Job Title: RN Circulator - Orthopedic Profession: Nursing Specialty: Surgical Services Duration: 13 weeks Shift: First Shift Hours per Shift: 40 Experience: Minimum years of experience: None required License: Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the applicable state Certifications: BLS required Must-Have: - Accepts responsibility for words, actions, attitude, and results while meeting deadlines and performance expectations. - Practices effective, clear, and respectful communications (both verbal and written) and demonstrates attentiveness through active listening and engaged body language. - Collaborates, respects, and cooperates with all co-workers, valuing differences and addressing concerns directly, while actively contributing to the vision and results of the team. - Warmly, personally, and professionally greets all internal and external customers, promoting a high level of satisfaction by providing information about what to expect, actively listening, and intentionally following up on questions and concerns, taking corrective action when necessary. - Shows an understanding and knowledge of computer systems and applications and/or ability to be trained. - Ability to communicate/collaborate with other care team members. - Ability to assess age-specific patient safety issues and implement appropriate safety devices for all patients. Description: The RN implements professional nursing practice centered on the patient as a whole person. Creating a caring environment focused on healing and wellness is essential. Nursing practices are based on evidence, current research, policies, and procedures. Clinical decision-making incorporates all four phases of the nursing process, critical thinking, and creativity. Nursing excellence is promoted through collaboration among nursing staff and across disciplines. The RN coordinates, ensures, and provides direct patient care activities on the unit. Responsibilities include conducting nursing rounds, assessments, and treatments. Facilitating admission, transfer, and discharge activities is a key duty. Patient and family-centered education is also a vital component of care. Care coordination and individualized treatment planning are applicable as needed. Assessment of patient needs involves performing and documenting comprehensive assessments. The RN considers the patient’s culture, age, and developmental level in assessments. Identifying patient risk factors and presenting complaints is crucial. Obtaining patient health information from family or others may be necessary. Collecting both objective and subjective data is part of the assessment process. The RN verifies initial admission assessments obtained by other healthcare team members. Developing a prioritized problem list based on inter-professional team input is required. The RN designs actions and interventions relevant to the patient’s culture and age. Determining desired outcomes in coordination with patients and families is essential. Fully implementing patient care therapies and procedures is within the RN’s scope of practice. Explaining procedures, treatments, and processes to patients and families is important. Initiating actions to alleviate patient stress and discomfort is expected. The RN recognizes, responds to, and communicates changes in patient conditions appropriately. Ongoing assessment and documentation of responses to procedures and therapies are necessary. Delegation of tasks appropriately and oversight of team members in patient care is required. Monitoring accuracy and completeness of delegated patient care provided by team members is essential. Identifying and addressing educational needs of patients related to prioritized problems is part of the role. Facilitating the patient discharge process involves executing discharge orders in a timely manner. Assuring the performance of discharge teaching and coordination of the plan is needed. The RN provides input into patient/nurse assignments considering available staffing and unit activity. Actively participating in unit-based activities to support organizational values and priorities is important. Promoting a positive group dynamic and healing environment through words and actions is expected. Assuring nursing excellence in accordance with accepted standards and evidence-based practice is vital. The RN actively participates in quality improvement activities related to patient satisfaction and safety. Using a holistic perspective regarding patient care is fundamental.
