Position Overview
The Visit Nurse provides direct nursing care in patients place of residence, under the direction of the Clinical Manager and under physicians orders. The Visit Nurse must have the ability to adapt to schedule changes and high priority patient needs. Care is provided in collaboration with other Interdisciplinary Group members as described in the patients Plan of Care.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Assesses and documents in the medical record the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of each patient within the context of his or her patients.
- Provides nursing care to patients through visits and telephone calls per the patients acuity.
- Provides home nursing care instructions to patients and caregivers.
- Maintains communication with the patients physician(s) as needed for medical authorizations, pain and symptom management, changes to the Plan of Care (POC), and other exchanges of information.
- Consults Clinical manager prior to major changes in patients POC.
- Informs family, physicians, staff, volunteers, and agencies regarding patients death.
- Provides and documents Hospice Aide supervisory visits every two weeks to each patients place of residence in which care by aides is provided.
- Communicates with patient care volunteers assigned to patients to assure support and continuity of care. Relays concerns and difficulties reported by the volunteers to the Volunteer Manager for an appropriate response.
- May infrequently be asked to function as a Case Manager, Triage Nurse, Admissions Nurse, Hospice House Nurse and/or On-Call Night Nurse, as needed, to cover absences of regularly scheduled staff.
Environmental Conditions and Physical Requirements
- Routinely performs procedures or other tasks that could involve exposure to blood, body fluids, or other potentially infectious materials.
- Works with Hospice patients in home, SNF, and RCFE settings. The conditions in homes and facilities vary with each patient.
- Provides own transportation to patients places of residence.
- Successfully performs the essential duties and responsibilities of the position through the use of physical activities as described below:
- regularly requires sitting, standing, walking, talking, using hands, driving a car, listening and vision for close work.
- occasionally requires use of computer, keyboard, and related software applications.
- occasionally requires reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and lifting/carrying up to 25 pounds.
- occasionally requires pulling patients to the side of the bed on a draw sheet, to a sitting position from the supine, or forward and up out of bed or a chair in preparation for performing a standing pivot transfer.
