RN - Community Homes

Job Title: Registered Nurse (RN)

Department: Residential Services

Reports to: Director of Residential Services

Prepared Date: April 4, 2012

Revised Date: May 6, 2021

SUMMARY

The Registered Nurse will provide diagnostic, palliative, preventative or

rehabilitative/habilitative services to the developmentally disabled and

elderly population 6 Residential Homes in the agency. The RN’s role will

include but are not limited to: the assessment, planning, implementation, and

evaluation of the Program Particpants’ status, plan of care, and goal

achievement. The Registered Nurse will try to compromise when

scheduling with the client to create a “win-win” situation. The Registered

Nurse understands that by accepting an assignment, the nurse is aware of the

potential exposure to internal and external hazardous materials including but

not limited to: blood and blood borne pathogens, infectious/communicable

diseases, noise, excessive physical injury from clients, airborne dusts, fumes,

and gases.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following.

Other duties may be assigned.

• Provides quality care to patients in 6 Residential Homes according to

policies and procedures.

• Understands and performs Nursing care as established in the Plan of

Care.

• Maintains recipient’s medical records according to policy and

procedures.

• Coordinates and monitors all program participants medical care and

services.

• PRN visits for changes and complications, which may include visits

outside of the typical office schedule, including weekends, holidays

and nights.

• Providing ongoing patient assessment and evaluation of physical,

psycho-social and spiritual needs.

• Monitor Program Participant progress and identifies any changes in

status, acting on those changes to insure client comfort and safety.

• Assist physicians and all healthcare professionals care for client,

always giving a complete and thorough report on client status at end

of assignment.

• Perform routine nursing care to assigned Program Participant while

utilizing age specific and universal precaution practices at all times.

• Preform injections to Five (5) Residents in three different homes
• Conduct Nursing physical assessments to two group homes per month
• Review Mar/Medication review for 6 Residential Homes each month
• Complete Nurses’ Notes for each community home per month.
• Reviewing Illness/Injury Forms Signing and documenting on Nurse’s

Notes

• Performing Physical Assessment after Hospitalization and ER Visit

with Documentation on Nurses Notes.

• Review MAR received from the Pharmacy and distribute to each

Residential Home

• Comparing Physician’s revisions of orders, Correcting and Having

MD Sign for two Homes per month

• Coordinate Routine and Ordered Lab and X-ray, Obtain and evaluate

reports, notify MD for Abnormal Reports and Distribute reports to

appropriate home.

• Review MD Visits and assure Orders are followed by Staff including

medication, Lab XRay, and follow up appointments.

• Practice teaching/training for clients and families.
• Follow policy when disposing of biohazardous materials, labeling and

handling of all materials.

• Actively demonstrate a working knowledge of nursing theory,

techniques, principles, and practice in order to care for the client.

• Communicate with all staff, client, and families with excellent written

and verbal skills.

• Consistently seek educational tools in order to broaden knowledge

base of various age groups, diseases, and best practices.

• Training of Direct Support Professionals on health maintenance

procedures (ex. Catheterizations, Gastrostomy tubes, Trachea care,

Medication Administration)

• Establish and maintain relationships with delegating physicians.
• Ensure that all medical tasks completed by non-licensed Direct

Support Professionals are within the guidelines established by the

State Board of Nurses.

• Ensure that all documents are available and completed in a timely

manner.

• Completing and tracking physician’s orders.
• Following up on physician’s recommendations.
• Reviewing MARs.
• Reviewing Illness/Injury reports.
• Reviewing Medication Error/Variance Forms.
• Providing initial training, specific to each individual recipient.
• Providing guidance to families so they will have a better

understanding of their responsibilities and circumstances.

• Report any and all pertinent information to the appropriate persons.
• Meet with Director/QMRPs as needed.
• Travel throughout a 7-parish area, including Grand Isle.
• Attending CPOC and PPOC for those individuals receiving supports,

which involve health maintenance procedures.

• Must be available on-call during a typical workweek of Monday

through Friday and for assigned on-call weekend to answer questions,

provide training and issue guidance to ensure the health of each

program recipient.

• Demonstrates a commitment to professional growth and competence

demonstrated by CEU class attendance and in-service trainings.

• Communicate and interact with recipients and families in a positive

and courteous manner.

• Maintain the strictest confidentiality of all company and company-

related recipient and employee information.

• Any other responsibilities/duties as deemed necessary by CSS

Director and Executive Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each

essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are

representative of the knowledge skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable

accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to

perform the essential functions.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates accountability and responsibility for own work.
• Acquires, maintains and demonstrates current knowledge and competency.
• Demonstrates a commitment to service excellence and quality improvement.
• Ability to work a schedule based on operational need. (On-call, weekends and

holidays)

• Basic knowledge of and experience utilizing a personal computer.
• Basic word processing skills required.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position does not have any positions reporting to it. Provides guidance to Direct

Support Professionals.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• B.S.N. from accredited College of Nursing
• Current Louisiana Nursing License
• One year clinical RN experience preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyzes, and interprets general business periodicals, professional

journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports,

business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present

information and respond to questions from groups of mangers, recipients, customers, and

the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole

numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentage

and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to define problems, collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or

diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. Ability to exercise

independent judgment. Ability to assess, project and plan for recipient needs. Ability to

understand principles of behavior management. Ability to interpret state/federal/agency

regulations. Ability to document concisely, accurately and timely.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

CPR Certification

First Aid Certification

Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel and Word)

Current Louisiana Driver’s License

Current Licensure as an RN by the State of Louisiana

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met

by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to

perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.

The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hand to finger, handle, or feel;

and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit; stoop,

kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or

move up to 50 pounds including the ability to lift, transfer, reposition, move and subdue

uncontrolled recipients. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision,

distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The

employee frequently must read typewritten and/or handwritten orders and notes in

recipient’s charts; measure medications; distinguish colors; observe changes in a

recipient’s skin color and condition; hear through a stethoscope to measure a recipient’s

blood pressure and listen for heart and lung sounds. The employee frequently is required

to pour/measure medication; change dressings; and administer medications. The

employee frequently moves freely throughout the work setting and responds to

emergency situations quickly. Is able to drive an automobile 2 to 4 hours per day.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an

employee encounters while performing the essential function of this job. Reasonable

accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the

essential functions.

Normal office conditions. Community driving and visiting recipients in a variety of

home settings. Exposure to infectious diseases, blood and bodily fluids occasionally.

Noise level is moderate. Exposure to inside and outside environmental conditions.

Hazards include infectious waste, exposure to HIV, Hepatitis, TB, sharps injuries,

hazardous solutions, hazardous fumes, possible excessive physical injury from client.