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Northeast Georgia Health System is rooted in a foundation of improving the health of our communities.

About the Role:

Department Overview

General Surgery is a 44-bed nursing unit with four equipped with negative pressure and 2 with bariatric ceiling lifts. Care is rendered to patients with a variety of specialties including, but not limited to:

• Bariatric Surgery including Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, Duodenal Switch, and Revisional cases
• Urology diagnosis and procedures * Oncology Gynecology surgery
• General Surgery including major bowel procedures
• Vascular surgery procedures
• Plastic Surgery including skin grafts, flaps and reconstructive surgery
• Podiatry
• Other medical and surgical patients in times of high census

Nurses provide care and monitoring for patients with IV patient-controlled analgesia. Nurses are competent in the care of patients with the following: nephrostomy tubes, continuous bladder irrigations, biliary drains, Jackson Pratt drains, Constavac drains, epidurals, chest tubes, tracheostomy tubes, and peritoneal dialysis. Nurses who have completed competencies may access and de-access Portacaths, and perform negative pressure wound dressing changes.

Job Summary

Capable clinician with previous specialty experience preferred, focused on expanding knowledge and skills. Consistently provides effective direct care as part of the interdisciplinary team to a variety of complex patients. Seeks as well as provides feedback for improved clinical practice. Assumes a beginning clinical bedside leadership role and seeks mentoring in this process. Participates as a member on PNGC councils and Nursing Quality Teams as appropriate. Actively participates on Unit Council helping with plans to improve NDNQI nursing sensitive indicators, RN Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, Culture of Safety, and Patient Experience data. Works together with other care team members to recruit and retain an excellent nursing care team. For the new graduate clinical RN: focuses primarily on developing knowledge and skills and showing growth in ability to care for increasingly complex patients. Responsible for providing direct and safe patient care based on the nursing process, and for coordinating care for assigned patients on a shift to promote the achievement of clinical outcomes. Requires consultation with more experienced clinicians and accepts feedback as a constructive professional development tool.

Minimum Job Qualifications

• Licensure or other certifications: Licensed to practice as an RN in Georgia.

• Educational Requirements: Associate's Degree, ADN or Diploma required

• Minimum Experience: At least 1 year of RN experience - Demonstrated competence in RN I performance expectations or meets experience requirements upon hire

• Other:

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Preferred Licensure or other certifications: BSN

• Preferred Educational Requirements:

• Preferred Experience:

• Other:

NGHS Core Competencies

1. I Show Vulnerability when I:

• trust others and assume positive intent.

• am emotionally accessible and transparent without hidden agendas.

• acknowledge weaknesses and accept responsibility for mistakes.

• am comfortable saying "I don't know" and asking for help.

• seek and accept feedback in a non-defensive manner.

• forgive others and give the benefit of the doubt.

2. I Display Empathy when I:

• seek to know others on a deeper level.

• work to ensure others feel included.

• accept others for who they are without judgment.

• show concern for the well-being and challenges of others.

• consider the human impact before making decisions.

3. I Demonstrate Courage when I:

• do not hold back on anything that needs to be said.

• do the right thing even when that is difficult.

• speak my own truth, even when that means standing alone.

• address potential conflict quickly and directly.

• commit to seeing a difficult conversation through to the end.

4. I Demonstrate Radical Listening when I:

• seek to understand the other person's viewpoint first, before expressing my own viewpoint.

• listen for the unsaid.

• ask questions to confirm understanding.

• accept others' perceptions as their truth.

• take action to help others feel fully heard and seen.

• pursue as many different viewpoints as possible and embrace the bearer of bad news.

5. I Promote Teamwork when I:

• treat others in a respectful manner, regardless of their position, identity, and background.

• encourage and support my coworkers.

• value and acknowledge others for their contributions to the success of the team and NGHS.

• put the good of the team and NGHS first.

• strive to find common ground to solve problems for the good of NGHS.

• cut across boundaries to get things done.

6. I Hold Others Accountable when I:

• provide clear, consistent, and frequent communication about what is most important.

• clarify what is less important to establish clear priorities.

• help others see their blind spots.

• look for every opportunity to provide reinforcing feedback.

• provide immediate and actionable corrective feedback.

7. I Strive for Continuous Improvement when I:

• hold myself personally responsible to seek improvements every day.

• experiment regularly with new ideas and approaches.

• demonstrate initiative and perseverance to overcome obstacles and resistance to change.

• embrace mistakes and pivot quickly if a new approach fails.

• seek to always be better tomorrow than today.

Organization Expectations

• Quest: Demonstrates/utilizes Quest tools in department.

• Talent Development: Coaches and develops staff.

• Safety: Promotes patient, visitor and staff safety and effectively manages hazards that lead to injury or harm.

• Productivity: Meets productivity expectations.

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensures department's compliance with all regulatory, DNV, mandatory education, and similar requirements.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Identifies unit/department level goals that align with the organization's Key Performance Indicators.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)

If, in the normal course of my duties and responsibilities, I am required to access protected health information (PHI) and electronic protected health information (EPHI) for the purposes of treatment, payment and operations within Northeast Georgia Health System, I will limit such access to only the minimum necessary amount of PHI and EPHI necessary to perform the functions of my job. If access is not required in the normal course of my duties and responsibilities, I will not access PHI or EPHI.

Job Specific and Unique Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Delivery of safe, effective, efficient care that meets population specific guidelines

• Actively works to make own and related teams successful, effectively communicates with patients, families and colleagues at all levels, shows consideration and respect or others and fosters customer service

• Effectively prioritizes, recognizes problems, and utilizes evidence based practice

• Demonstrates personal mastery, leadership of self and others, as appropriate, delegates appropriately, and supports NGHS shared governance model

• Basic computer skills necessary to operate computer systems used on unit

Essential Tasks and Responsibilities

• Transformational Leadership

• Demonstrates competence in RN I performance expectations in addition to:

• Serves as a highly engaged and full partner on the care team and responds willingly to care team member needs for assistance.

• Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility

• Leads interdisciplinary rounds to facilitate appropriateness of care and smooth transitions across the continuum

• Positively impacts the work environment by displaying respect for individuals and the organization

• Exemplary Professional Practice

• Demonstrates competence in RN I performance expectations in addition to:

• Effectively applies the nursing process within the framework of the organization's professional model of care, using the nursing process to meet the clinical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the patient and family

• Demonstrates initiative and seeks formal and informal opportunities to improve clinical practice within specialty area

• Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological, ethical and spiritual issues within the episode of care

• Effectively delegates care as appropriate while retaining accountability for the quality of care given to patients and families

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all members of the healthcare team including physicians and advanced practice providers; incorporates Safety behavior and error prevention tools

• Incorporates Sister Simone Roach's 7 Cs of Caring: Ctheory by incorporating the seven Cs of Caring: Compassion, Competence, Confidence, Conscience, Commitment, Comportment, Creativity into daily work and practice

• New Knowledge, Innovation & Improvement

• Demonstrates competence in RN I performance expectations in addition to:

• Creates an environment of open dialogue, inquiry, and continuous development by asking for feedback and improving practice

• Identifies opportunities for quality improvement to colleagues and management.

• Applies evidence-based practice as a regular aspect of professional practice

• Ensures improvements in the practice setting by assuming responsibility for self-development in life-long learning.

• Serves as a resource for students

• Structural Empowerment

• Demonstrates competence in RN I performance expectations in addition to:

• Demonstrates an understanding of cultural intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion, lateral violence, and impairment and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships

• Demonstrating deep interdependence by valuing team member contributions, talents, and skills

• Models safe work hours, time management, efficiency, and stewardship

• Supports unit-based shared governance activities while on duty

• Actively participates in unit-based selfcare activities.

• Continually evaluate work processes with the goal of improvement, to achieve our strategic initiatives

• Achieves and maintains de-escalation training certification as appropriate for work unit

• Empirical Outcomes

• Demonstrates competence in RN I performance expectations in addition to:

• Supports in quality of care activities, evaluates the quality and effectiveness of nursing practice

• Supports unit-based activities aimed at the ownership improving the patient's experience, employee engagement, and/or nurse sensitive indicators on the unit with a focus on improvement

Physical Demands

• Weight Lifted: Up to 100 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Weight Carried: Up to 50 lbs, Occasionally 0-30% of time

• Vision: Moderate, Frequently 31-65% of time

• Kneeling/Stooping/Bending: Frequently 31-65% of time

• Standing/Walking: Frequently 31-65% of time

• Pushing/Pulling: Frequently 31-65% of time

• Intensity of Work: Frequently 31-65% of time

• Job Requires: Reading, Writing, Reasoning, Talking, Keyboarding

Environment and Working Conditions

• OSHA Category I: Job classifications in which the normal duties may involve contact and potential exposure to blood or other potentially infectious or hazardous materials. Appropriate personal protective equipment is to be used whenever potential exists for exposure to potentially infectious or hazardous materials.

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Working at NGHS means being part of something special: a team invested in you as a person, an employee, and in helping you reach your goals.

NGHS: Opportunities start here.

Northeast Georgia Health System is an Equal Opportunity Employer and will not tolerate discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, disability, ethnicity, national origin, marital status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected classification or status.