Charge Nurse - Intensive Care Unit

About This Role

This night shift position is for a Charge Nurse in a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit, caring for patients requiring medical and surgical critical care. The role involves providing additional supervision of daily operations, overseeing quality patient care, and coordinating patient placement, while also delivering direct patient care at an experienced practitioner level. The unit team is committed to a positive work environment and excellent critical care.

Responsibilities

• Work with the Assistant Nurse Manager to ensure adequate staffing levels and skill mix are maintained for all shifts
• Develop, prepare, and maintain staffing schedules that meet department/unit needs and apply to variable census conditions
• Make appropriate adjustments/assignments to maximize timely patient care
• Look to staffing needs into the next matrix
• Oversee the delivery of patient care
• Direct and delegate patient care assignments to staff based on acuteness of patient care needs, staff availability, and patient safety
• Prioritize and organize work
• Actively take part in the performance appraisal process by providing input for staff evaluations
• Hold staff accountable for performance standards
• Assist with interviewing
• Mediate staff conflicts and provide feedback concerning performance, behavior, etc.
• Collaborate with the Nurse Manager and the Assistant Nurse Manager on areas of need on the unit (e.g., problematic flow issues, equipment and supplies issues, documentation issues, patient satisfaction issues and performance issues)
• Anticipate and resolve patient/family concerns in a timely manner
• Keep patients and families informed
• Protect patient confidentiality by promoting professional staff communications
• Serve as a resource and role model/mentor to charge nurses and staff
• Provide direct patient care, evaluate outcomes, consult with other specialists as required and adjust nursing care processes as indicated to ensure optimal patient care
• Requisition supplies and equipment, maintenance and repair services and prepare related forms
• Keep stock and equipment inventories
• Prepare and maintain written documentation as required by the profession and the department
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span of the assigned patient population
• Assess and interpret patient age specific data and provide appropriate, age specific treatment
• Provide direct patient care to assigned patient age group(s)
• Demonstrate a commitment to patient, visitor and staff by: complying with all applicable safety regulations; learning the impact of medical errors and methodology that will lead to reduction of errors; reporting actual and potential errors, as well as hazardous conditions; identifying opportunities to standardize processes and "error proof" systems that will lead to increased safety; and participating in safety education programs and root cause analyses as required