This specialized nursing role in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) requires adherence to Avenue Healthcare’s defined policies, protocols, procedures, and standards.
Job Objective/Purpose
Adhere to Avenue Healthcare’s defined policies, protocols, procedures, and standards.
Key Responsibilities
- Ensure proper inventory of the available equipment on a daily basis and ensure that they are in good working condition. Report any malfunction to the Bio-Medical Technician/Unit Manager.
- Ensure the unit is financially viable and demonstrate growth through:
- Offering quality care to patients and ensuring good working relationship with our stakeholders.
- Ensuring financial objectives are met by managing costs within budget, and ensuring timely and accurate billing of drugs and services. Aim for an invoice rejection rate of less than 3% by ensuring that proper pre-authorizations and documentation have been done.
- Ensure that Avenue corporate governance policies are adhered to:
- Prevent, detect, and report any fraud or criminal activity.
- Liaise with the Nurse in charge to fully implement internal audit recommendations and attain satisfactory ratings in subsequent audits.
- Read, understand, and be conversant with all systems, policies and procedures as outlined in the Hospital Manual, especially policies pertaining to provision of medical services (e.g., Admission & discharge procedures, nurses’ reports, ward equipment and supplies, emergency protocols, etc.).
- Record all sentinel incidents/events and report within 24 hours using the provided tools.
- Maintain and enforce infection control standards per the hospital manual and observe the infection control bundles (SSI, VAP, CAUTI, and CLABSI) where applicable.
- Supervise patient attendants as per their job description.
- Actively participate in ward rounds and receive handover reports from the outgoing nurse on shift.
- Appraise the next of kin on patient’s goals of care.
- Ensure recording and safe keeping of patient’s valuables.
- Proper documentation of patient notes and review; consulting with fellow clinicians and consultants when need be.
- Ensure that all diagnostic requests (lab and radiology) include the patient’s clinical information.
- Ensure patient safety by following the 6 International Patient Safety Goals (IPSGs): patient identification, effective communication, safety of high alert medication, ensuring correct site procedure and surgery, reducing the risk of healthcare associated infections, and reducing the risk of patient harm resulting from falls.
- Educate patients and family on issues relevant to their health.
- Prioritize patient needs in a documented nursing care plan.
- Organize the emergency trolley for easy use during resuscitation, ensuring drugs and supplies are well stocked, and damaged equipment is removed and reported promptly. A checklist must be kept and updated on the 1st and 16th of every month, and as needed.
- Update doctors/consultants on patient’s progress and any critical values as soon as they are available.
- Perform all invasive nursing procedures under aseptic technique.
- Enter unit-specific data daily and promptly.
- Ensure all the relevant consultants have explained procedures and have obtained consent.
- Complete official checklists for all patients prior to procedures (theatre, radiology, renal).
- Ensure patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained at all times, as per policy.
- Drug Administration:
- Adhere to the 10 rights of drug administration (right patient, medication, dosage, route, time, documentation, client education, assessment, evaluation, and client refusal of treatment).
- Submit all new drug orders to pharmacy promptly and ensure STAT doses are given within 30 minutes.
- Keep D.D.A. drugs safe and maintain the drug register properly per unit requirements.
- Refund all unused drugs immediately.
- Ensure all verbal prescriptions are signed within 24 hours by the respective doctor per the hospital policy.
- Adhere to professional standards of care and treatment of patients as guided by the Nursing Council of Kenya.
- Ensure client satisfaction (patient, consultants, and others) through optimal quality of care, effective communication, timely feedback, and escalation of unresolved issues to the Unit Manager, demonstrating follow-up and improvement.
- Any other duty as assigned by your immediate supervisor in line with the job description.
Person Specification and Requirements
- Diploma or Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
- Higher Diploma in Neonatal / Pediatric Critical Care Nursing (NICU/PICU) is mandatory.
- A valid Nursing Council of Kenya license.
- Up to date BLS, ACLS/ATLS certificate.
- Minimum 2 years’ experience as a NICU/PICU Nurse.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Attention to detail, results oriented, and reliable.
