ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE - HEART FAILURE

The Advanced Practice Nurse is responsible for relationship building with physicians on staff at RMC to actively engage their support to promote optimal care for Congestive Heart Failure (HF) patients. Responsible for structuring HF patient care around the patient, support systems, and physicians based on evidence based practice. Provides medical management of heart failure patient related to quality of life, patient satisfaction, decreased LOS, and reduced re-hospitalization.

Essential Duties

• Actively engages patients in delivery of self care to identify and refer to HF Center of Excellence and/or physician as deemed appropriate.
• Builds strong relationships with PCP, IM, Nephrologist, Emergency Room physician and Cardiologist to align Riverside Medical Center in sharing responsibility for optimal patient outcomes of CHF patient population.
• Coordinate in-services/education for personnel, physicians, community groups and all other appropriate allied health personnel when required in accordance with regulatory agency regulations which facilitates communication between patients/families and members of the inter-disciplinary team to promote/market the HF program development.
• Coordinates inter-disciplinary team responsible for Heart Failure Accreditation through the American College of Cariology.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and utilizes strategies designed to reduce re-hospitalizations for the heart failure patient.
• Displays commitment to the mission of Riverside Medical Center and its mission and values.
• Initiates and maintains positive relationships with patients/customers, co-workers, and physicians.
• Maintains current awareness of new legislative regulations that impact the practice of nursing while devising strategies for compliance.
• Performs and/or participates in daily rounds of hospitalized HF patients and MOP HF patients, including physical assessment, interaction with nursing staff, formulation of plan/write orders, review data, evaluate response to care and document in progress notes daily (inclusive of Emergency Room across the continuum of care).Provides monthly/quarterly statistics while overseeing database development/data collection, quality improvement monitors, and operational improvement to the Director CV Services.
• Constantly strives to improve the quality of life outcomes for the HF patient population.
• Submits appropriate billing levels for work performed.
• Utilization of system EHR to obtain comprehensive health history to coordinate medical management plan in collaboration with physicians in accordance with Standards of Care for CHF patient population based on written policies and protocols which encompasses emergency room care throughout the continuum. Incorporates into the assessment, patient's level of engagement, self management behavior, health care literacy, and socio-economic factors that impact patient's ability to manage health care. Facilitates communication with other physicians and members of the health care team daily.

Required Experience

• Demonstrates ability facilitate change.
• Demonstrates excellent communication, interpersonal, organization, and leadership skills in order to lead, teach & engage others to interact effectively in a variety of situations.
• Demonstrates independent functionality with the guidance of Director of Cardiovascular Services.
• Demonstrates skills in building relationships.
• Ability to use a wide variety of technical equipment to meet patients' needs and prescribed medical therapies.
• Experience in use of MS Office (Power Point, Excel, Word

Preferred Experience

• Heart Failure experience strongly preferred.
• 2 years of acute care experience preferred.
• Experience in transitional care, outpatient care and/or community health care desired.

Required Licensure/Education

• Masters Degree in Nursing
• Licensed as an Advanced Practice Nurse in State of Illinois, Contact hours annually with subject matter equally divided between clinical specialty and management issues.
• Basic Life Support Certification
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification

Preferred Education

• Certification in specialty area of Heart Failure desired.

Employee Health Requirements

Exposure/Sensory Requirements:

Exposure to:

• Chemicals: Refer to MSDS sheets
• Video Display Terminals: Average
• Blood and Body Fluids: Mild risk due to infrequent patient care.
• TB or Airborne Pathogens: Mild risk due to infrequent patient care.

Sensory requirements (speech, vision, smell, hearing, touch):

• Speech: Needed for presentations/training, telephone communication, facilitating meetings.
• Vision: Needed for computer entry, read reports, memos, literature.
• Smell: Needed for electrical/fire safety.
• Hearing: Needed for telephone communication, meetings, listening to employee concerns.
• Touch: Needed for writing, computer entry, filing.

Activity/Lifting Requirements:

Percentage of time during the normal workday the employee is required to:

• Sit: 20%
• Twist: 0%
• Stand: 20%
• Crawl: 0%
• Walk: 60%
• Kneel: 0%
• Lift: 0%
• Drive: 0%
• Squat: 0%
• Climb: 0%
• Bend: 0%
• Reach above shoulders: 0%

The weight required to be lifted each normal workday according to the continuum described below:

• Up to 10 lbs: Occasionally
• Up to 20 lbs: Occasionally
• Up to 35 lbs: Occasionally
• Up to 50 lbs: Not Required
• Up to 75 lbs: Not Required
• Up to 100 lbs: Not Required
• Over 100 lbs: Not Required

Describe and explain the lifting and carrying requirements. (Example: the distance material is carried; how high material is lifted, etc.): May lift paper materials or assist with patients as needed.

Maximum consecutive time (minutes) during the normal workday for each activity:

• Sit: 60
• Twist: 0
• Stand: 60
• Crawl: 0
• Walk: 30
• Kneel: 0
• Lift: 0
• Drive: 0
• Squat: 0
• Climb: 0
• Bend: 0
• Reach above shoulders: 0

Repetitive use of hands (Frequency indicated): 

• Simple grasp up to 10 lbs. 
• Normal weight:
• Pushing & pulling Normal weight:
• Fine Manipulation: Computer keyboard and writing.

Repetitive use of foot or feet in operating machine control:

Environmental Factors & Special Hazards:

• Environmental Factors (Time Spent):
• • Inside hours: 8
  • Outside hours : 0
• Temperature: Normal Range
• Lighting: Average
• Noise levels: Average
• Humidity: Normal Range
• Atmosphere: Odors
• Special Hazards: Mechanical, Electrical, Radiation, Other, Chemical -Electrical and mechanical equipment used. Chemicals such as cleaning supplies or medications. Thallium studies, infectious disease.
• Protective Clothing Required: Standard precautions