Our Emergency Departments offer comprehensive emergency medical services to all age groups and staffed 24/7 by a highly trained team to meet the needs of the community. Our ED team is composed of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and support staff. Our Regional Medical Center Emergency Department is a 54-bed state designated Level III Trauma Center as well as a Level II Stroke Center. The Regional Medical Center ED treats more than 60,000 patients per year. Our Nurse to Patient ratio ranges from 1:1 with our critical/trauma patients to 1:3-4 on all other patients.

Serves as onsite mentor and nursing knowledge and skills resource nurse for direct care staff and works as staff RN. In collaboration with ED educator assists with planning, developing and supervising clinical orientation of ED staff.  Assists with other staff education on an as needed basis.

Plans, coordinates and directs quality, compassionate care by maintaining standards of professional nursing practice and creating positive therapeutic relationships with patients/families.  Provides leadership to other team members by articulating and delegating expected standards of care, supervising and encouraging team members, and supporting their contributions.  Supervises ED Technicians, Escort/PCAs and Clerical Coordinator/PCAs.

1. Provides clinical expertise, support and feedback to facilitate the advancement of clinical skills of direct care staff.
2. Plans and leads daily shift huddles with new staff to offer debriefing, group learning and staff recognition.
3. Works alongside new team members and provides direct supervision and coaching in skill performance and patient care activities on a daily basis.
4. Assists with planning clinical experiences for all new staff to the Emergency Department.
5. In collaboration with ED educator and managers, assigns new staff to appropriate ED preceptors.
6. Rotates assignments of orientees to assure adequate exposure and practice of various care activities.
7. Evaluates and documents orientation skills and other competencies. Communicates routinely with department leaders, preceptors and educator to assess ongoing needs and troubleshoot issues.
8. Provides orientation and validates skills of temporary staff (Clinical Resource Team, reassigned staff, Patient Attendants, agency staff), PCAs and MSTs.
9. Assists with validation of annual staff competencies and other educational activities as needed.
10. Routinely alters work hours to accommodate needs of orientees.
11. Routinely works as staff nurse at a minimum of one 12-hour shift per month as directed by department leader
12. Maintains and enhances expertise as ED nurse though constant awareness of policies, procedures, protocols, maintaining competencies, and attending continuing education events.
13. Assesses condition on each assigned patient on admission and on an ongoing basis to include but not limited to the patient’s physical condition, psychological status, social status, spiritual and cultural needs, pain assessment/management, nutritional and functional status, developmental or age related factors, and discharge planning needs.
14. Plans, provides, and documents patient and/or significant other education based on physical,behavioral, psychological, developmental, and age-related factors, after identifying barriers to learning.
15. Evaluates and regularly reevaluates patient care; coordinates care planning with patient, family, providers and other disciplines to achieve patient-centered outcomes.
16. Assigns and delegates nursing care to team members in accordance with the patient’s needs and the capabilities of the team members.
17. Applies safety principles when performing care and accurately documents observations, care provided and changes in care plan.
18. Participates in rounds, care planning/problem identification and team shift reports.
19. Assists in performance improvement (PI) activities by serving on PI teams as warranted, assisting with PI measures and supporting and implementing changes necessary for improvement.
20. Performs initial and annual competency per job class.

DCH Standards:

• Maintains performance, patient and employee satisfaction and financial standards as outlined in the performance evaluation.
• Performs compliance requirements as outlined in the Employee Handbook
• Must adhere to the DCH Behavioral Standards including creating positive relationships with patients/families, coworkers, colleagues and with self.

• Performs essential job functions in a manner that ensures the safety of patients, visitors and employees.
• Identifies and reduces unsafe practices that may result in harm to patients, visitors and employees.
• Recognizes and takes appropriate action to reduce risks and hazards to promote safety for patients, visitors and employees.

• Requires use of electronic mail, time and attendance software, learning management software and intranet.
• Must adhere to all DCH Health System policies and procedures.
• All other duties as assigned.

Licensure & Certification

• Current Alabama Nursing License — Required

• American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross Certifications:

  • Basic Life Support (BLS) — Required

  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) — Required

  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) — Required

• Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) — Preferred

• Professional Nursing Certification — Preferred

• Emergency Nursing Certification (CEN) — Preferred

Education & Experience

• BSN and minimum 2 years RN Emergency Department experience
  OR
  ADN and minimum 3 years RN Emergency Department experience — Required

• 1 year experience as RN preceptor or in new employee orientation — Required

• Teaching and leadership experience — Preferred

Skills & Abilities

• Must be able to read, write legibly, speak, and comprehend English

• Strong clinical, communication, and mentoring skills

WORK CONTEXT

• Demonstrate leadership skills
• Requires decision making that will affect others
• Responsible to achieve outcomes
• Must be able to communicate clearly and accurately
• Ability to delegate to team members and students
• Address conflict and stressful situation
• Communicate with different personalities and engage in face to face discussion
• Dealing with unpleasant or verbally/physically aggressive personalities
• Must be able to use computers, electronic mail, telephone and texting
• Must be able to work in groups
• Must be able to perform structured and unstructured work
• Must be meet time pressure and time lines
• Includes possible exposure to human body fluids, disease, infection, lab chemicals and hazardous materials and/or cleaning solutions
• Requires wearing of common protective and safety equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, mask, gowns, etc.

PHYSICAL FACTORS

• Medium work. Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects .Must be able to tolerate prolonged periods of standing and walking.
• Must be able to tolerate prolonged periods of standing and walking
• Must be able to reach reasonable distances in any direction
• Must be able to stand, walk, kneel, bend, sit and stoop
• Must be able to run in an emergency
• Must have the ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull and carry objects
• Must be able to move fingers in a coordinated manner and must be ablet o feel and perceive temperature, texture, shape and size with fingertips
• Must be able to perform the duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must possess stamina to provide 24-hour management for assigned area(s) of responsibility
• Hearing and vision must be normal or corrected to within normal range.
• Physical presence onsite is essential.