Registered Nurse (RN), Spinal Cord Unit

General Summary

• Under limited supervision, the Registered Nurse is responsible for the assessment of patients including the development, evaluation and modification of the plan of care. The RN interprets and performs complex patient-care procedures specific to their area of expertise. RN's are members of the Care Team and Support Team and have accountability to function as a team to accomplish patient outcomes identified in the pathway/plan of care.
• The Registered Nurse is a professional care giver who assumes responsibility and accountability for care given to a group of patients for a designated time frame. The RN provides care to those patients via therapeutic use of self, the nursing process, the environment/technology, and other healthcare team member, according to established standards. Patients served include all age groups (Infant through Older Adult as identified in Performance Standards).

Principal Responsibilities and Tasks

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. These are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

• Participates as a member of the Patient Care Team by providing functional supervision and by delegating duties to other care team members as they provide appropriate direct patient care duties.
• Carries out performance standards for charge nurse; when assigned that duty, as delineated in the delivery of care methodology.
• Assigns nursing care responsibilities to staff.
• Participates as a member of the care team to provide direct care requiring the skills/qualifications of the RN.
• Performs assessment/data collection in an ongoing and systematic manner, focusing on physiologic, psychological and cognitive status.
• Formulates a goal-directed plan of care with patient/family which is prioritized and based on determined nursing diagnoses/patient care needs/problems and patient outcomes.
• Functions to establish priorities of patient care based on essential patient needs and available unit resources of time, personnel, equipment and supplies.
• Identifies patient/family learning needs and implements appropriate measures to meet these.
• Performs documentation duties on unit and in patient record which are timely, accurate, concise and legible.
• Demonstrates competency in selected psychomotor skills as outlined in generic and unit specific manuals and performance standards; assists physicians with procedures; implements care in a knowledgeable, skillful, consistent and continuous manner.
• Demonstrates appropriate delegation of tasks and duties in the direction and coordination of healthcare members, patient care and unit activities.
• Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to patient/family rights, as identified with the institution.
• Demonstrates competence in patient/SO education, as validated by direct clinical observation.
• Identifies and responds to patients' need for pain management from arrival to departure.
• Evaluates effectiveness of care given by all healthcare team members in progressing patient toward outcomes.
• Collaborates with Case Manager to evaluate outcomes and effectiveness of plan of care.