Job Description Summary

The after hours registered nurse organizes and responds to all patient care requests and communication needs after business hours, weekends and holidays. The after hours registered nurse provides direct patient care and makes visits to patients’ homes when needed in addition to providing care with prompt and accurate telephone consultation. This is a salaried position. The schedule for this position is a 7 on, 7 off rotation. The after hours registered nurse provides care to patients throughout the Heartlinks service area, which consists of Yakima and Benton counties.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Assumes primary responsibility for patient needs including assessments, planning, implementing, and evaluating phases of the nursing process during non-business hours.
• Effectively interacts with patients, caregivers, and other health team members, while maintaining standards of professional nursing, agency policy, and state and federal regulatory standards.
• Answers all phone calls received from the established after-hours system and follows up according to agency policies and procedures.
• Educates caregivers to provide care for patients as indicated.
• Handles emergency situations in a prompt, precise, and professional manner
• Maintains up-to-date patient records so that problems, goals, and interventions are accurately and clearly stated, and changes are reflected as they occur.
• Communicates appropriate information to all health team members as applicable, which may include but is not limited to the interdisciplinary team and agency leadership.
• Collaborates with the administrator on call and the physician on call, as needed.
• Travel in all seasons will be necessary.

Detailed Physical Requirements

• May be required to climb 15 stairs, if patient resides in a building where there are no elevators while carrying a nursing bag containing a computer and nursing supplies and weighing up to 20 pounds.
• Must be able to stand in a patient’s home for at least 40 minutes at a time without sitting in the event adequate seating is not available.
• Must be able to bend over a bed and roll/hold the patient for several minutes at a time in order to assist others or perform duties on their own.
• Must be able to lift, position and/or transfer a patient in a bed, bed-to-chair or chair-to-bed, or assist with lift, position and/or transfer.
• Must be able to lift up to 20 pounds of supplies and equipment needed in all situations.
• Must be able to balance self and transfer a patient successfully with a gait belt and/or able to lower a patient to the floor “purposely” and safely without injury to the patient or self if the patient is unable to maintain weight-bearing.
• Must be able to squat to the floor or get on knees on the floor to perform wound care and manage dressing changes, such as on feet and legs, of patients, as well as performing catheter placement and catheter care, then return to standing position.
• Must have visual acuity and hearing to perform required nursing skills.
• Must be able to enter, exit and operate automobile routinely.
• In summary, physical requirements include:
  • Prolonged or considerable walking or standing
  • Ability to lift, position and/or transfer patients or assist with lifting, positioning and transferring of patients
  • Ability to lift supplies and equipment
  • Ability to perform considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling and/or crouching

Position Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
• One to two years of recent acute care experience in an institutional setting and one to two years of recent experience in-home care.
• Current licensure in the State of Washington, BLS certification and valid driver’s license.
• Excellent observation, verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills and basic math skills. Nursing skills per competency checklist.

Benefits

• Full-time employees accrue up to 168 hours of PTO annually.
• Sick leave accrues at the rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked.
• Paid bereavement leave and jury duty leave.
• Option to enroll in medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. Heartlinks pays for 100% of the employee's medical premiums and 75% of the employee's dental and vision premiums. Health benefits begin the first of the month after the start date.
• Miles driven for work are reimbursed at 62.5 cents per mile.
• Holiday pay for 6 observed holidays.
• Ability to enroll in 401(k) and begin contributing at time of hire. Heartlinks will match dollar for dollar up to 5% of earnings after one year of employment and 1080 hours worked.
• Tuition reimbursement/professional development assistance.
• Premium pay for hospice-related certifications.