OVERVIEW:

Provide quality nursing care to residents in a long-term care environment which promotes their rights, dignity, freedom of choice, and their individuality under the supervision of a Registered Nurse.

• Provide individualized attention which encourages each resident’s ability to maintain or attain the highest practical physical, mental, and psychosocial wellbeing
• Knowledgeable of the individualized care plan for residents and provide support to the resident according to the care plan. Contribute to the care planning process by providing the charge nurse or other care planning staff with specific information and observations of the residents’ needs and preferences
• Attend to the individual needs of residents which may include assistance with grooming, bathing, oral hygiene, feeding, incontinent care, toileting, colostomy care, prosthetic appliances, transferring, ambulation, range of motion, communicating, or other needs in keeping with the individuals’ care requirements, and scope of practice
• Maintain the comfort, privacy, and dignity of each resident in the delivery of services to them. Interact with residents in a manner that displays warmth and promotes a caring environment
• Fully understand all aspects of residents’ rights, including the right to be free of restraints and free of abuse
• Responsible for promptly reporting to the charge nurse or administrative staff incidents or evidence of resident abuse or violation of residents’ rights
• Assist in maintaining a safe, neat, and clean environment; report environmental deficiencies to the charge nurse such as lighting or equipment problems
• Protect the personal belongings of each resident including eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids, furnishings, jewelry, clothing, memorabilia, etc. Promptly report missing items according to established policy and participate in efforts to locate missing items
• Observe residents for changes in condition or behavior and promptly report these changes to appropriate licensed nursing personnel
• Provide care that maintains each resident’s skin integrity to prevent pressure ulcers, skin tears, and other damage by changing incontinent residents, turning, repositioning immobile residents, and applying moisturizers to fragile skin, etc.
• Answer residents’ call bells promptly and courteously
• Perform various tasks assigned by the charge nurse including vital signs, residents’ weights, applying creams/ointments, collecting specimens, etc.
• Assist with orienting residents and their families to the nursing home upon admission and to the unit when transfers occur
• Assist and escort residents for appointments such as beauty shop, activities, church services, etc.
• Complete certified nursing assistant records while using proper coding of activities of Daily Living (ADLs) documenting care provided or other information in keeping with department policies
• Follow prescribed safety and infection control procedures including thorough hand washing, use of disposable gloves where indicated, and proper disposal of soiled materials
• Support an atmosphere which promotes a homelike environment
• Assist in the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) process