Casual LPN

at  Golden Links Lodge Personal Care Home

EDUCATION:

Graduate of an approved Licensed Practical Nursing education program required.

EXPERIENCE:

Recent, related, experience in the applicable clinical area may be required, or preferred.

KNOWLEDGE:

• College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba Standards of Practice for Licensed Practical Nurses.
• College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba Code of Ethics for Licensed Practical Nurses.
• Scope of practice as documented in the Licensed Practical Nurses Act.
• Facility/Regional policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines.
• Manitoba Health Standards for Personal Care Homes.
• Nursing care knowledge related to clinical area.
• Personal Health Information Act (PHIA), Protection of Persons in Care Act, Mental Health Act, Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS), Principles of Routine Practices and other legislated acts.
• Roles and responsibilities of members of the health care team.
• Principles of delegation.
• Ability to work in a computerized environment.
• Ability to function in the MDS and Care Organizer programs.

ABILITIES AND SKILLS:

• Demonstrates effective oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates critical thinking/problem solving skills.
• Ability to delegate care appropriately and monitor outcomes of delegated care.
• Ability to prioritize care for an individual resident or group of residents.
• Ability to respond to a variety of simultaneous demands.
• Ability to recognize and pursue self-development opportunities.
• Ability to perform independently and as a member of the health care team.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing situations.
• Ability to maintain concentration with frequent interruptions.
• Ability to function in a demanding and stressful environment.

EDUCATION AND RESEARCH

• maintains and improves clinical expertise through formal and informal education opportunities.
• assumes responsibility for maintaining competency in own nursing practice.
• develops own performance improvement plan to enhance area of nursing practice.
• acts as a resource and role model for students, colleagues and others.
• participates in educational and research activities.

DECISION MAKING/ACCOUNTABILITY

• uses critical thinking and problem solving skills to make decisions within own scope of practice.
• acknowledges limitations in knowledge, judgment and skills, takes appropriate actions to compensate for limitations (e.g. contacts appropriate health care team member or uses policies and procedures) and functions within those limitations.
• recognizes and reports situations, occurrences, problems or concerns in a timely fashion following appropriate communication channels.
• contributes to the effective use of resources (time, supplies, equipment) in a cost effective manner.
• provides for safety of self and others by adherence to safety guidelines, policies, practices and other applicable legislation.

PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• provides care in a professional manner consistent with the Licensed Practical Nurses Act, College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba Standards.
• reports unsafe practice, professional incompetence, professional misconduct and incapacity or unfitness to practice of any health care team members through the appropriate channels.
• advocates for residents while respecting their right to self determination.
• provides constructive feedback to members of the health care team in a timely manner.

OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

• may be required to assume responsibility of the Nurse-in-Charge under the supervision of the Available Registered Nurse (ARN) if a RN/RPN is unavailable to be on site. The ARN would be the Director of Care or the CEO.
• maintains current knowledge of Disaster Plans and appropriate response to Emergency Codes (Emergency Public Address Announcements).
• adheres to all safety and health regulations and safe work practices.
• may be required to perform other duties and functions related to this job description not exceeding above stated skills and capacities.

ADDENDUM –THE ROLE OF THE LPN NURSE IN CHARGE

• Assumes the role of the Charge Nurse in the absence of an RN under the direction of the Available Registered Nurse (ARN) who is the Director of Care or the CEO.
• Makes safety check rounds of the facility during the shift.
• Assesses Residents reported to have a significant change in condition or requiring hospitalization and then contact the ARN.
• Contact maintenance re: environmental /mechanical issues and report issues to ARN.
• Contact the ARN if a sick call is received requiring overtime authorization or for a performance issue with staff.
• Contact ARN to report a potential outbreak (more than two residents with acute onset of diarrhea, or two or more Residents with the onset of new acute signs or symptoms.
• Contact ARN in the event of a death of a resident as the ARN must attend the facility to pronounce the death.
• Contact the ARN in the event of a fire alarm.
• Contact the ARN for any other issues that unsure of, require assistance for or feel that ARN should be aware of.
• Contact the ARN prior to the end of the shift to provide a report.

The LPN applies knowledge and judgment to contribute to a resident’s achievement of health care goals. The LPN practices independently within their defined scope of practice. The LPN provides care that is holistic, compassionate, culturally sensitive and respectful of the individuality of the resident and their support system. The LPN is responsible for total resident care but may delegate some aspects of care to other health care team members in a staff mix model. The LPN provides care to residents and families utilizing the nursing process. This process includes but is not limited to the following:

• Assessment
• completes an initial assessment with residents and families including the collection of physical, psychosocial, spiritual, cultural and economic data to identify health needs.
• utilizes available data, collected by other members of the health care team, to further identify health needs.
• performs ongoing assessments to identify changes in residents’ health status