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Job Summary
The Clinical Charge Nurse coordinates the daily activities of nursing personnel on assigned shifts to maintain excellent continuity of care, optimize patient flow, and ensure throughput accountability. This role is responsible for adjusting staffing levels according to patient acuity and census data. The Coordinator assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates nursing standards and unit policies to continuously monitor and improve patient functional status and clinical outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Shift Coordination & Throughput
- Coordinates shift activities to support patient flow, efficient admissions, transfers, and discharges.
- Arranges daily staffing allocations dynamically based on unit census and patient acuity.
- Investigates patient, family, and staff complaints; reviews patient care incidents, documents unusual occurrences via variance reports, and escalates findings to the Unit Nurse Manager.
- Serves as a dedicated patient and family advocate at all times.
Clinical Quality & Care Delivery
- Utilizes the nursing process and physician orders to develop, execute, and continually evaluate individualized patient care plans.
- Guides and directs staff nurses in the assessment of intervention, medication, and treatment efficacy.
- Accurately and concisely documents all steps of the nursing process in the electronic medical record utilizing approved medical terminology.
- Coordinates the maintenance of a safe, clean, and satisfactory environment through continuous compliance monitoring of safety and infection control programs.
- Responds effectively to patient emergencies and facilitates immediate crisis intervention or clinical triage when necessary.
Patient Education & Professional Development
- Applies proven teaching and learning principles to promote patient and family health education throughout the hospital stay and during the discharge planning process.
- Assumes personal accountability for professional growth while participating in unit staff meetings, in-services, and annual competency updates.
- Supports the orientation, onboarding, and positive assimilation of new clinical team members.
- Promotes the economical utilization of supplies and ensures biomedical equipment is safely maintained.
Scope of Decision Making & Working Relationships
- Decision Making: Exercises independent clinical judgment in planning operational sequences and making minor decisions within a complex, technical professional field.
- Leadership Impact: Leads others by example in the performance of identical clinical work; coordinates daily activities and provides input for annual staff performance evaluations, but does not directly supervise, prepare, or deliver evaluations.
- Collaboration: Works closely with internal and external customers, patients, families, physicians, and multidisciplinary healthcare professionals via face-to-face and phone interactions.
Job Requirements
Required Skills & Experience
- Experience: One (1) to two (2) years of related clinical nursing experience, with demonstrated readiness for a leadership or charge role.
- Clinical Knowledge: Strong foundational knowledge of professional nursing theory, psychiatric or specialized clinical practices, and behavioral health/psychosocial disorders.
- Crisis Management: Proven ability to perform crisis intervention, clinical triage, and function effectively under stressful or fast-paced situations.
- Communication: Exceptional interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills; ability to act as a skillful change agent who collaborates easily across departments.
- Technical Skills: Basic proficiency with personal computers and electronic health record (EHR) systems for documentation and data review.
Education, Licensure & Certification
- Education: Graduate of an accredited school of nursing with an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), Diploma in Nursing, or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
- Licensure: Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of practice, or a valid multi-state compact license.
- Certifications: Active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.