Registered Nurse (RN) - Float

CLAIBORNE MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER
Nursing Department

Job Description

REGISTERED NURSE – MEDICAL/SURGICAL UNIT

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
To provide support for the mission and vision of the hospital through your actions, attitudes, and

personal conduct as a team member of your department, an employee of the hospital, and a contributor

to the health and wellbeing of the patients we service; to provide the duties outlined in this job

description to the best of your abilities; and to strive for excellent service to your customers.

JOB SUMMARY:
The Registered Nurse is a clinical practitioner who coordinates and implements patient care specific to

the age of the patient population served on the assigned units. He/she ensures that quality care is

provided in an efficient and safe manner, consistent with the unit’s standards of care. He/she

demonstrates performance consistent with the mission, philosophy and goals of the unit and

organization; remains flexible to changing systems; is expected to demonstrate quality and

effectiveness in work habits and clinical practice; and treats staff, physicians, patients and families

with consideration and respect.

GENERAL DUTIES:

1. Support your manager and administration in the implementation of the hospital’s mission,

vision, and overall goals.

2. Actively participate as a member of your department by providing excellent customer service,

identifying areas for improvement and implementing operational changes.

3. Assist your department in providing efficient and effective patient care by actively participating

in the orientation process, your departmental meetings, available educational events, personal

performance evaluations and focused counseling opportunities.

4. Promote high standards of performance by exhibiting compassion and professionalism at all

times and by being responsible for your actions, attitude, and body language.

5. Communicate in a timely and effective manner using multiple communication mediums. This

includes notes, e-mails, phone calls, one-on-one interaction, and participation in meetings.

6. Support performance improvement monitoring by collecting data, reporting incidents,

identifying patient care problems and providing performance information to your manager.

7. Assist your manager in meeting departmental budget goals, identifying capital equipment

needs, and developing new strategic goals for the department.

8. Follow all departmental and hospital policies. Request clarification and guidance if needed.

9. Manager your time to assure you clock in and out as scheduled, complete your assignments

within the scheduled timeframe, and minimize changes in the departmental work schedule.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.

2. Required to maintain a current Registered Nurse license in Louisiana.

3. Required to maintain a current certification in BLS and CPI. ACLS and PALS preferred but

not required. If certification is not current upon hire, employee will attend class within six

months of hire date to obtain certification.

4. Required to complete annual restraint education.

Reviewed: 07/30/20 Registered Nurse – Medical Surgical Unit

5. Required to participate in annual Infection Prevention education.

6. Required to follow Infection Prevention guidelines (i.e., proper use of isolation precautions,

proper use of PPE, etc.)

7. Required to follow all Employee Health protocols (i.e., annual TB skin test, annual flu vaccine,

and annual employee physical (if maintaining insurance benefits) etc.)

8. Required to complete annual training including HEAT, OmniCell, and Ethics.

9. Required to attend all mandatory inservices including departmental meetings.

10. Required to be a role model and support person for LPN’s and CNA’s.

11. Required to participate in monthly PI.

12. Required to have basic computer knowledge.

13. Required to have the ability to communicate effectively in English, both written and verbally.

14. Required to pass pre-employment drug screen and random drug screens.

PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Adheres to dress code, appearance is neat and clean.

2. Completes annual education requirements.

3. Maintains regulatory requirements, including all federal, state, local regulations and accrediting

organization standards.

4. Maintains and ensures patient confidentiality at all times.

5. Reports to work on time and as scheduled, completes work within designated time.

6. Wears identification while on duty, uses computerized punch time system correctly.

7. Completes inservices and returns in a timely fashion.

8. Attends annual review and department inservices, as scheduled.

9. Attends at least 10 staff meetings annually, reads and returns all monthly staff meeting minutes.

10. Represents the organization in a positive and professional manner.

11. Actively participates in performance improvement and continuous quality improvement (CQI)

activities.

12. Complies with all organizational policies regarding ethical business practices.

13. Communicates the mission, ethics and goals of the hospital, as well as the focus statement of

the department.

STAFFING/SCHEDULE:
Schedules are provided for each department in a four (4) week time frame. Depending on needs of the

department (i.e., census, employee illness, vacation requests, etc.) staff may be asked to work other

shifts to cover the department with the appropriate number of staff. This includes:

1. Working shifts that are not the employee’s normally scheduled shifts.

2. Working different departments that are not the employee’s normally scheduled departments.

3. Working times that are not the employee’s normally scheduled time (i.e., 7a – 7p, 7p – 7a).

4. Taking call for the unit – Call means that you do not report to work unless the need arises and

you are notified that extra staff is called to work. Taking call means that you are available for a

set time frame, normally a 12 hour shift, and that you can report to work within 30 minutes

after notification, and will work the shift or until the need for extra staffing has been fulfilled.

5. If asked to work a different shift or to take call, the employee will be paid according to the

facilities set shift differential and call pay rates.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

1. Obtains and records initial assessment and establishes priorities according to patient age,

symptoms, and psychosocial needs.

2. Re-assesses patients systematically to identify progress and trends that require intervention.

Reviewed: 07/30/20 Registered Nurse – Medical Surgical Unit

3. Develops and implements a measurable individualized plan of care for the patient within the

time frame established by Nursing Standards of Care.

4. Makes comprehensive nursing decisions based on the interpretation of facts and evaluations of

the patient outcome; modifies the plan of care based upon the evaluations.

5. Participates in patient/significant other health education and discharge planning.

6. Implements and documents timely interventions appropriate to patient needs.

7. Treats patients, visitors, and staff with respect and dignity. Acts as liaison between

administration, patients, physicians and other healthcare providers.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

1. Walking and/or standing approximately 80 % of the day.

2. Sitting approximately 20 % of the day.

3. Must be able to lift up to 30 lbs. (no less than 20 lbs.) less than 10 % of the day.

4. Must be able to bend, stoop, kneel, and reach over the head less than 10% of the day.

DISCLAIMER:
This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working

conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current

job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks to be

performed when circumstances change.

RESPONSIBILITY:
The Registered Nurse is directly responsible to the Charge Nurse and the Nurse Manager of the unit.

DIRECT REPORTS:
Include RNs, LPNs, Ward Clerks, CNAs, and Orderlies.