What are the responsibilities and job description for the Licensed Practical Nurse Primary Care - Woonsocket position at Thundermist Health Center?
Job Description
Job Title: Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Reports to: Nurse Manager
Department:
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Job Grade: 8C
Version Date: March 2024
General Responsibilities:
As a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), you play a vital role in ensuring the delivery of safe, culturally sensitive, and high-quality care to patients of all ages while fostering a collaborative team environment. Working under the guidance of a Registered Nurse or other licensed healthcare clinician, you will actively contribute to promoting patient health and wellness.
Your duties encompass a broad spectrum, including administering treatments, medications, and vaccines, obtaining, and monitoring vital signs, and performing focused assessments. You must ensure all care provided is accurately and thoroughly documented in the patient’s electronic medical record. Working closely with the clinical team, you will assist in assessing patients and evaluating whether the care provided aligns with organizational protocols and the patient’s goals. Should further intervention be necessary, you will collaborate with the Registered Nurse to ensure appropriate actions are taken.
Furthermore, you will be instrumental in managing and assisting with incoming patient calls, efficiently resolving issues within your scope of practice, or directing calls to the appropriate team member for resolution. Your commitment to patient care and effective communication will be integral in maintaining the highest standards of care delivery.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
High school diploma or GED
Graduate from an accredited Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Program
Passing grade on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN)
CPR for Healthcare Providers
Preferred Qualifications
Prior experience working in a family medicine or community healthcare setting.
Bi-lingual
Skills, Abilities, and Desired Competencies:
Be receptive to guidance and feedback.
Apply critical thinking skills when providing patient care and interventions.
Apply effective time-management skills to support overall team and patient needs.
Integrate evidence-based practice.
Initiate and maintain collaborative relationships with colleagues.
Maintain ethical standards, working within your scope of practice.
Identify opportunities to work in partnership with others, fostering a collaborative environment.
Significant Job Functions:
The categories below are demonstrative of the Thundermist core values, integrity, innovation, excellence, community, and caring.
Integrity:
Work collaboratively under the guidance of a Registered Nurse or other licensed clinician.
As needed, efficiently assist medical providers and registered nurses in facilitating patient visits and independently conduct nurse visits within the LPN scope of practice.
Proactively prepare patients by gathering and documenting data based on the visit type, obtaining and recording vital signs, and administering appropriate tests.
Conduct age-appropriate focused assessments of the patient’s health status.
Effectively use approved triage resources to obtain and clearly document patient information, promptly reporting any abnormalities to a Registered Nurse or licensed clinician for appropriate action guidance.
Acknowledges personal limitations when tasked with activities beyond their level of comfort and proactively seeks guidance and/or assistance as necessary.
Delegate tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel as permitted by the Registered Nurse assessment and within the LPN scope of practice.
Aligns with organizational values by adhering to established policies, protocols, and workflows.
Adheres to federal, state, and organizational legal and ethical guidelines, ensuring patient privacy, data security and a safe work environment.
Innovation:
Actively participates in performance improvement activities to enhance the patient experience.
Supports patient care plans by completing designated tasks or promptly notifying the Registered Nurse or other licensed clinician of any concerns requiring plan adjustments.
Collaboratively identifies and employs innovative interventions tailored to meet patient’s health and safety needs.
Utilizes standing orders and standard operating procedures in the provision of care.
Anticipate provider and patient needs by proactively reviewing charts and engaging in team huddles.
Excellence:
Employs the use of standing orders and standard operating procedures in the provision of care.
Perform nurse visits following established workflows and protocols, independently or under the guidance of a Registered Nurse and within the LPN scope of practice.
Utilize evidence-based health education adapted to the patient’s level of understanding.
Safely administers vaccines to patients across the lifespan and in accordance with agency policies, ensuring community-wide protection against preventable diseases.
Accurately obtains, monitors, and reports patient vital signs, promptly notifying appropriate personnel of any irregularities affecting patient health.
Ensures clear and detailed documentation of patient interactions and interventions within the Electronic Medical Record (EMR).
Adheres to infection control policies and protocols while providing care to patients in the clinical setting.
Seeks continual professional development.
Community:
Collaborate with healthcare team members to ensure and optimize patient care.
Enhance clinical excellence by fostering open communication with leadership, colleagues, and peers.
Meet the varied needs of diverse populations through compassionate and empathetic nursing care.
Caring:
Foster a work culture that is attentive to the needs of both colleagues and patients, strengthened by constructive feedback, supportive words, and positive actions.
Contribute to excellence in patient care by actively supporting other care team members and performing assigned tasks and projects in and timely and accurate manner.
Reinforce patient education through evidence-based health literature adapted to the patient’s level of understanding.
Provide empathetic and emotional support to individuals and families dealing with health challenges.
Physical Effort/ Environment:
General office environment
Moderate physical activity, walking, standing, stooping, and occasional lifting.
Potential exposure to blood-borne pathogens, infectious diseases, and biohazardous materials.
Manual dexterity
Work Schedule Demands:
Business hours are set to meet the needs of Thundermist and its patients. Staff will be scheduled during normal hours of operation which may include evenings and weekend hours, with occasional unscheduled overtime. Based on an employee’s skills and experience, they may be asked to perform duties outside of this job description to meet the needs of the organization.
Communication Skills:
Exceptional oral and written skills needed.
Confidentiality of Information:
Thundermist is dedicated in securing the privacy and confidentiality of protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is the responsibility of all employees to comply to state and federal guidelines in accessing sensitive information. Additionally, this role will have access to sensitive agency information. The incumbent must apply strict confidentiality.
ADA & EEOC Statement:
Thundermist is dedicated to the goal of building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce committed to caring for patients in a manner that is respectful of cultural difference. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.