Under supervision, to apply the theoretical concepts of the nursing profession while providing routine direct patient care within the parameters of established nursing policies and procedures in controlled patient care situations required by the assigned clinical setting.
As a Clinical Nurse, you will be responsible for conducting comprehensive assessments, developing personalized treatment plans, and managing medication while ensuring patient safety and comfort. You will collaborate with psychiatrists and other behavioral health professionals to design optimal care, educate patients and families, and advocate for their needs.The Eligible List created from this recruitment can be used for current and future openings within this competency area.Better Health for All!The County of Santa Clara owns and operates a Hospitals and Clinics Delivery System that includes Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, O'Connor Hospital, and St. Louise Regional Hospital.
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - 731 bed tertiary level acute care hospital provides the highest level of adult and pediatric emergency medical and trauma services, a regional high risk Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, an ACS-verified Burn Trauma Center, a Primary Stroke Center, a CARF-accredited Rehabilitation Center, emergency and acute inpatient psychiatric services, as well as a range of other specialized services – in some cases the only such treatment in the region.
O'Connor Hospital - 358 bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to more than 1 million residents of San Jose. O'Connor Hospital was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in Santa Clara County.
St. Louise Regional Hospital - 93 bed acute care facility, affectionately known as South County's community hospital, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, St. Louise is one of the largest employers in the community.
The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.
Assessment
- Analyzes and validates data taken from interviews of patients; revises assessments based on observation of patient behaviors;
- Identifies common recurrent patient problems, symptoms, and behavioral changes in relation to standards of care and individual patient needs;
- Assesses the needs of a specific patient population by making purposeful rounds, participating in clinical conferences, and collaborating with physicians and other healthcare team members;
- Assesses the competencies of personnel assigned to a specific patient group;
- Assesses the need for development of standards of care for a specific patient population;
- Assesses the numbers and levels of personnel needed to provide nursing care for a specific patient population.
Planning
- Identifies patient care problems, establishes priorities, and develops individual patient care plans based on nursing and medical diagnosis;
- Plans strategies for solving patient care problems with other members of the healthcare team;
- Plans for patient needs within current assignment to determine amount and type of assistance needed;
- Develops a plan for teaching patients and family regarding recurrent health problems, coping mechanisms, and health practices related to maintenance of wellness and prevention of disease;
Implementation
- Collaborates with appropriate personnel in performing new procedures and/or in functioning in unfamiliar situations;
- Coordinates activities needed to implement the plan of care;
- Coordinates patient and family teaching;
- Coordinates discharge plans with appropriate support personnel;
- Complies with external and internal regulations pertaining to nursing practice;
- Recognizes legal and ethical duties and responsibilities of registered nurses;
- May participate in conducting research activities;
- When assigned charge responsibility, makes recommendations for the unit level staffing pattern and assigns personnel to provide for patient care during an 8-hour period;
- Assists in teaching students and staff;
- May assume role of primary nurse with accountability to specific assigned patients;
- May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required;
- Performs other related duties, as required.
Minimum Qualifications:
Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:
Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through possession of an active California Registered Nurse License without restrictions;
and
Three (3) years of full-time Registered Nurse (RN) experience, of which one (1) year must have been within the last three (3) years, in an accredited hospital, clinic, or healthcare setting.
and
One (1) year of full-time RN experience, within the last three (3) years, in the nursing specialty area. A nursing specialty is a field of nursing that focuses on either a particular patient population or a health condition.
Possession of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and possession of a nationally recognized certification in a specialty area is preferred.
Special Requirements:
- Must possess and maintain the following certification(s) during employment:
o Basic Life Saving Certification (BLS)
- For clinical specialty areas, must possess and maintain the following certification(s) during employment:
o Advance Cardiovascular Life Saving Certification (ACLS)
o Other identified specialty area certification(s) for specialty patient populations at appointment, as required.
- Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver’s license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.
- *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.
Knowledge of:
- California Nurse Practice Act;
- American Nursing Association Code of Ethics;
- Nursing Professional Practice Model;
- Federal and State healthcare laws and regulations appropriate to the operation of California hospitals;
- Current nursing and related medical theory necessary to administer nursing care within assigned clinical setting;
- Principles, practices, and methods of acute and primary care clinical nursing, including community aspects and continuity of patient care;
- Diagnosis and treatment of common medical problems as related to a clinical specialty area;
- Clinical systems, supplies, and equipment;
- Safety and Infection Control practices;
- Sciences basic to nursing (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, microbiology);
- English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;
- Common computer systems and charting applications.
Ability to:
- Establish relationships with patients/families in difficult or crisis situations;
- Advocate for the patient/family perspective and work toward resolution of conflict;
- Develop and implement complex teaching plans;
- Be a subject matter expert and be recognized by other staff nurses and physicians for their expert knowledge;
- Support less experienced Registered Nurses;
- Recognize and report subtle variations in patient responses;
- Anticipate and identify the needs of other patients and the capabilities of the nurses assigned to them;
- Develop innovative strategies to enhance patient care;
- Model high performance leadership behaviors (e.g., thoughtful listening, effective questioning, and empowerment);
- Act as a change agent and facilitate implementation and evaluation of change;
- Perform skillfully under pressure;
- Juggle and integrate needs and requests of multiple patients without losing important information or overlooking significant needs;
- Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures;
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.
The physical requirements may include:
- Ability to work alternate work schedules, weekends, and holidays as necessary;
- Ability to perform physical skills required to deliver patient care;
- Bend, stoop, reach, perform fine motor movements, see, hear, and touch;
- Strength to lift, move, and transfer most patients; to restrain and carry children; to move and carry equipment; and to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which requires sufficient body weight and adequate lung expansion;
- Mobility: bend, stoop, get down on the floor; combination of strength, dexterity, mobility, and coordination to assist patients; ability to move around physically and adequately in confined spaces (patient rooms, bathrooms, treatment settings, around patient equipment, etc.);
- Be able to perform all physical skills required to deliver patient care;
- Fine Motor Movements: manipulate syringes and IVs; assist patients with feeding and hygiene; write appropriate notations; document in health record; and perform sterile procedures and other skilled procedures;
- Vision: Visualize patients in order to assess and observe their health status; skin tone, color changes, dermatological conditions, non-verbal behaviors, changes in signs and symptoms of illness, health improvement or deterioration, etc.;
- Hearing: Hear and see patients, monitor signs and symptoms, hear alarms, patient voices, call lights, and assess patient conditions, non-verbal behaviors, changes in signs and symptoms of illness, health improvement or deterioration, hear through the stethoscope to discriminate sounds, and accurately hear on the telephone;
- Touch: Ability to palpate both superficially and deeply and to discriminate tactile sensations.
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