information and obtain accurate history from caller.
• Utilize basic data resources and consults with others as necessary to obtain accurate
• Identification of substance of exposure and toxicity information in developing recommendations for plan of care.
• Incorporate evaluation of patient/family ability to provide home care and monitoring when appropriate.
• Demonstrate ability to identify exposure situations which pose an immediate potential health risk and take appropriate action to assure effective patient management.
• Recognize inappropriate calls to poison center and utilize assistance to direct caller to appropriate resource. Provide patient access to social support systems. Recognizes unique responsibility to assure care to pediatric and suicidal patients.
• Understand basic principles of toxicology, including:
• Assessment of significant symptoms
• History related to exposure
• Principles of decontamination
• Metabolism
• Systemic and local effects
• Understand/demonstrate knowledge of major substance exposure groups without needing assistance from others
• Assure that all initial incoming calls are answered in a timely manner and effectively triaged based on acuity of all active calls.
• Consult with on call physician toxicologist according to department guidelines.
• Utilize standardized departmental treatment guidelines unless directed otherwise by on call physician toxicologist.
• Consult with on call physician toxicologist in instances in which treatment recommendations are not followed, and documents appropriately.

Other Duties as Assigned

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of nursing experience in critical care, emergency medicine, or high acuity pediatrics.
• Current unencumbered Guam Registered Nurse License or obtain within 60 days of hire
• BSN Graduates: Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing from a program accredited by Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA) 30 days before start date.
• ADN Graduates: Associate Degree in Nursing from an accredited program 30 days before the start date.
• Associate degree Nurses required to enroll in BSN program within 3 years of hire and complete within 5 years of hire
• Current, unencumbered Oregon State Registered Nurse License
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without accommodation

Preferred Qualifications

• Failure to pass the Certified Specialist in Poison Information (CSPI) exam upon 3rd period of eligibility will result in termination of SPI position consistent with national poison center accreditation standards and regulations, and possible termination of employment with OHSU
• Demonstrated experience and strong skills in telephone triage.
• Proficiency in EKG interpretation, ABG analysis, and chemistry profile interpretation.

Additional Details

Length of Orientation – Experienced Nurse

• External candidates: OHSU & Nursing New Employee Orientation (NEO) for about a week.
• Either Transition to Practice (TTP) Program Specialty Fellowship/Fellowship Learning Pathway or Orientation experience for 3 days-26 weeks depending on the care area. An employment service agreement may apply.
• TTP Program Specialty Fellowship/Fellowship Learning Pathway details and dates: https://www.ohsu.edu/human-resources/transition-practice-program-rns

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact askhr@ohsu.edu