SCOPE The NTHSSA is the single provider of all health and social services (HSS)

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1 IDENTIFICATION Department Position Title Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Athority Registered Nrse Emergency Position Nmber(s) Commnity Division/Region(s) Invik Acte Care/Beafort Delta PURPOSE OF THE POSITION Provides nrsing care to adlt and paediatric patients ranging from non-rgent to life threatening or resscitation reqired in accordance with established standards of nrsing practice and the philosophy and objectives of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Athority (NTHSSA) to ensre that the patients' physical, emotional, psycho-social, edcational and spirital needs are met. SCOPE The NTHSSA is the single provider of all health and social services (HSS) sqare kilometers and serving approximately 43,000 people, inclding First Nations, Init, Metis, and non-aboriginals. HSS incldes the fll range of primary, secondary and tertiary health services and social services inclding family services, protection services, care placements, mental health, addictions, and developmental activities, delivered by more than 1,400 HSS staff. Commnity Services Agency will operate nder a separate board and Hay River HSS Agency will in the interim, the NTHSSA will set clinical standards, procedres, gidelines and monitoring for the entire NWT. Service Agreements will be established with these boards to identify performance reqirements and adherence to clinical standards, procedres, gidelines and policies as established by the NTHSSA. Under the direction of the Minister of HSS, the NTHSSA is established to move toward one Page 1 of 8

2 The NTHSSA administers all regional HSS delivered throgh the Invik Regional Hospital (IRH), a 45 bed accredited hospital, 7 Commnity Health Centers; and 17 other sites inclding social services, pblic health clinics, dental therapy offices, elder's facilities and varios grop homes. NTHSSA provides the delivery of health care services to all members of the poplation on an inpatient, otpatient and otreach basis to enhance the wellbeing of healthy commnities throgh excellence, accontability and respect for the cltral diversity within the region. Located within the IRH and reporting directly to the Regional Manager, Acte Care; the Registered Nrse (RN) Emergency is 1 of 5 RNs providing Acte Care to the patients in the Emergency Department. There is 1 AN on each of the 12 hor shifts and from week days there is an Licensed Practical Nrse (LPN)/Ward Clerk on dty. After office hors, the AN Emergency takes the lead role in ER and provides consltation back p for the Acte C L C hospitals and co-ordinates extra staffing and calling in other services sch as Lab and Radiology. The RN, Emergency is a member of the nrsing team who provides direct nrsing care to patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric, non-rgent to critically ill or reqiring resscitation where the otcomes are often npredictable and the patients may be nstable. The RN, Emergency acts as a patient advocate and facilitates commnication between the patient, family and other health care professionals. This will reslt in a holistic approach to planning, organizing, teaching, and relationship development that will best meet the needs of the patient. In addition, the RN, Emergency may assist the Physician with invasive procedres q E Unit bt based on patient censs may not always be immediately available. Within the Emergency Unit patient censs can change rapidly. As a reslt, nrses within the nit are often reqired to se independent nrsing interventions and transferred medical fnctions / delegated medical orders to treat a patient before the physician is available. The proactive steps may inclde, bt are not limited to ordering lab and x-rays immediately and/or starting IVs before receiving orders from a physician. Sometimes patient censs can exceed capacity within the Emergency Unit reqiring the RNs to come p with creative soltions. The Emergency Unit is also responsible for monitoring an emergency phone. The hot-lines are administered by a RN and LPN within the Unit and involve providing advice and gidance to Amblance Attendants, nrsing stations in other commnities as well as individals seeking gidance. The phone lines are often qite bsy. Based on patient censs and acity throghot the IRH the incmbent may be reqired to provide standardized nrsing care to the Acte Care or Long-term care wards nrsing nits within the scope of a RNs practice. Page 2 of 8

3 RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Provides direct nrsing care to a wide variety of adlt and/or pediatric patients reqiring immediate medical treatment sing a problem solving approach and in accordance with the standards, gidelines and scope of professional nrsing practice to facilitate individalized nrsing care to patients. Assess, plan, implement, docment and evalate care to ensre a coordinated holistic approach which best meets the needs of the patient. Assist patients to achieve their optimm level of health in sitations of normal health, illness, injry, or throgh the process of dying. Advocate the dignity and self-respect of patients. Promote the atonomy of patients and help them to express their health needs and vales to obtain appropriate information and services. Safegard the trst of patients that information teamed in the context of a professional relationship is shared otside the health care team only with the patients permission or as legally reqired. Apply and promote principles of eqity and fairness to assist patients in receiving nbiased treatment and a share of health services and resorces proportionate to their needs, and. Act in a manner consistent with their professional code of ethics, responsibilities and standards of practice. 2. The RN. Emergency facilitates implements and modifies patient and family edcation/teaching based on the needs of the patient. Use a holistic approach to facilitate individal of patients and their families pon transfer or discharge in relation to patient illness or injry (i.e. self-care, health promotion, etc.). Assess the patient for physical and psychological needs, their knowledge of their health, disease process and learning needs. Research, develop, revise and evalate on an ongoing basis, edcational resorces necessary to spport patients. Coordinate the admission and transfer or discharge of patients. This incldes explaining and ensring that the patient nderstands the admission or discharge plan (established by the Health Care Team for the patients care and treatment). 3. As a Team Leader (Responsibility Nrse), the RN, Emergency assmes accontability for the standard of care delivered toward determining and achieving patient care goals. Makes decisions necessary to promote change and ltimate otcome of goal attainment. C b health care to provide continity of care and promote collaborative efforts directed toward qality patient care. Triage or delegate the responsibility for triaging patients to the LPN on dty and any Acte Care RN called into ER to assist when needed. Page 3 of 8

4 Direct and spervise the fnctions of others who provide direct care and spport (LPNs, etc.). Ensre adeqate staffing levels dring all shifts (i.e. calling in appropriate relief staff), on ER, Acte care and long Term Care Wards. Coordinate the activities of critical sitations/incidents within the Emergency Unit. This incldes providing critical care within different nits of the hospital as reqired. 4. Advocate practice environments that have the organizational and resorce allocations necessary for safe, competent and ethical nrsing care. Provide coaching and leadership to peers, stdents and other members of the health care team to develop skill levels necessary to achieve the standard of care. Collaborate with nrsing colleages and other members of the health care team to advocate health care environments that are condcive to ethical practice and to the health and well-being of patients and others in the setting. Orientation of new employees to nit specific programs and mandate. Participates in committees, task forces, and research projects as related to the Emergency Unit. 5. The Emergency Nrse operates a telephone crisis line designed to provide gidance and advice, health centers, and gidance to the general pblic (throghot the region) experiencing medical isses or crisis. Respond and provide nrsing advice and gidance (patients are sally encoraged to see a physician or come into Emergency). Coordinate spport from within the caller's commnity to address immediate crisis (i.e. RCMP, Health Centers, etc.). Provide emergency consltation to Commnity Health Nrses throghot the NWT and Nnavt- Kitikmeot as reqired. 6. The Emergency Nrse provides administrative spport to ensre efficient service and continity of care. Prepares in-patient charts for admission, discharge, transfer and retrn to medical records. Checks day srgery clients' charts after discharge to ensre completion. Ensres that all ot of province/contry/workers' Compensation Board client's health care information is adeqately established for medical billing prposes. Assists in discharge of patients by faxing prescriptions and discharge smmaries to health centers, booking travel arrangements and follow-p appointments for clients. Delivers laboratory specimens and eqipment to other departments as reqired. Other dties as assigned by the Manager, Nrsing Units 7. Continosly monitors medical-srgical spplies with the Acte Care Ward Clerk to ensre the level of stock spplies is appropriate to meet client needs. Responsible for special order of medical-srgical spplies/eqipment for the Emergency Department Maintains a record of prchase orders received and pending. Page 4 of 8

5 Monitors expired eqipment/spplies and retrns to spplier. WORKING CONDITIONS Physical Demands Between 25% and 50% of the incmbents day will be spent lifting, moving and spporting patients. Lifting of and physical spport of patients within Emergency Unit may be done on an individal basis or as a grop. In addition, the incmbent will be reqired to bend and stand in awkward position while performing patient assessment or care. in addition, sometimes the high patient censs and fast paced natre of the Emergency Unit the AN, Emergency will spend significant amonts of time walking or rshing from room to room in order to provide patient care which may case sbstantial levels of fatige and physical distress. Environmental Conditions Dring their shift (100% of time) an incmbent will have significant levels of exposre to commnicable diseases, blood (i.e. patients who have recently experienced severe trama and are often bleeding or draining flids which reqire continal cleaning and re-dressing) and body flid, hazardos materials (sharps, toxic cleaning and sterilizing soltions) that can reslt in significant health risks to the incmbent. Sensory Demands The incmbent will be reqired to se the combined senses of toch, sight, smell and hearing dring on-going triage assessment and continos observation of patients within the Emergency Unit. Triaging patients is a critical fnction of the RN, Emergency reqiring the incmbent to make assessments not only based on what they are being told by the patient bt also based on what they see, hear or sense from the patient. Appropriate assessment of patients cold easily be the difference between life and death. Mental Demands The incmbent may be exposed to death/dying and other emotionally distrbing experiences. The RN, Emergency is expected to remain calm, controlled and professional, regardless of the sitation, and demonstrate compassionate care to the client. Family and other members of the health care team. In addition, within the health care setting there can be significant lack of control over the work pace, with freqent interrptions that may lead to mental fatige or stress. The RN, Emergency is reqired to be motivated and innovative in the area of contining edcation and practice to encorage the professional growth of self and others. Page 5 of 8

6 The Emergency Unit is often the most volatile nrsing nit with the hospital with very absive patients, patients nder the effects of alcohol or drgs, or experiencing mental health crises, and RCMP escorts. RNs, Emergency are sometimes kicked, pshed, grabbed or verbally assalted. There is a very real concern for safety and wellbeing which may case extreme levels of stress on the incmbent both dring and after working hors. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES The RN, Emergency mst have advanced knowledge of and an ability to apply nrsing processes (assessment, planning, implementation and evalation) and crrent nrsing practice to ensre that the all patients' physical, emotional, psycho-social, spirital, edcational and dally living needs are met. As the IRH specialist in Emergency the RN, Emergency mst be able to provide training, advice and assessment sing specialized eqipment, medications, tools and techniqes (inclding bt not limited to EKG, Emergency Drgs, Defibrillator, temporary pacemakers, flid warmer, bair hgger, etc.). An ability to edcate patients and their families (where applicable) on appropriate selfcare methods and techniqes. Advanced knowledge of advanced biological, physical and behavioral sciences in order to recognize, interpret and prioritize findings and determine and implement a plan of action based on accepted standards of practice. Knowledge of and an ability to network resorces within and otside the IRH (i.e. Social Services, Pblic Health, medevac teams etc.) in order to ensre spport of patients and their families. An ability to operate desktop compter in order to send and receive electronic mail and condct research over the internet. An ability to operate and/or se standard medical eqipment (sch as bt not limited toecg, peripheral IV pmps and lines, stretchers, thermometers, NG tbes, viral signs monitors, sphygmomanometer, blood glcose monitors, sction tbes, sharps, plse oximeter, etc.) Typically, the above qalifications wold be attained by. This level of knowledge is commonly acqired throgh the sccessfl completion of a Nrsing Degree and 1 year recent critical care experience in a fast paced work environment. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS Within the NTHSSA Beafort Region all Registered Nrses mst be registered with the Registered Nrses Association of the Northwest Territories and Nnavt and mst be able to acqire within a reasonable time frame and remain crrent with the following mandatory certifications: Non-Violent Crisis intervention, (RASP). Blood Glcose Monitoring WHMIS. Page 6 of 8

7 Internet and applications. Fire training. Certification in basic CPR. In addition, the RN, Emergency mst be able to acqire within a reasonable time frame and remain crrent with the following training and/or certification. Emergency drgs. IV Therapy. Immnizations. Electrical Defibrillation. Cardiac Monitoring. EKG interpretation. Hemodynamic Monitoring. Temporary pacemakers Desirable training and/or certifications inclde. PALS. NAP. ACLS. Canadian Nrsing Association Certifications. TNCC Position Secrity (check one) No criminal records check reqired Position of Trst criminal records check reqired Highly sensitive position reqires verification of identity and a criminal records check French langage (check one if applicable) French reqired (mst identify reqired level below) Level reqired for this Designated Position is: ORAL EXPRESSION AND COMPREHENSION Basic (B) Intermediate (I) Advanced (A) READING COMPREHENSION: Basic (B) Intermediate (I) Advanced (A) WRITING SKILLS: Basic (B) Intermediate (I) Advanced (A) French preferred Aboriginal langage: To choose a langage, click here. Reqired Preferred Page 7 of 8