Weekend Hospice Nurse

Iowa City Hospice is seeking a caring and committed part time Weekend Hospice Nurse to be a part of our On-Call team.

Quality of life and comfort during end of life requires us to be available 24 hours / 7 days a week. This shift consists of Saturday 8AM-6PM and Sunday 8AM to 6PM. There is comfort for both patient and family to know someone is a phone call away and that there is quality access to services at all times. This access is part of the hospice philosophy.

Our Weekend Nurse has a passionate understanding and dedication to provide compassionate care to patient needs, outside of normal business hours. They combine their acute/crisis symptom management education with interpersonal communication skills to provide care for patients and families in physical and emotional crisis situations. A successful Weekend nurse enjoys working autonomously and having a compressed work schedule with benefits.

As you look at employment options, we encourage you to explore a few questions: What lead you to become a nurse? Did you visualize having one on one time to provide engaged care to each patient you serve, while making a personal connection and having an significant impact on a patient's comfort? Are you interested in serving your community, developing your nursing skills, building good working relationships and receiving satisfaction of knowing the impact your care and support has during someone's significant times of need?

Have you ever thought about the advantages of serving your patients in their own home environment? Studies overwhelmingly show that patients prefer to received care in the comforting familiarity of home, rather than moving to a facility or hospital.

Do you want to work with an employer that aligns with your personal vision and mission of patient care?

Iowa City Hospice has a great work culture and we look for people with a similar mindset. Here are a few character traits we look for as we add a new member to our team:

- ability to listen well and verbally communicate easily with people at all levels

- present a lasting impression of honesty with a kind demeanor and never short of a smile

- energetic, able to adjust to a variety of work environments and thrives on a challenge

Our Hospice Nurses:

• Enjoy working with a wide range patient needs based on a variety of end stage illness
• Like the challenge of working to the full scope and capacity of practice using complex clinical skills and displaying a high level of confidence to complete professional assessments and monitor new or worsening symptoms
• Identify and coordinate patient/family care with other members of the Interdisciplinary Team and health care community as needed.
• Communicate with the primary physician regarding patient change in status and pain and symptom control.
• Teach and counsel patients/families on care giving techniques.
• Work closely with all members of the interdisciplinary team – Physician, Pharmacist, ARNP, Hospice Aides, Social Workers, Music Therapists, Spiritual Counselors, Volunteers, and Bereavement specialists, to identify and coordinate a holistic approach to the individual care needs of the patient.
• Facilitate admission of hospice patient/family when necessary.
• Document observations, treatments, and other pertinent information into an IPad electronic medical records system.
• Participate with the entire organization to promote confidentiality, quality assessment, and continual performance improvement.

If your care goals include making a focused difference in the quality of life for patients & family members through pain control and end of life symptom management while working with a dynamic interdisciplinary team, then we would like to speak with you about our current nurse employment opportunities. Please apply on line or call Karen today, 319-325- 0319.

We offer:

• Thorough orientation and co-workers who care
• Company cars with personal use options including all gas and maintenance (driver must be 21 or over & good driving record)
• M-F 8-5 (scheduling can be flexible)
• 19 days of accrued vacation in your first year (available to use as you accrue!)
• 12 sick days accrued per year (available to use as you accrue!)A solid history and community reputation
• True commitment to our mission and the people we serve
• Free parking
• Bi-weekly payroll
• Continuing Education Credits
• 8 paid holidays
• Full benefit package available the first of the month following initial employment
• Benefit packages for all employees working 20 or more scheduled weekly hours
• Wellmark Medical (multiple plans to choose from) with employer-supplemented contributions to premiums
• Blue Dental plan
• Avesis Vision plan
• Employer-paid long-term disability
• Employer-paid life insurance (additional family life is available)
• Employer-matching 403b retirement account with professional financial advising
• 3 Aflac plans: Short -term disability, cancer, accident
• Medical/child care flex spending accounts
• Voluntary life insurance
• Company iPhone and iPad to conduct daily business
• Direct deposit

Essential Job Functions (including but not limited to):

1. Provide direct care to patients as needed to address acute/crisis symptom management needs.

2. Facilitate admission of hospice patient/family when necessary

3. Assess acute care needs and gather data on physical, social, spiritual, economic and cultural factors that may influence the patient’s quality of life.

4. Communicate with primary physician as needed to implement needed interventions.

5. Demonstrates exceptional written and verbal communication standards to advance cooperative working relationships with Iowa City Hospice staff, management and care partners.

6. Provide assistance and support to patient and family during physical and emotional crisis situations.

7. Teach and counsel patients/families on care giving techniques.

8. Document care and services provided to patient/family and report to primary team for follow up.

9. Meet with supervisor and/or primary team as needed to review patient care needs and quality of services.

10. Ensure effective use of resources

11. Serve as educational source to Care Partners and Community.

12. Ensure implementation of strategic goals

13. Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, staff and the organization.

14. Participate in Iowa City Hospice’s success by ensuring access to our exceptional care.

15. Support and promote Iowa City Hospice’s mission to lead in providing exceptional patient-centered end-of-life care and grief support to anyone affected by a terminal illness.

16. Participate in the organization’s quality program

Foster trust and understanding through thoughtful interactions that include tactful language choices, adaptive communication styles and adjusting speaking voice in all professional interactions with staff, care partners and patient/family members.

17. Adapts to changing business needs, conditions, and work responsibilities while working with a variety of situations, individuals, groups, and varying patient needs.

18. Develops and uses effective systems to organize and keep track of information, requests or progress.

19. Encourages team unity through sharing information or expertise, working together to solve problems, and putting team success first.

20. Thoughtfully intervenes in conflicts to improve communication, diffuse tension, and resolve problems. Seeks to find common ground and preserve relationships.

21. Handles high workloads, competing demands, vague assignments, interruptions, and distractions with poise and ease.

22. Maintains an open, approachable manner, and treats others fairly and respectfully.

23. Preserves others’ self-confidence and dignity and shows regard for their opinions.

24. Logically sequences tasks and identifies the resources needed to achieve a goal and prioritizes key action steps.

25. Attends and participates in agency education and committee meetings, as appropriate.

26. Serves as an educational source to staff, care partners and the community.

27. Performs other duties as necessary, including required participation in emergency/ disaster plans.

As an equal opportunity employer, we value diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Qualifications:

• A sincere desire to help others

• Current Iowa Registered Nurse License

• Iowa driver’s license

• Ability to communicate in English verbally and in writing

• US work authorization We also require (and can provide):

• Two-step tuberculosis test (we can provide at the start of employment)

• BLS Certification

• Mandatory Reporter Training

• Available to work every Friday-Monday and includes holiday rotations that fall on these days.

We prefer:

• Previous experience in hospice, home health, hospital or long term care
• BSN

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All offers of employment are conditioned upon the result of a criminal background check conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, as required by law.