REGISTERED NURSE - Full Time- WOUND CLINIC- Dayshift

SUMMARY Provides specialized, advanced primary care for patients with alterations in skin integrity. Duties include, but are not limited to, educating patients and professionals, counseling patients and families, participating in research and patient advocacy. JOB DUTIES Evaluates the quality and effectiveness of advanced wound care. Develops and implements a comprehensive plan for assessing and improving the quality of care and satisfaction of wound patients.

Continually assesses and evaluates the care delivery system using quality improvement principles and practices. Plans, implements, and documents health teaching with patients and/or significant others. Documents on the patient record, the health teaching planned and implemented with the patient and/or significant other. Ensures open and timely communication with wound patients, significant others, and other health care providers through professional collaboration.

Demonstrates open communication with patients and significant others. Participates in community education related to wound care. Utilizes education of the patient and significant other to optimize patient outcomes. Functions as a facilitator, liaison, and patient advocate among health care providers and health care agencies. Reports patient status and refers problems as necessary, to prevent or minimize adverse or less than optimal outcomes.

Documents care thoroughly using computerized data collection. Performs accurate photography of wounds and includes photos in monthly patient status reports. Collaborates with other health care providers to deliver patient-centered care in a manner consistent with safe efficient and cost-effective resource utilization. Collaborates with physician to confer medical and nursing plans and advises physicians on topical treatment modalities for wounds.

Performs and documents patient consultations in hospital. During consults teaches patients, staff, and physicians, without hesitation using diplomacy and communication skills. Provides input on budget issues affecting efficient care delivery, judicious use of products, and staffing patterns. Monitors the budget as developed. Initiates accurate and ongoing assessment of physical, psychological problems of patients within the wound care department.

Performs pertinent collection of data utilizing systematic review about the health status of every patient. Assesses each patient every visit and determines priority of care based on physical, psychological, and social needs. A detailed systemic collection of data relevant to each patient’s wound, age, comorbidities, barriers to healing, and social situation is conducted to obtain sufficient information to determine patient acuity and any immediate physical, psychological, or social needs.

Information gathered in the assessment phase is analyzed to determine the severity of physical, psychological, social, and educational needs. Assessment is altered as it relates to age-specific needs of neonate, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations. Individualized expected outcomes are identified for each patient. The urgency of physical, psychological, social, and educational needs is determined, and the course of action is formulated to attain expected outcomes.

Interventions are implemented as identified in the WRD algorithms of care. Possesses knowledge and understanding of assessment and use of equipment, and interventions such as TCPO2, Laser Doppler, Ankle Brachial Indices, Specialty Chair Beds, Compression Wraps, Offloading Devices, etc. The patient’s response to the intervention is evaluated, and plan of care revised accordingly. Analyzes assessment data to formulate nursing diagnoses and identifies collaborative problems for each patient at every visit.

The WRD nurse identifies the actual and high-risk health problems or diagnoses based on pertinent data collected in the focused assessment. Identified expected outcomes individualized to the wound patient based on