Start Date: 07/24/2022

End Date: 10/22/2022

Status: Open

Total Positions: 3

Skill: *Registered Nurse

Duration: 13 - Weeks

Location: NY - St. Peter's Hospital

Shift Start Time: 19:00:00

Shift End Time: 07:00:00

Description:
Type of Patients Served
5 McAuley is a 34 bed Medical/Surgical unit, which delivers care to acutely ill patients. The primary focus of 5 McAuley is Medical Oncology and Hematology. Hospice patients are admitted as overflow when the Hospice Inn is full.

Ages of Patients Served
The unit serves adults and geriatric patients.

Current Services for Patients and Patients’ Families:

• Frequent Procedures, Processes, Services
? Chemotherapy
? Blood Transfusions
? Palliative Care
? Physical Therapy
? Occupation Therapy
? Telemetry
? Care Progression
? Spiritual Care
? Respiratory Therapy

• Scope and Complexity of Patient’s Care Needs
Patient care is provided along the cancer continuum, beginning with diagnosis, symptom management, cancer treatments, advanced cancer care and end of life care.

• Criteria for Entry to Services
Patients may be admitted to the unit via the emergency department, inter-unit transfer, and as direct admission from Physician offices. Population includes non-critical medical patients, Oncology and Hematology patients, and Hospice patients.

• Hours of Operation
The unit operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Methods Used to Assess Patient/Patient Population Care Needs
Each patient’s care is assessed, planned for, implemented and evaluated by a Registered Professional Nurse. The Registered Professional Nurse is responsible for collaborating with additional members of the health care team as indicated, such as Physicians, Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, care coordinators, palliative care, hospice and spiritual care, in order to facilitate the patients’ progress.



Methods Used to Determine Extent to Which Patient Needs are Met and Services Adjusted
The Registered Professional Nurse, in collaboration with the patient, family, and other health care team members, establishes and modifies plans of care that are reflective of the knowledge of aggregate populations and comprehensive to the continuum. Each plan is developed to facilitate safe discharge.
• Qualifications of Staff (Changes in Census, Acuity)
Qualifications required of staff are indicated in respective job descriptions for each employee. The roles include:
? Clinical Care Coordinator
? Care Coordinator
? Registered Professional Nurse
? Physical Therapist
? Occupational Therapist
? Physical Therapy Assistant
? Occupational Therapy Assistant
? Technical Care Associate
? Information Associate/ Senior Information Associate
? Respiratory Therapist

Professional staff [RN, SW, PT, OT, and RT] is required to have a current New York State license to practice in their profession. All RN, PT, OT and RT staff are required to be CPR certified.

Non-professional staff [PCT, Sr.IA/IA] is required to meet standards in respective OAPI’s. PCT’s are required to be CPR certified

• Methods Used to Adjust Staffing
When census, case mix or other factors vary from the plan, the staffing level is adjusted through the use of excess hours, overtime, per diem staff, and redistribution of staff between units.




Methods for Communication, Collaboration, and Functional Relationship with Other Departments and Services
A. Internal: In order to provide for collaborative, informed, participation of all staff members within 5 McAuley, unit staff meetings are held monthly. There are several communication boards located within the unit. Notices for all meetings are posted and/or communicated by e-mail. Additional announcements, updates, and information is also shared via email.

B. External: Communication is accomplished through collaborative programs within the Medical/Surgical Centers. Communication between the Medical-Surgical units occurs at monthly meetings. Communication occurs between the Medical-Surgical units, other units within Patient Care Services, and other hospital departments, including divisional and hospital based committees is also a means of communication.

C. A collaborative relationship exists between the staff of 5 McAuley and various other hospital departments and services including, Pharmacy, Clinical Engineering, Cardiac Services, Nutrition, Social Work and Continuing Care, Rehab Services (PT, OT, Speech, and Auditory), Home Care, Medical Records, and Materials Management. Spiritual Care’s presence addresses the role of spirituality to team members, focusing on providing a holistic approach of care for patient and team. There is a sharing of resources and knowledge between units within Patient Care Services.

This unit seeks to foster positive communication with other departments who function as a support in the delivery of patient care. Communication consists of:
• Utilization of Information Technology: e mail, SPH Intranet, Nursing Portal.
• Unit Staff Meetings
• Unit Leadership Meetings
• Clinical Operations Leadership
• Joint Nursing Planning
• Cancer Committee

Medical Staff Integration/Relationship
1. Daily rounding
2. Participation/Collaboration via:
? Grand Rounds
? Development/Revision of Standards of Care
? Cancer Committee

Plan to Improve Quality of Care

Philosophy
The philosophy of 5 McAuley is that continuous quality improvement is an essential component of nursing care. Quality improvement is a creative, dynamic process by which standards are developed and actions are taken to ensure achievement of them.

CQI is the responsibility of all professional nurses and all staff participate in creative activities to monitor and improve patient care. Key principles include:
• Employee participation, planning and execution at the staff nurse level.
• Comprehensive evaluation of all aspects of the practice of nursing (structure, process, outcome).
• Integration with higher level activities through communication systems and quarterly reporting.

Scope of the Quality Improvement Program
The 5 McAuley Quality Improvement program will include:
? Research into standards of care as they related to the major groups of patient populations.
? Recommendations to the appropriate councils for changes in practice, standards etc.
? Identification of actual/potential problems and documentation of the problem resolution process.
? Monitoring of management indicators; including turnover, patient acuity and unit activity.
? Utilization of monitoring tools/audits on a concurrent and retrospective basis, utilizing sources such as medical record, risk profile, observation, research study, clinical study, patient satisfaction surveys and clinical case reviews.
? Identification of unit goals with quarterly updates.

Plan to Improve
Foster an environment where the best decisions are made by the right person, in the right time, and for the right reason.

• Patient Safety/Quality
1. Medication Safety
2. Patient Falls with Injury
3. Joint Commission Patient Safety Standards

• Infection Control
1. Standard Precautions
2. Nosocomial/Community Acquired Infections
3. Hand hygiene

• Environmental Safety
1. Surveillance of the environment to optimize a safe environment for patients, families and staff.


Standards Governing Department
ANA standards are utilized in daily practice. Current research findings are reviewed when developing/revising practice standards.

• Joint Commission
• ANA
• NYS DOH