Full Job Description
Core Functions
- Assigns, delegates, and supervises patient care activities.
- Performs comprehensive wound assessments and delivers appropriate wound care treatments, including specialty dressings.
- Assists physicians during wound care procedures and anticipates clinical needs.
- Administers prescribed PO, IV, and IM medications accurately and documents appropriately.
- Provides emergency patient care when needed.
- Educates patients and families about wound care, infection prevention, signs of complications, and ongoing treatment expectations.
- Delivers discharge instructions and verifies patient/family understanding.
- Documents all education using appropriate methods and formats
- Obtains physician orders prior to patient evaluation and communicates with interdisciplinary teams to ensure continuity of care.
- Notifies leadership of pre-certification requirements and changes in patient or wound status that may require referral.
- Ensures accurate, timely documentation using approved forms and abbreviations.
- Maintains familiarity with hospital policies, departmental procedures, and interdepartmental workflows.
- Follows infection control and safety guidelines, including local fire and safety regulations.
- Participates in performance improvement initiatives and assists with data collection and analysis.
- Conducts chart audits and assists with chart completion upon patient discharge.
- Keeps required competencies, skills checklists, and continuing education files up to date
- Ensures patient care and treatment areas are clean, organized, and adequately stocked.
- Controls traffic flow in treatment areas to maintain patient safety and privacy.
- Demonstrates proficiency with wound care equipment.
- Reports equipment issues promptly.
- Follows established procedures for obtaining and accurately charging patient care supplies.
- Maintains awareness of patient conditions, wound progression, and external factors affecting healing.
- Provides care tailored to the developmental and physical needs of patients across the lifespan, from pediatric to geriatric populations.
Safety Practices
- Promotes a culture of patient safety which results in the identification and reduction of unsafe practices.
- Utilizes Culture of Safety survey responses in improvement efforts.
- Identifies risks and hazards to patients through various risk assessments, with actions taken to mitigate patient harm.
- Improves medication safety practices, including increased reporting of adverse drug events and improved compliance with the medication reconciliation process
- Decreased, hospital-acquired infections and improved compliance with infection control practices (including hand hygiene)
- Decreased hospital acquired conditions such as complications associated with ventilator use and pressure ulcers, through improved compliance with patient safety bundles and/or other formal performance improvement programs.
- Manages and operates equipment safely and correctly.
- Demonstrates understanding of suicide prevention and patient restraints for sitting assignments of 1:1 care, frequent checks and continuous observation of patients.
Professional Responsibility
- Maintains neat, clean, and professional appearance in accordance with dress code standards.
- Completes all required annual education and training.
- Protects patient confidentiality and adheres to all privacy requirements.
- Reports to work as scheduled, on time, and completes tasks within designated timeframes.
- Consistently completes and maintains assigned duties and responsibilities.
- Wears proper identification while on duty and uses time‑tracking systems correctly.
- Attends required annual reviews and scheduled department in‑services.
- Attends required staff meetings and reviews all monthly meeting minutes.
- Follows all hospital policies, standards, and confidentiality guidelines.
- Represents the organization positively and professionally at all times.
- Actively participates in performance improvement and quality initiatives.
- Complies with all organizational ethical and business practice policies.
- Communicates and upholds the mission, values, ethics, and goals of the facility.