Staff Nurse - L11 Pediatric Psychosocial Oncology Program

Sign-on incentive: Qualified candidates are eligible for a sign-on bonus up to $10,000

The Psychosocial Oncology Program (POP) is a team of multidisciplinary professionals at Stead Family Children’s Hospital working with families affected by cancer. Commonly known as the POP Team, our mission is to help children, teens, young adults, and their families navigate emotional, social, and cognitive concerns after cancer diagnosis. Care with the POP Team is established shortly after diagnosis and continues across the entire cancer trajectory, including long-term follow up throughout survivorship. The POP Team specialty nurse plays a vital role in assisting with care coordination and assistance with acute interventions when patients and family members are experiencing distress.

Characteristic Duties of our Staff Nurses include but are not limited to:       

• Incorporates scientific, behavioral and humanistic principles for application to clinical practice.
• Utilizes, adheres and supports departmental standards and practice guidelines.
•  Applies nursing theory to the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of patient responses to health and illness. 
• Assesses patient health care preferences and expectations.
• Collaboratively coordinates the continuum of care across settings.
• Develops patient care plan based on patient condition, age, and psychological, educational, and socioeconomic conditions that prescribes interventions to attain expected outcomes.
• Triages needs for inpatient and outpatient consults, tracks patient information.
• Collaborate with POP Providers for consults, education and patient follow up plans.
• Implements patient care plan according to patient priorities, which includes interventions identified through nursing diagnoses.  Documents/reports interventions and patient/family response.
• Engage with patients and families to assist with acute interventions.
• Meet with families to introduce POP team, share education and information. Document delivery and timing of introduction within internal database.
• Collaborates and integrates contributions of patients and families into multidisciplinary patient care plan.
• Develops, coordinates and implements transfer/discharge planning throughout episode of care
• Implements nursing interventions according to department, division, and/or unit policies, procedures, and protocols to maintain safe environment for patients, visitors and staff.  Follows universal precautions.
• Implements emergency care procedures in potential or actual emergencies according to departmental policies, procedures and protocols.
• Evaluates patient's response to multidisciplinary care.
• Uses evaluation data to revise and implement change.
•  Assumes accountability for the provision of care for patients. 
• Participates in projects/committees for enhanced functioning of the unit and supports unit level decision-making.
• Responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of an interdisciplinary plan of care.
• Participates in ongoing strategic planning process.
• Participates in the development and implementation of computer applications.
• Performs other projects or tasks as assigned.
• Develops and implements patient/family teaching plan based on identified health education needs and the condition and age of the patient.
• Educate families and patients on upcoming appointments, treatment plans and testing.
• Evaluates and documents effectiveness of patient/family teaching.  Revises plan of care.
• Participates in the orientation of new nursing staff and the ongoing education of nursing personnel, as directed by the Nurse Manager or designee.
• Participates in formal and informal teaching with health care students.
• Serves as clinical teaching assistant for senior level nursing students as directed by the Nurse Manager or designee.
• Applies quality improvement principals to improve patient outcomes.
• Participates in quality improvement activities.
• Responsible for identification of improvement opportunities.

Functions as a patient advocate.

• Regular salaried position located in Iowa City, Iowa
• Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans
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