Work Schedule:
Days Shift, Sunday - Saturday, various 8 or 10 hour shifts.
Position may have the potential to be on-call in the future, but not currently needed.
Travel Requirements: May be required to work at other facilities locally within 40 miles with advanced notice.
Orthopedic RN Position Overview:
• Thoroughly assesses, identifies, plans, performs, develops/coordinates, implements, and evaluates individual patients, patient population care needs and takes appropriate action, using established guidelines and policies.
• Effectively provides an advanced level of comprehensive professional nursing care to patients.
• Accurately documents performance of, and the effectiveness of all treatments, procedures, and medications IAW Air Force and local guidelines/policy.
• Physical Demands - Work pace ranges from sedentary to a very rapid pace to include walking, standing, bending, and reaching. The work involves long periods of moving about the work unit. It requires regular and recurring bending, lifting, stooping, stretching, lifting and positioning patients, assisting patients on and off examination tables, and similar activities.This includes lifting and positioning patients onto exam table and positioning or on/off gurney and/or wheelchair. Work requires specific, but common, physical abilities such as agility and dexterity to position patients for examination or treatment in usual alternate positions for patients with common disabilities. Heavy lifting occasionally may be required to relocate clinic equipment/furniture.
Job Specific Details and Tasks: The duties include, but are not limited to the following:
• Provides highly specialized, direct nursing care to patients undergoing orthopedic/spine surgical procedures.
• Independently performs difficult and complex reviews and analysis of orthopedic situations to assess and evaluate specific provisions of health care.
• Work involves performing a variety of duties including specialized diagnostic and treatment procedures, methods, and techniques. Incumbent sets up equipment, runs routine diagnostic tests on equipment and observes patients to determine adequacy of testing and makes adjustments to equipment as necessary.
• Incumbent collaborates with orthopedic surgeon to assess, coordinate, plan, and implement the newest approaches and practices in orthopedic care in order to deliver efficient, cost effective surgical care for the beneficiary population.
• Coordinates and follows cases, providing expert pre-operative and post-operative care.
• Ensures accurate patient information is obtained pre-operatively and contacts healthcare providers and treatment planner to discuss treatment policies on an as-needed basis.
• Liaison between the local hospitals such as the Veterans Administration Southern Nevada Healthcare System and surrounding community hospitals.
• Ensures proper scheduling of cases to include availability of rooms, equipment, and personnel.
• Answers questions, resolves conflicts, and provides pertinent information to patients and physicians on scheduling, test equipment, and procedures.
• Incumbent may be required to perform nursing duties to include providing comprehensive nursing care to patients based on physicians medical care plan and the physical, mental and emotional needs of the patient.
• Sets up, operates, and monitors specialized equipment such as cardiac monitors, defibrillators, etc.
• May perform case management duties to include collaborating with providers, nursing personnel, and other healthcare providers to ensure continuity of healthcare for patient, family and /or significant other.
• Advocates for patients, family and/or significant others through coordination of care to ensure desirable patient outcomes and increase satisfaction with healthcare.
• Utilizes base-wide and community-wide resources to provide patient care which is appropriate, timely, and acceptable, Screens and triages telephone requests for care of patients without appointments and coordinates appropriate level of care.
• Remains alert for signs and symptoms of patient distress and provides appropriate emergency care,
• including initiation of life-sustaining measures such as Basic Life Support (BLS), and/or Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) as trained, the Heimlich maneuver, bleeding control, treatment of injuries etc.; and in absence of the provider, initiates/coordinates patient transport.
• Applies community/population health management principles and processes as needed to optimize patient care.
• Assist with care coordination for complicated/VA patients that may not fit the case management criteria. Acquires consultation reports from outside providers, then delivers information to patient’s provider
• Assesses and evaluates walk in patients as indicated; ensures prompt attention to patient needs/ problems and appropriate treatment as ordered by the provider.
• Serves as professional resource for in-service education provided to or by ancillary personnel. Seeks opportunities to conduct and/or participate in nursing research.
• Knowledge and ability to act as healthcare team leader to train/mentor assigned nurses, medical technicians, administrative personnel, volunteers, and/or students (may be active duty, reserve, civilian, and/or contractor), as well as provide overall team leadership/team cohesion.
• Knowledge of application and abilities related to professional nursing care theories, principles, nursing research as it applies to ambulatory care, practices/procedures, the nursing process, clinical decision-making, tele-health nursing, and national/state/licensure practice standards as well as standards established by JC, OSHA, HSI, national patient safety goals, and others as determined by the Air Force Surgeon General. Ability to initiate and perform duties independently and assist healthcare providers with a variety of clinical/diagnostic procedures medical treatments; performance assessments, interviews, examinations, interventions, and evaluations.
• Knowledge of federal/state laws, professional principles/standards and/or requirements related to: privacy, customer service, patient and family advocacy, staff and patient safety, infection control, security of resources, documentation of nursing care, continuous quality improvement and outcome management.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing with patients, and base organizations to coordinate base access etc., medical professional network and community resources, and TRICARE.
Minimum Qualifications:*
Degree/Education: Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN).* Experience: Minimum 2 Years of experience as a registered nurse.* Licensure: Possess current unrestricted Registered Nurse license, any state.
* Life Support Certifications: Possess current ARC or AHA BLS and ACLS certifications. (ACLS may be obtained prior to start date.)
