The posting
Job Description
Summary of Essential Functions
- Responsible for the assessment and identification of patient needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of patient activities for Trauma Services.
- Responsible for focusing on activities on the health care team on the achievement of optimal patient outcomes an appropriate utilization of resources.
- Supports, guides, and coordinates patients and their caregivers toward optimal care outcomes.
- Functions as a program liaison to physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Educational Requirements
- High school graduate or equivalent.
- Bachelor Degree preferred.
- Must be able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
Licenses and Certification
- Current licensure with the Board of Nurse Examiners for the State of Texas as a Registered Nurse.
- Successful completion of ACLS, TNCC and ENPC.
- TCRN or CEN desirable.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- Demonstrates clinical competency in Trauma Nursing with the ability to develop, implement, evaluate and teach education activities for Trauma Services.
- Demonstrates proficiency in relationship to unit specific standards.
- Five years current experience in ED and/or Critical Care.
- Demonstrates proficiency in relationship to unit specific standards.
- Uses common sense and special nursing skills to care for the sick or handicapped.
- Understands information from supervisors, charts, reference books, manuals, and labels.
- Ability to change from one duty to another frequently, follow reasonable instructions, and record information accurately.
- Sets priorities, makes decisions based on available data and supervises others.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective interpersonal relationships.
- Ability to problem solve and make decisions.
- Communicate effectively with a wide variety of healthcare professionals and senior leadership using both oral and written communication.
- Possession of critical thinking, analytical, teaching/coaching and research skills.
- Must have good computer skills.
Physical Requirements
- Full range of body motion including manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination.
- Standing and walking for extensive periods of time.
- Lifting and carrying items weighing up to 50 pounds.
- Pushing and pulling of heavy objects.
- Corrected vision and hearing to normal range.
- Working under stressful conditions and working irregular hours.
- Some exposure to communicable diseases or body fluids.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Assesses and identifies trauma patients needs based on standards established by accrediting agencies, PI monitoring results and nursing administration/staff request. Collaborates with other departmental/divisional personnel in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating overall staff programming within the framework of the philosophy, goals, and objectives of the corporation. Routinely reviews nursing and medical assessments of trauma patients and families’ health status and resources, adding information and assisting with resolution of identified issues.
- Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to ensure patients health care needs are being addressed at the most appropriate level of care.
- Works collaboratively with the inpatient and outpatient health care team to coordinate seamless care for clients customized to their individual situations and needs.
- Assist with the collecting coding, scoring and developing of processes for validation of data entered into the registry.
- Ensure accurate data entry into the trauma registry. Ensure the maintenance of the trauma registry in collaboration with the trauma registrar.
- Monitor trauma outcomes; evaluates for trends. Assists in data collection related to the trauma patient.
- Assist with the periodic reporting of trauma data to the state registry, NTDB and TQIP.
- Identify opportunities for injury prevention programming in the local communities.
- Assist in formulating patient teaching protocols for patients served.
- Participates in case review.
- Recognizes distinctions of the educational needs of the trauma nurse: Knowledgeable in every discipline and in caring for all age groups. Skillfully practices triage of patients. Provides crisis intervention for patients and families. Delivers pediatric and adult trauma care. Assists public in appropriately accessing the health care system.
- Interfaces effectively with pre-hospital care providers [i.e., emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, firemen and police].
- Skilled in the activation and implementation of the hospital and community disaster management. Cognizant of legal implications, as they relate to patient care (i.e., psychiatric “hold”, inter-facility transfer).
- Legal Issues: Demonstrates awareness of legal issues for patient care and unit function and managers situations in a reduced risk manner. Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to patient’s rights, as identified within the institution. Maintains patient confidentiality.
- Performance Improvement: Provides input into Nursing PI activities and standards development as requested. Develops educational programs related to PI monitoring results. Assists with PI review and extraction of data for registry purposes.
- Support and adhere to hospital policies, procedures, passion and purpose.
- TNCC and ENPC Instructor optional.
- Clinical Competency (As related to respective patient care standards): Functions as a role model, in clinical areas for which responsible, by demonstrating competency in handling clinical emergencies, selected technical skills and maintaining appropriate knowledge base. Maintains current competency status as required in clinical area for which responsible: BCLS Provider, ACLS Provider, TNCC Provider and ENPC Provider • Performs all other tasks/responsibilities as necessary.
