Mechanical Circulatory Support Coord RN

Community Health at Home; Little Rock (AR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization seeks a dedicated professional to develop and manage the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program. The role involves coordinating care for heart failure patients, ensuring adherence to clinical standards, and engaging in community education initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a nursing background and expertise in heart failure management, demonstrating a commitment to improving patient outcomes and quality of care.

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree in Nursing required, Bachelor's preferred.
• Knowledge of Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) and heart failure management.

Responsibilities

• Develops and evaluates the Mechanical Circulatory Support Program.
• Coordinates care for heart failure patients and provides education.
• Participates in community awareness programs for heart failure.

Skills

Knowledge of the principles of nursing

Knowledge of heart failure disease management

Ability to understand clinical data

Ability to provide patient education

Education

Associate's Degree in Nursing

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Electronic medical record systems

Job description

Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, manages and evaluates the CHI-St. Vincent MCS/VAD Program designed to improve patient outcomes and quality care, including written care protocols based on best practice updates.
• Leads and/or coordinates the development, implementation and organization of CHI-St. Vincent MCS Team Algorithms/Protocols/Clinical Pathway/Order Sets in accordance with established policies, procedures, standards and regulatory requirements.
• Conducts ongoing review and monitoring of MCS care-related documentation to ensure continued adherence to standardized MCS orders, nursing pathway and protocols and that care given was appropriate based on established regulatory requirements/guidelines; identifies issues, determines causes and provides education/guidance to preclude the occurrence of future issues.
• Assesses and reports on program including costs, patient/clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
• Keeps abreast of current and emerging technological developments of interest to the organization and regulatory requirements with potential for impacting existing programs; assesses applicability to current initiatives/objectives, identifying opportunities to enhance current processes/outcomes; develops recommendations as appropriate.
• Participates in the CHI-St. Vincent strategy for advanced heart failure disease management programs based on national trends that affect the provision of service, expectations of quality, and financial performance.
• Mechanical Circulatory Support assigned call coverage to coordinate care of all Mechanical Circulatory Support and Cardiogenic shock patients.
• Provide mechanical circulatory support device management and support during all sedation procedures.
• Provide patient and caregiver education on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
• Teaches and Documents Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) and Cardiogenic Shock education for staff and other patient care areas. Including outside resources such as home health or rehab.
• Serves as an expert on operation of Mechanical Circulatory Support and can operate devices as needed.
• Assists in discharge planning and the discharge of Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) patients.
• Collaborates with education and unit managers to meet the needs for staff to provide care using Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) and Cardiogenic Shock.
• Screens internal and external referrals for potential use of Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS)

Ensures relevant data is collected, reviewed and analyzed following the CHI-St. Vincent MCS protocol; develops and implements action plans accordingly based on outcomes data.

• Develops program metrics and implements methodologies for gathering, tracking and reporting data that reflects significant program elements/accomplishments/issues.
• Provides formal/informal instruction and assistance in data collection and analysis for internal audiences/stakeholders to further process/quality improvement initiatives.
• Disseminates relevant data to clinical staff in order to drive quality improvement efforts.

Participates in advanced heart failure and MCS team meetings; prepares meeting agendas; prepares and delivers progress reports on key program outcomes/results.

• Develops, in conjunction with a multidisciplinary team, and implements targeted action plans designed to address deficiencies and produce measurable improvements; evaluates results to ensure improvements realized are sustained over time.

Develops, coordinates and participates in community awareness programs relating to MCS; represents CHI-St. Vincent

in the community by participating in a variety of community activities and serving in a leadership role as appropriate.

• Anticipates the evolution of customer/community needs/demands and monitors competitor programs and services focused on the needs of heart failure patients.
• Organizes and leads community-based educational forums/sessions to enhance community awareness of the signs and symptoms of advanced heart failure, and the current treatment options available.
• May act as a liaison for, or participate in, MCS-related research projects and other organizational programs and projects as needed.
• Works with the multi-disciplinary community to build a strong MCS team atmosphere, to foster continuous improvement in current and future processes and ensure coordination of care.
• Maintains current knowledge of the certification standards and requirements impacting matters within assigned scope of responsibility; ensures that these factors are considered and integrated into program development activities.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience	Associate's Degree in Nursing required; Bachelor's Degree preferred
Required Licensure and Certifications	RN:AR; BLS-CPR – within 30 days
Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training	Knowledge of the principles, standards, practices, systems, equipment and tools relating to the professional nursing discipline. Knowledge of pathology/risk factors, latest treatment protocols and the full continuum of care to support timely treatment relating to Heart Failure disease management. Knowledge of the purpose and use of Ventricular Assist Devices (VAD) to support heart failure patients on medical and/or surgical services. Knowledge of the pharmacology of various drugs and their therapeutic and adverse reactions relative to heart failure Knowledge of, or ability to learn and apply, program requirements and accreditation standards applicable to work unit activities. Knowledge of standards and effective practices for

interpreting clinical data and reviewing patient care in relation to legal standards of care. Knowledge of the concepts and methodologies relating to patient/provider/community education and measuring educational effectiveness. Knowledge of the application, functionality and use of electronic medical record and other automated systems/applications sufficient to perform the duties of the position. Knowledge or risk management, safety and security procedures applicable to matters within designated scope of responsibility. Ability to maintain awareness of, and compliance with, all applicable federal and state regulatory guidelines as appropriate within designated scope of authority. Ability to understand and accurately execute the provisions of policies and procedures and the instructions of physicians and other healthcare staff. Ability to provide authoritative advice/guidance, influence/persuade others, and create buy-in for current and proposed policies, programs and procedures. Ability to understand financial and/or operational reports, analyze data, identify improvement opportunities and implement effective responses. Ability to understand and execute the full continuum of care relating to heart failure, and to lead the development of applicable core competencies in healthcare providers. Ability to read, understand and accurately apply applicable standards/procedures as appropriate within designated scope of responsibility. Ability to understand and follow safety, risk management and Universal Precautions standards and guidelines. Ability to ensure that patient care is delivered in accordance with professional, regulatory and CHI-St. Vincent standards. Ability to understand and identify quality/performance improvement opportunities, and to deliver timely and effective in-service training to healthcare staff. Ability to keep abreast of current trends, best practices, research findings and regulatory requirements relating to the continuum of heart failure disease management. Ability to identify compliance deficiencies and/or systemic weaknesses and implement timely corrective action to forestall or remedy. Ability to read, understand and communicate in English sufficient to perform the duties of the position. Ability to use office equipment and automated

systems/applications/software at an acceptable level. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as required by the duties of the position.
Preferred	Membership in professional organizations.

Overview

This job is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating and evaluating a comprehensive program for Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) in keeping with clinical/professional standards, applicable regulatory requirements and the business/patient care objectives of CHI St. Vincent. An incumbent works in close partnership with the inpatient heart failure team to develop/maintain a MCS/VAD (Ventricular Assist Device) program that facilitates a comprehensive and seamless interdisciplinary continuum of high quality care to meet the unique/specialized needs of advanced heart failure patients and to promote achievement of optimal clinical outcomes.

In addition to working collaboratively with a multi-disciplinary team to develop/implement a robust program that is current with emerging trends and national guidelines, an incumbent serves as a clinical expert to healthcare providers, hospital staff, patients, families and the community-at-large with respect to all aspects of heart failure disease management and care. Work also includes developing protocols, policies, order sets and mentoring staff to assure continued competency in patient care to improve quality of life and prognosis.

This job requires a high degree of professionalism and the ability to influence/persuade/negotiate in order to facilitate management of ongoing initiatives/projects, gain acceptance of program recommendations, ensure compliance with standards/requirements and facilitate achievement of clinical quality improvement goals. An incumbent must be able to conceptualize and apply sound analytical methods in order to spearhead program development activities, understand complex organizational impacts and address/resolve matters of significance, and challenges/problems encountered are often unique and with little precedent for effective solutions. Guidelines for performing the work are in the form of broadly-stated business objectives and work is performed with significant independence, subject to review of results achieved from a longer-term perspective.