Provides professional nursing care; provides leadership for specific program areas and unit functions such as developing education programs, acting as clinical resource for staff, and coordinating daily operations; assists the Nurse Manager in developing, maintaining, and evaluating the on-going operations of a clinical area.

Under general direction, provides patient care and coordination of services through assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation of safe, therapeutic care; performs leadership functions related to clinical practice, education and management such as developing unit goals, orientation programs, and standards of care.  Positions in this class typically:

1)    Supervise or assist in the direction of Registered Nurses and/or nursing service personnel and have responsibility on a 24-hour basis for a clinic, hospital or infirmary; or,

2)    Perform specialized nursing tasks such as: in-service instruction, hospital quality assurance and utilization review, or infection control for a facility; or,

3)    Serve as relief for the 24-hour supervisors and have responsibility for several charge nurses; or,

4)    Have responsibility for all nursing services on a 24-hour basis which may include managing the medical budget in a youth camp which is isolated from private medical service providers; or, responsibility for all nursing services on a 24-hour, seven-day week basis at an adult correctional facility, including management of contracts with local health care providers, administration of medical records, and coordination of the health care program between the facility.

Supervises Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, hospital attendants and/or other staff including interviewing and recommending selection of applicants, training employees, acting upon leave requests, conducting annual performance evaluations and recommending disciplinary action;

Develops unit nursing care policies and procedures in conjunction with other unit supervisors;

Serves as a team leader on a multidisciplinary team for the development of an overall treatment program for a group of patients as well as being nursing supervisor for a unit (ward);

Participates in the development and review of individual habilitation plans for residents of a developmental disabilities residential facility;

Participates in the development of in-service education for the unit; teaches new employees nursing techniques and policies;

Participates in development, implementation and maintenance of the quality assurance program; performs various review functions; prepares studies and other reports relative to quality assurance and utilization review;

Participates in establishing, implementing and evaluating unit goals; provides input into the development and implementation of the budget;

Admits new patients; makes nursing assessments of the physical and mental condition of patients; refers patients that require immediate attention to a physician; confers with the patient's family by telephone, in writing and in person concerning the conditions of the patient, the patient's needs, and home treatment programs;

Serves as a role model for staff by demonstrating and documenting for assigned patients completion of: assessment and nursing diagnosis of patients; care planning; implementation of safe nursing care; evaluation of patient responses to nursing care; patient teaching; patient advocacy; admission, transfer and discharge processes;

Acts as a preceptor for new or experienced employees by assessing learning needs, developing, implementing, and monitoring learning plans and evaluating the learner's progress;

Identifies patient care, staff, and resource problems and takes necessary steps toward problem resolution;

Serves as the unit charge nurse;

Participates on unit, departmental and hospital committees;

Requisitions necessary equipment for the unit; establishes and maintains security measures for drugs and other supplies to prevent loss or theft;

Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge of: supervisory and teaching techniques; professional nursing principles and techniques; theory, science and treatment techniques in a particular specialty area of practice such as mental health nursing, infection control, emergency response, etc.; community resources; symptoms or reactions to commonly administered medications.

Ability to: use nursing principles, judgment and knowledge; coordinate and provide professional nursing services; work effectively with others; assume responsibility for professional growth and development; supervise, administer and teach; work as a team member; communicate effectively with others.

A valid Washington State license to practice as a registered, professional nurse.

Persons legally authorized to work in the U.S. under federal law, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, are eligible for employment unless prohibited by other state or federal law.

Graduation from an accredited school of professional nursing

AND

two years of professional nursing experience.

OR

Equivalent education/experience.