Registered Nurse (RN) - PCU - Progressive Care Unit
Connecticut Children's Medical Center
Hartford, CT

Wound Care - Ostomy Nurse Specialist - Hartford - 20 HR

The Skin Nurse Specialist serves as an expert clinical resource to assess, plan, implement, evaluate and reassess the care of patients with a variety of skin integrity issues. This patient population includes: patients at risk for skin integrity issues, patients with pressure injuries, patients at high risk for pressure injuries and patients with stomas. The Skin Nurse Specialist is responsible for implementing and educating team members, patients and families about treatment and preventative interventions. The Skin Nurse Specialist will ensure a care environment that includes educated clinicians, appropriate supplies to prevent and treat skin issues, and ongoing monitoring of prevalence and compliance. The Skin Nurse Specialist mentors and leads the organization's Skin Team. General Duties/Responsibilities: * Utilizes the nursing process when directing or delivering care to patients with skin integrity issues, including assessing, planning, implementing, evaluating and reassessing. * Utilizes and maintains current physical, psychosocial, clinical assessment and therapeutic communications skill to determine individual patient needs and expected outcomes. * Integrates current evidence, clinical data and information within the theoretical frameworks when providing clinical evaluation. * Participates in committees or taskforces related to skin issues. * Clinical expert and 'owner' of all skin care and skin breakdown prevention policies, procedures and guidelines. * Mentors and leads the organization's Skin Team. Wound/Skin Care/Ostomy Care/Continence Care: * Provides clinical evaluation for patients with altered skin integrity to develop individualized plans of care and attain expected outcomes. Documents plan, assessment and interventions in patient's medical record as appropriate. * Provides guidance to team members in implementing policies, procedures and guidelines to identify, control or eliminate factors that contribute to skin breakdown, including selection of appropriate support surfaces. * Participates in interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure optimal patient care across the continuum. Education: * Assists nursing and medical team members in maintaining current knowledge and competence in skin care through a variety of forums, including but not limited to: RN Orientation programs, Nursing Grand Rounds, online learning modules, in-services and annual validations. * Provides appropriate education to patients and families regarding skin care and wound management as appropriate, using the Teach Back method. Research/Evidence Based Practice/Quality: * Collaborates with leadership and multidisciplinary clinical practice teams to establish policies and protocols, which support best practices to achieve optimal outcomes. * Interprets, communicates, and incorporates latest research and evidence-based practice guidelines into clinical practice. * Conducts or contributes to nursing research. * Collects and analyzes quality metrics related to skin care and develops actionable plans as needed. Demonstrates support for the mission, values and goals of the organization through behaviors that are consistent with the Connecticut Children's Medical Center Standards. Supervisory Responsibilities: * Coordinates coverage by unit-based skin experts. Serves as a resource to enhance and ensure the ongoing professional development and competence of unit-based experts and nursing team members. Meets regularly with unit-based experts to provide education, identify trends and develop solutions. * Provides mentoring and coaching to direct care nurses and other members of health care team. * Promotes clinical best practice standards as the basis for nursing practice. Education/Experience: * Bachelor's Degree in nursing required. Master's Degree preferred. * Experience Required: * Four years of recent, relevant nursing experience. * Graduation from a WOCN-accredited Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nursing education program. License/Certifications: * Current CT RN Licensure. * Current certification in tri-specialty (CWOCN) by the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing Certification Board, preferred but required within one year of employment. * Current certification in BLS. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: KNOWLEDGE OF: * Patient skin care procedures SKILLS: * Strong interpersonal, organizational and presentation skills, as well as an ability to communicate effectively within a team, across disciplines, and with patients and families. * Interpersonal skills necessary in order to accurately relay information on patients and their families, both verbally and in written form. * Leadership and management skills or potential to learn including communication, conflict resolution, team building, problem solving and decision making. * Aptitude with EHR systems. ABILITY TO: * Function independently, prioritize and manage time. * Have a flexible schedule to best meet patient and staff needs. * Demonstrate all of the CCMC Leadership core behaviors, values and code of conduct or demonstrate the potential to do so. * Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. * Utilize independent judgment to resolve problems and make decisions on routine managerial matters on assigned shift. * Supervise and foster team member development. * Act in a professional capacity and serve as a professional role model. * Contribute to quality assurance programs, and enforce organizational and unit policies, procedures and standards.