Job Objective/Purpose
Responsible for ensuring quality care within the unit and must adhere to Avenue Healthcare’s defined policies, protocols, procedures and standards.
Key Responsibilities
The Nurse in charge will perform the following duties:
People Management (in coordination with HR)
- Ensure efficient staffing by liaising with the Nursing Services Manager/HR to maintain optimal staff levels, including reallocation of staff depending on staffing needs, as well as efficient use of overtimes and locums.
- Identify training gaps and liaise with the Nursing Services Manager/HR to facilitate necessary training.
- Conduct regular staff engagement and monthly staff meetings, ensuring documented evidence of attendance (e.g., minutes).
- Implement reward, recognition, and timely disciplinary action (with proper cause) per defined policies.
- Ensure staff are professionally well-groomed, wearing their respective uniform, name tags, etc.
Resource Management
- Collaborate with the NSM/HR to ensure that there is an updated locum pool.
- Ensure proper inventory of available equipment on a daily basis and confirm they are in good working condition. Report any malfunction promptly to the Bio-Medical Technician/NSM.
Financial Viability and Growth
- Ensure financial objectives are met by managing costs within budget.
- Ensure timely and accurate billing of drugs and services.
- Maintain an invoice rejection rate of less than 3% by ensuring proper pre-authorizations and documentation have been done.
- Offer quality care to patients and ensure good relationships with stakeholders to demonstrate growth.
Corporate Governance, Quality Assurance, and Safety
- Ensure adherence to Avenue corporate governance policies.
- Prevent, detect, and report any fraud or criminal activity.
- Fully implement internal audit recommendations and attain satisfactory ratings in subsequent audits.
- Read, understand, and be conversant with all systems, policies, and procedures outlined in the Hospital Manual, especially those pertaining to the provision of medical services (e.g., Admission & discharge procedures, nurses’ reports, ward equipment and supplies, emergency protocols).
- Review and act on quality indicator reports.
- Ensure all sentinel incidents/events are recorded and reported 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.
- Ensure patients safety 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.
- Keep the emergency trolley organized for easy use during resuscitation, ensuring drugs and supplies are well stocked. A checklist must be kept and updated on the 1st and 16th of every month.
- Participate in emergency response.
Clinical Supervision and Patient Care
- Supervise and offer mentorship to patient attendants and nurses per their job description.
- Engage the multi-disciplinary team actively during ward rounds and receive handover reports from the outgoing nurse on shift.
- Ensure proper and detailed documentation of patient notes and review; consult with fellow clinicians and consultants when necessary.
- Ensure that all diagnostic requests (lab and radiology) have the patient’s clinical information.
- Provide patient and family education/teaching applicable to the patient's medical condition. Discuss patient concerns and answer questions relevant to care.
- Ensure prioritization of patient needs in a documented nursing care plan.
- Ensure that doctors/consultants are updated on patient’s progress and critical values in a timely manner.
- Provide leadership in improving patient care, maintaining standards of care, directing, and teaching personnel in a variety of settings.
- Ensure that all invasive nursing procedures are done under aseptic technique.
- Ensure all the relevant consultants have explained procedures and have obtained consent.
- Ensure patient privacy and confidentiality is maintained at all times.
Drug Administration
- Ensure adherence to the 10 rights of drug administration (right patient, medication, dosage, route, time, documentation, client education, assessment, evaluation, and client refusal of treatment).
- Ensure that all new drug orders are submitted to pharmacy promptly and STAT doses are given within 30 minutes.
- Ensure D.D.A. drugs are safe and the register is kept properly per unit requirements.
- Ensure all unused drugs are refunded immediately.
- Ensure all verbal prescriptions are signed within 24 hours by the respective doctor.
- Ensure all treatment sheets have information on drug allergies.
Reporting and Other Duties
- Compile monthly unit reports by the 1st of every month.
- Compile government reports and submit them by the 2nd of every month.
- Ensure client satisfaction (patient, consultants and others) through optimal quality of care, effective communication, timely feedback and escalation of unresolved complaints/concerns, and demonstrate follow-up and improvement.
- Cover the hospital as and when required.
- Any other duty as assigned by your immediate supervisor in line with the job description.
Person Specification
- A BSN in nursing and administrative training.
- A valid Nursing Council of Kenya license.
- 3 years' experience in a related position.
- COHSASA or other Accreditation experience.
- Updated BLS, ACLS/ATLS certificate.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
- Result Oriented.
- Attention to detail.