The Surgical Short Stay Unit is a 13 bay unit specializing in the care of short stay surgical, procedural, and medicine patients. Care is provided for a wide range of surgical and medical patients that require brief, but intensive monitoring and teaching. The nurses and physicians in the Surgical Short Stay Unit are experts in the care for the above types of patients. Nursing care is individualized to each patient and/or family in order to address and meet their personal needs.
Responsibilities:
To provide focused, quality care for a variety of adult medicine & surgical patients requiring acute nursing care for 8-48 hours.
Included among the patient populations serviced by these units are post-procedural patients and others who will require close observation, assessment and teaching.
To work as a nurse member of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team in a busy outpatient setting.
Assists with diagnostic/therapeautic procedures as necessary.
Provide patient and family education such as specific to procedure, diagnosis and how to care for self at home.
Competent Performance:
• Accountable for the management of post op patients and medical patients.
• Utilizes critical thinking skills to recognize and solve patient problems.
• Utilizes the nursing process and nursing standards to prevent or manage actual/potential patient problems related to their disease and /or treatment.
• Identifies patient /family learning needs and ensures that they are met.
• Serves as a patient advocate. Assists with care coordination between multiple departments
• Able to prioritize urgent surgical or medical issues
• Able to full fill the charge nurse role as well as coordinate vital unit operational functions
Communication and Respect:
• Maintains a highly professional and positive attitude regardless of workload and stress level.
• Inputs, retrieves and interprets data from multiple manual and computer based information systems.
• Exhibits professional and verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Able to delegate effectively and follow through appropriately and efficiently.
Professional Leadership:
• Utilizes time in an efficient manner by completing assigned duties.
• Performs procedures in a safe, efficient and cost effective manner.
• Completes all other operational duties as assigned.
• Implement change to achieve team goals.
• Seeks opportunities to meet individual objectives identified on the Professional Development Model.
Team Work:
• Uses organizational skills to assure that safe, efficient care to the patient.
• Uses organizational skills to assure continuity of care in collaboration with other disciplines through appropriated planning, education and coordination of services.
• Delegates to other health care team members according to the Nurse Practice Act.
• Collaborates with medical staff to facilitate and optimize the care of the patient.
Research and Quality Improvement:
• Acts on behalf of patients and family to ensure care that is safe and appropriate with consideration for values, diversity and human rights.
• Participates in nursing and medical research and facilitates transfer of new knowledge to patient care.
• Familiarity with a variety of surgical and procedural procedures, medication, and what is current in literature
• Participates in the Quality Improvement Process.