Staff Nurse II - Palliative Care

Job Summary:
The Registered Nurse (RN) II is a professional caregiver who assumes responsibility and accountability for a group of patients for a designated time frame. The RN II provides care to patients via the therapeutic use of self, the nursing process, the environment and instrumentation, and other health care team members.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Performs assessment/data collection in an on-going systematic manner, focusing on physiologic, psychosocial, cultural, spiritual and cognitive status; also nutrition, pain, patient/family education, family involvement and patient advocacy.


• Formulates a goal-directed plan of care when and where appropriate to do so.


• Implements care in a thorough, skillful, consistent, and continuous manner.


• Establishes priorities or patient care based on essential patient needs and available unit resources of time, personnel, equipment, and supplies.


• Identifies patient/family learning needs and acts to meet them.


• Demonstrates an awareness of and sensitivity to patient/family rights, age specific needs, cultural and ethical beliefs.


• Provides/coordinates care for patients/patient populations.


• Establishes effective working relationships with members of the health care team, patients, and families.


• Acknowledges staff rights and cultural and ethical beliefs.


• Delegates appropriately and coordinates duties of health care team members.


• Evaluates effectiveness of care given by health care team members.


• Utilizes effective communication methods and skills, following lines of authority, as appropriate.


• Demonstrates knowledge of and applies safety principles as identified within the institution.


• Performs efficiently in emergency patient care situations following established protocols, remaining calm, informing appropriate persons, and documenting events.


• Demonstrates responsibility and accountability for own professional practice.


• Participates regularly in staff development activities for unit and department personnel.


• Demonstrates knowledge of legal issues, including patient confidentiality and risk management in all aspects of patient care and unit functioning.


• Participates in unit and Department Performance Improvement activities as directed.


• Participates in nursing research activities as requested.


• Identifies and solves problems effectively.


• Demonstrates a service philosophy in all interactions with patients, families, and all members of the health care team.


• Provides data for staffing decisions and demonstrates flexibility in the resolution of staffing issues; demonstrates flexibility when floating to other units upon requests.


• Demonstrates proficiency in the use of computers and telecommunication modalities in documenting, tracking and conveying information. Ability to navigate in a windows environment, utilizing a mouse and the ability to learn electronic medical record system application.


• Perform other related duties as necessary.

• Formulates a goal-directed plan of care that is prioritized and based on determined nursing diagnosis and patient outcomes.


• Identifies patient/family learning needs and implements appropriate measures.


• Demonstrates sound knowledge base and actions in the care of a designated patient population.


• Participates regularly in staff development activities for unit and Department of Nursing personnel.


• Documents patient care and unit activities in a timely, accurate, and concise manner.


• If no qualified candidate, may be willing to train in the specialty areas listed below. Candidates in training are required to obtain appropriate certifications within 6 months of hire or transfer into unit.


• Palliative Care RN duties do not include discharge planning or UM functions. May be required to make visits to patients home, Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), clinic or other sites. Palliative Care services may be provided telephonically or face to face in a variety of settings: inpatient, clinic, home, SNF.