Job Description

Job Description

Leads, coordinates, and evaluates the activities of the Medical Surgical Unit to maintain optimal delivery of patient care.

Responsibilities

General:

• Provides age-specific patient-centered care utilizing the nursing process:
  • Performs patient assessment using appropriate, problem-focused, and age-specific assessment techniques.
  • Performs continual critical care assessment of patient and family’s physical and psychological needs.
  • Involves the patient, significant others, and health care providers in the plan of care when appropriate.
  • Collaborates with a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care.
  • Coordinates and plans critical care/clinical pathway, and prioritizes care, based on individual needs.
  • Revises the care plan as necessary.
  • Initiates appropriate transfer plan.
  • Recognizes subtle cues to anticipate potential problems.
  • Documents all relevant data in the medical record according to hospital/departmental standards.
  • Ensures availability and maintenance of supplies and equipment needed for the unit and patient care.
  • Performs clerical duties when needed.
  • Assumes responsibility for meeting Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA) required mandatory education (e.g. fire, safety, infection control and others).
  • Participates in staff meetings and unit committees/projects.
• Participates in developing and achieving unit goals.
• Maintains a safe environment for patients and staff.
• Performs safe handling and administrating of Narcotic/Controlled and Semi-Controlled Drugs and documentation as directed by policies and procedures.
• Ensures completion of unit competencies (i.e. pain management, and utilization of Emergency department devices).
• Maintains clinical and professional competency based on the latest research and established standards of practice.
• Completes yearly, the critical care nursing competencies (basic).
• Participates in unit-based Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities (data collection, CQI teams, incident reporting, customer complaint reporting, medication error reporting etc.).
• Participates in ongoing educational activities.
• Maintains mandatory educational requirements.
• Performs additional duties when required.

Team Leader Responsibilities:

• Liaises with and updates the Nurse Manager/Admin Supervisor/Bed Coordinator about the following:
  • Significant changes in patient status.
  • Admissions, discharges, transfers, out-on-pass and deaths.
  • Staffing issues.
  • Administrative issues.
• Orientates and assists floating staff as needed. Follows up on Float Response Form.
• Completes Team Leader Orientation and meets the criteria indicators for the Team Leader role on the unit.
• Facilitates unit’s workflow, and assignments of tasks and follows up on staffing issues. 
• Completes all specific unit duties as per the Allocation Book.

Operational Management:

• Coordinates the provision of safe, efficient, and economical 24-hour nursing care in line with established standards of care.
• Supervises, demonstrates, assists and teaches staff in improving, maintaining and obtaining new clinical skills.
• Renders and supervises care services based on age appropriateness and developmental needs of patients.
• Assists and develops the formation of measurable goals for the unit.  
• Creates and supports an environment which fosters teamwork, cooperation, and respect for cultural diversity.
• Assists the Manager in all scheduling, policy writing and other projects as defined.
• Monitors attendance of staff to annual mandatory in-services.
• Assists manager with completion of departmental and unit-specific competencies.
• Assures 100% of new staff completes a planned departmental orientation within 120 days. 
• Promotes development and use of care planning and/or other means of planning care.
• Maintains accountability for budgeting/financial management and optimal use of resources in the unit.
• Supports, enforces, and interprets institutional and departmental policies and procedures to staff.   
• Promotes professional and clinical growth of self and staff.
• Participates in hospital-wide and nursing committees.
• Integrates evidence-based research/practice into clinical and management processes in the unit, as indicated.
• Promotes physician satisfaction with nursing services provided.
• Assists and promotes budgetary management.
• Monitor unit stock, inventory and lost charges count as well as store organization.
• Ensures daily unit responsibilities (checking crash cart, refrigeration temperature checklist, etc) are assigned.
• Oversees the orientation of new staff members.
• Ensures supplies from the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) and Pharmacy are ordered to keep the unit stocked at prescribed levels and ensure that there are no expiry date items available in the unit.
• Oversees that staff members (Staff Nurses, Healthcare Assistants, Unit Clerk Interpreters) are working within their specific roles and job descriptions.
• Performs nursing interventions/procedures per established standards of care and policy and procedures.
• Assists medical colleagues with diagnostic therapeutic interventions.
• Maintains accurate and thorough documentation following established Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA) standards.
• Follows up clinical and PI indicators and reports to the Head Nurse.
• Communicates with the narcotic supervisor pharmacist, reporting any incident or loss to the manager.
• Maintains the Dubai Health Authority’s narcotic, controlled and semi-controlled drug books.  
• Maintains patient medications and refunds to the pharmacy any discontinued medications.
• Oversees floor stock medications.
• Conducts the narcotic handover to the next shift and replaces the needed items.
• Ensures a complete and accurate handover has been given to the next shift.
• Monitors link nurses’ performance (infection control, pain management and clinical education).
• Participates in the unit auditing as per Manager instructions.
• Takes active lead in creating and working on unit-based PI activities (data collection, PI teams, etc.).
• Assesses education needs and provides effective and age-appropriate education to patients/families.
• Advocates the Patient’s Bill of Rights.
• Demonstrates an awareness of professional standards – keeps up to date with professional literature and changes in standards.
• Maintains patient, doctor and staff confidentiality in all areas of the hospital.
• Develops personal goals and objectives.
• Attends at least eight (8) of the twelve (12) monthly unit meetings and reads and signs for the other four (4) meetings missed on time.
• Ensures the delivery of high-quality care to assigned patients in an efficient manner.
• Assists other staff members in improving their assessment skills, giving input when the need is identified.

Unit Specific:

• Performs nursing interventions/procedures per established standards of care (Competency List “Green Book”) policy and procedures including but not limited to:
  • Administers epinephrine, monitors vital signs closely, and provides supportive care while preparing for potential advanced interventions as necessary for managing anaphylaxis.
  • Sets up and adjusts the BIPAP machine according to the prescribed settings, ensures proper mask fit, and monitors the patient’s respiratory status and machine settings to optimize ventilation.
  • Educates the patient on proper colostomy and ileostomy appliance application and maintenance, monitors for signs of complications, and provides ongoing support for long-term management of stoma care.
  • Applies and maintains the negative pressure wound therapy device, monitors wound healing progress, and adjusts settings as needed to promote effective wound closure and prevent infection.
  • Assists in bladder scan using the portable ultrasound device to assess bladder volume and post-void residual urine, and interpret the results to guide further patient care.

Preceptor’s Responsibilities (when applicable):

• Completes the Preceptor workshop and meets the criteria indicators for the preceptor role on the unit.
• Plans, implements and evaluates the individualized competency-based orientation in collaboration with the orientee, nurse manager, and clinical resource nurse.
• Provides appropriate feedback on time to orientee and Nurse Manager.
• Provides objective documentation to the nurse manager utilizing the American Hospital Dubai’s established standards of care (Competency List “Green Book and Blue Book”).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing (minimum of three (3) years full-time course duration) or
• Degree in Nursing (minimum two (2) years course duration) and Registration as a Registered Nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
• For UAE nationals graduates of UAE or non-UAE universities are exempted from the experience and clinical training requirements for the applied title. (UAE nationals must submit a copy of their birth certificate and the mother’s family book).
• Non-UAE national graduates from UAE universities are required to successfully complete six (6) months of clinical training post-graduation in an APS health facility (except for Registered and assistant Nurse titles).
• Must hold a valid License/Registration to practice in their home country and/or country of last employment (where applicable).
• Must hold a minimum of a valid Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification or others according to the scope of practice.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of five (5) to six (6) years of recent post-graduate experience in Medical Surgical Unit Nursing.
• Previous Team Leader or Senior Staff Nurse experience is an advantage.
• Knowledge of and ability to render care and services based on age, appropriateness, and developmental needs of patients.
• Skills in assessment of patient and family’s physical and psychological needs.
• Skills in coordination and planning of care and prioritising care based on individual needs.