Senior Charge Nurse, Gastroenterology (OPD)

The senior charge nurse supports the nurse manager in the planning, coordinating, and evaluating the operational, fiscal, and personnel activities within defined areas of practice to ensure the provision of quality patient care 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The senior charge nurse advocates for and allocates available resources to promote efficient, effective, safe, and compassionate nursing care based on current standards of practice. The senior charge nurse supports the nurse manager in managing the unit budget. The senior charge nurse promotes shared decision-making on the unit level. The senior charge nurse collaborates with unit based dyad and triad partners from operations and medical team to ensure smooth running of the unit.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates competence in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care needs.
• Liaises with the Nurse Manager/Nurse Supervisor to ensure the patient care load is addressed with the appropriate staffing and skill mix in an environment that is safe for the patient and nurse.
• Ensures the nursing staff works within their capacity, experience, training and scope of practice.
• Monitors staff performance, providing regular constructive feedback, coaching, guidance and support to team members on the shift.
• Monitors and coordinates effective and efficient utilization of human resources, consumables and equipment.
• Responsible for monitoring direct and indirect patient care to achieve an optimum patient outcome.
• Collaborates with Pharmacy services to ensure the provision of medication needs of the unit.
• Assists with all levels of emergencies according to the organization’s policies and procedures.
• Provides guidance and advice to the patient care team on clinical and administrative matters.

• Facilitates effective communication between the patient, family and the interdisciplinary health care team as required.
• Liaises with other health care providers as necessary to ensure appropriate and timely interventions for patients and for discharge planning.
• Attends multidisciplinary care rounds and family meetings.
• Monitors and evaluates unit operation and services in order to identify problems and takes a lead role in improving systems and safe patient care.
• Participates in interdisciplinary teams and performance improvement projects.
• Ensures provision of a clean and safe working environment that minimizes risks to patients, visitors, and staff.
• Delegates to the nursing team in response to an emergency.
• Identifies learning needs of staff on the unit in conjunction with the Clinical Resource Nurse and Manager and assists with the implementation of educational activities.
• Mentor and train new staff while providing support and guidance to all staff members.
• Performs other related duties as assigned by the unit manager.
• Develops clinically effective practice through the effective utilization and integration of evidence- based practice.
• Manages the practice setting, ensuring effective use of resources and workforce planning by monitoring workload and, through efficient rostering.
• Maintains appropriate staffing levels taking account of the role and competence of staff when delegating work.
• Manages the nursing team by ensuring compliance of staff with professional standards, legislation, national and organizational policies.
• Participates in recruitment and selection of right skilled staff.
• Ensures co-ordination of the patient’s journey by planning and coordinating the episode of care including the smooth transition to other settings, promoting effective discharge and communication with interdisciplinary teams as required.
• Develops a culture of integrated person-centered care by promoting a caring environment where diversity issues are respected and patients are enabled to be partners in their care.
• Acts as a role model, creating a supportive ethos to empower staff to contribute to the delivery of high quality person-centered care.
• Ensures and support the learning and development of all staff, creating a learning environment that ensures effective learning opportunities for all staff, including appropriate orientation and induction programs, a range of clinical support strategies (mentoring, coaching, clinical supervision).
• Supports the career pathway of individual team members by ensuring all staff have a Knowledge and Skills Framework, Individual Performance Review and Personal Development Plans and that they maintain an up to date knowledge of current clinical and professional issues and legalities.
• Responsible for minimizing exposure to incidents of infection/cross-infection of patients, staff, visitors and the public. Ensures staff adheres to the infection control policies and procedures of the organization.
• Undertakes patient and environmental risk assessments and documents corrective action to improve patient outcomes as required.
• Maintains patient and environmental risk assessments and documents corrective actions to improve patient outcomes as required.
• Facilitates reporting of incidents occurring within the organization by proper coordination and facilitating corrective action are taken.
• Ensures that quality standards of nursing documentation are maintained according to organizational policy.
• Initiates action and reports to the appropriate manager, when staff behavior and/or performance does not meet professional standards.
• Sets and monitors standards and quality of clinical practice and ongoing management of the nursing team.
• Accountable for decisions relating to the management of physical, human and financial resources in own area including recruitment and workforce planning.
• Responds to all levels of emergencies according to the organizations policies and procedures.
• Monitors clinical care to ensure clinical standards are met. Identifies variances and initiates corrective measures as required.
• Promotes and audits compliance with the organization’s Infection Control policies.
• Monitors and audits compliance with organization documentation standards.
• Identifies, investigates, reports, and implements corrective action for incidents or complaints as appropriate. Completes appropriate documentation according to organization policy.
• Demonstrates evidence of mandatory and unit-specific competencies completion, accredited and non-accredited Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) Units DOH and organization requirements and ongoing professional development in leadership and management.
• Maintains own Professional Portfolio as per DOH policy.

Qualifications

Experience :-
Required:
• NLT 8 years clinical experience in an appropriate & relevant healthcare settings post qualification
• NLT 2 year in Senior Charge Nurse (S. C.N.) position, OR NLT 3 years in a Charge Nurse Position
Desired:
• N.A.
Educational Qualification: Required:
• Bachelor degree in nursing OR
• Degree in Nursing (minimum 2 years course duration) AND Registration as a Registered Nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia • AND valid/current national license.
• AND BLS
Desired:
• ACLS, PALS relevant to area of specialty.