Charge RN

Walworth County Care Center; United States; On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Walworth County Care Center seeks a Charge Nurse, RN to support the Director of Nursing Services in planning, organizing, developing, and directing the day-to-day functions of the Nursing Service Department, ensuring compliance with current standards and regulations.

In this role, you will delegate authority, supervise licensed staff, participate in policy development, maintain reference materials, and contribute to the facility's quality assurance and discharge planning efforts.

Qualifications

• Role requires RN licensure and current nursing practice.
• Involvement in planning, organizing, and directing daily nursing functions.

Responsibilities

• Assist the DON in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and directing daily nursing functions.
• Develop and update policies and procedures governing nursing operations.
• Keep reference materials current (regs, guidelines, manuals).
• Develop nursing service objectives and philosophy; assist in organization structure.
• Contribute to quality assurance and discharge planning processes.
• Participate in committees and coordinate nursing with other resident services.

Skills

Leadership

Delegation

Policy development

Quality assurance

Discharge planning

Staff scheduling

Communication

Job description

The primary purpose of your job position is to assist the Director of Nursing Services in planning, organizing, developing, and directing the day-to-day functions of the Nursing Service Department in accordance with current federal, state, and local standards, guidelines, and regulations that govern our facility, and as may be directed by the Administrator, the Medical Director, and/or the Director of Nursing Services, to ensure that the highest degree of quality care is maintained at all times.

Delegation of Authority

As the Charge Nurse, RN, you are delegated the administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary for carrying out your assigned duties. In the absence of the Director, or Assistant Director of Nursing Services, you are charged with carrying out the resident care policies established by this facility.

Job Functions

Every effort has been made to make your job description as complete as possible. However, it in no way states or implies that these are the only duties you will be required to perform. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or is a logical assignment to the position.

Performance Evaluations

A criteria-based performance evaluation has been made a part of this job description. Ratings are based on a scale from 1-5 in 8 categories, with 1 being the lowest, and 5 being the highest. If you fail to achieve a score above 24, you shall be placed on probation and re-evaluated following a specific time period, or terminated based on evaluation results.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Administrative Functions

• Assist the Director of Nursing Services in planning, developing, organizing, implementing, evaluating, and directing the day-to-day functions of the nursing service department, in accordance with current rules, regulations, and guidelines that govern the long-term care facility.
• Participate in developing, maintaining, and updating our written policies and procedures that govern the day-to-day functions of the nursing service department.
• Ensure that reference material (i.e., PDR'S, Federal and State Regulations, etc.) maintained at the nurses' stations is current. Recommend to the Director written material that will assist the nursing service department in meeting the day-to-day needs of residents.
• Ensure that the Nursing Service Procedures Manual is current at all times and reflects the day-to-day nursing care procedures used by this facility.
• Develop and periodically update nursing service objectives and statements of philosophy.
• Assist in developing and implementing a nursing service organization structure.
• Make written and oral reports/recommendations to the Director as necessary/required, concerning the operation of the nursing service department.
• Periodically review the department's policies, procedure manuals, job descriptions, etc. Make recommendations for revisions of policies, procedures, etc., to the Director of Nursing Services.
• Assist in developing methods for coordinating nursing services with other resident services to ensure the continuity of the residents' total regimen of care.
• Ensure that all nursing service personnel are following their respective job descriptions. Participate in developing, maintaining, and periodically updating the written job descriptions for each level of nursing personnel.
• Participate in the development, maintenance, and implementation of the facility's quality assurance program for the nursing service department.
• Participate in surveys (inspections) made by authorized government agencies as requested by the administrator or director of nursing services.
• Participate in developing, implementing, and periodically updating the resident's written discharge plan.
• Assist the resident and Discharge Planning Coordinator in planning the nursing services portion of the resident's discharge plan.
• Perform administrative duties such as completing medical forms, reports, evaluations, studies, charting, etc., as necessary.

Committee Functions

• In the absence of the Director, serve on, participate in, and attend various committees of the facility (i.e., Infection Control, Policy Advisory, Pharmaceutical, Budget, Quality Assurance & Assessment, etc.).
• Serve on the Quality Assurance and Assessment Committee as directed.
• Assist the Director in preparing written and/or oral reports of the nursing service programs and activities to submit to such committee(s).
• Participate in the development, maintenance, implementation, and updating of the written policies and procedures for the administration, storage, and control of medications and supplies.
• Schedule, attend, and participate in developing the agenda for the Care Plan Committee meetings as necessary.
• Participate in regularly scheduled reviews of the discharge plans and make such plans available to the Utilization Review Committee as required or as may be necessary.
• Attend and participate in the Utilization Review Committee functions as required or as may be necessary.
• Evaluate and implement recommendations from established committees as they may pertain to nursing services.

Personnel Functions

• Assist the Director in determining the staffing needs of the nursing service department.
• Recommend to the Director the number and level of nursing personnel to be employed.
• Assist the Director in the recruitment and selection of nursing service personnel.
• Ensure that a sufficient number of licensed practical and/or registered nurses are available for each tour of duty to ensure that quality care is maintained.
• Ensure that a sufficient number of certified nursing assistants are available for each tour of duty to ensure that routine nursing care is provided to meet the daily nursing care needs of each resident.
• Ensure that all nursing assistants are enrolled in or have graduated from an approved nursing assistant training program.
• Develop work assignments and schedule duty hours, and/or assist nursing supervisory staff in completing and performing such tasks.
• Ensure that all nurse aide trainees are under the direct supervision of a licensed nurse.
• Schedule work assignments and duty hours.
• Delegate to the Charge Nurses and Nurse Supervisors the administrative authority, responsibility, and accountability necessary to perform their assigned duties.
• Assist the Director in preparing performance evaluations as directed.
• Participate in the development and implementation of performance evaluations for the nursing service department.
• Make daily rounds of the nursing service department to ensure that all nursing service personnel are performing their work assignments in accordance with acceptable nursing standards. Report findings to the Director.
• Monitor absenteeism to ensure that an adequate number of nursing care personnel are on duty at all times. Report problem areas to the Director.
• Review complaints and grievances made or filed by department personnel. Make appropriate reports to the Director as required or as may be necessary.
• Ensure that disciplinary action is administered fairly and without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, age, sex, religion, handicap, or marital status.
• Interpret the department's policies and procedures to personnel, residents, visitors, and government agencies as necessary.
• Ensure that all nursing personnel participate in the facility's TB testing program.

Nursing Care Functions

• Participate in the interviewing and selection of residents for admission to the facility, including the PASARR screenings.
• Provide the Director with information relative to the nursing needs of the resident and to the nursing service department's ability to meet those needs.
• Inform nursing service personnel of new admissions, their expected time of arrival, room assignment, etc.
• Ensure that rooms are ready for new admissions.
• Greet newly admitted residents upon admission. Escort them to their rooms as necessary.
• Make rounds with physicians as necessary.
• Inform the Director when physician visits are not made in a timely manner.
• Encourage attending physicians to record and sign progress notes, physicians' orders, etc., on a timely basis and in accordance with current regulations.
• Ensure that direct nursing care be provided by a licensed nurse, a certified nursing assistant, and/or a nurse aide trainee qualified to perform the procedure.
• Review nurses' notes to ensure that they are informative and descriptive of the nursing care being provided, that they reflect the resident's response to the care, and that such care is provided in accordance with the resident's wishes.
• Schedule daily rounds to observe residents and to determine if nursing needs are being met.
• Monitor medication passes and treatment schedules to ensure that medications are being administered as ordered and that treatments are provided as scheduled.
• Report medication errors to the Director.
• Provide