RN Wound Care at Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority – Cherokee, North Carolina

Job Title: RN Wound Care

Job Code: RN WC

Department: Tsali Care

Division: Tsali Care

Salary Level: Non-Exempt 13

Reports to: Director of Nursing

Last Revised: September 2024

Primary Function

The Wound Care Nurse works under the direction of the Director of Nursing to promote the prevention of pressure injury development and to ensure existing wounds are treated appropriately.

Job Description

• Assists with assessing and differentiating pressure injuries from other skin injuries- e.g. skin tears, moisture associated skin (MASD), venous ulcers, etc.
• Assists with the prevention of pressure ulcer/injury development through teammate education, residents’ rounds, audits, and other means.
• Completes weekly documentation on wounds according to professional standards.
• Provides families and responsible persons with weekly wound updates.
• Rounds with wound physician weekly, assists with comprehensive wound rounds in his/her absence.
• Promotes the healing of existing pressure ulcers/injuries, including prevention of infection to the extent possible.
• Evaluates each existing and potential risk factor for developing a pressure injury and assist with implementing the plan of care.
• Assists with wound assessments and applies dressings correctly while adhering to professional standards of care.
• Monitors effectiveness of wound care treatments and consults with physician to make changes to the plan of care as necessary to promote healing/improvement.
• Evaluates effectiveness of pressure ulcer status communication across shifts and develops possible solutions for lapses in communication.
• Coordinates ongoing teammate education regarding skin injury prevention and healing for new and continuing employees on a regular basis.
• Prepares monthly skin/wound report and participates in facility Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Committee.
• Participates in weekly trek and care plan meetings for residents with wound concerns.
• Participates in educational programs and completes in-service as required.
• Reflects TCC’s mission, vision, values, and customer service standards in daily interactions.
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Experience/Minimum Qualifications

• One-year experience in long term care preferred.
  • Licensed nurse in the state of NC.
  • Certified in wound care preferred.

Job Knowledge

• Must have a thorough knowledge of the policies, procedures and guidelines of the Tsali Care Center, standard nursing practices, applicable OSHA mandates, and related regulatory controls.
• Requires the ability to perform various primary care, acute care, and preventative nursing services.
• Must be skilled in the use of all assigned clinical and lab equipment and knowledgeable of sterile and aseptic techniques.
• Requires the ability to legibly document and maintain clinical records, files, reports, and logs.
• Must maintain specified certifications
• Must have good communication skills, both written and oral.
• Must understand the EBCI culture, lifestyles and risk factors.
• Six to nine months would be necessary to become proficient in most phases of the position.

Complexity of Duties

Must be able to make independent decisions about patient needs while following well defined policies, procedures, and established guidelines. Requires the ability to plan, coordinate activities, solve problems, assess situations, and develop appropriate resident case management. Must use judgment and initiative to maintain accuracy of work. Must be resourceful when responding to changing circumstances. Requires the ability to recognize unusual or difficult nursing care problems and utilize problem-solving skills to suggest constructive changes.

Contact with Others

Has frequent contact with residents, families, coworkers, and other health professionals where tact, courtesy, and diplomacy are required to maintain positive relationships. Requires sensitivity to others while dealing with residents and their families who may be under stress while dealing with issues of disease, old age, and poor health. Purpose of contacts is to exchange information, offer instructions, and work together to meet the residents’ goals.

Confidential Data

Must adhere to all tribal guidelines, EBCI policies and procedures for working with confidential data. An above average degree of discretion is required while handling patient and related medical information.

Mental /Visual /Physical

Job duties can be mentally/emotionally stressful at times. Close mental concentration and attention to detail are required for most nursing procedures that can be for short or extended periods of times. Physical activities require the ability to walk, sit, reach, extensive bending, and heavy lifting while assisting residents to walk or turn, and when transferring patients. Must have visual acuity, manual dexterity, and the ability to speak and hear

Environment

Works in Tsali Care Center and may be exposed to biohazards, disease, etc., which require strict adherence to OSHA guidelines and protocol for aseptic technique. When outside of Tsali Care on business, there could be exposure to inclement weather and a wide range of temperatures.

Supervision Received

Performs nursing procedures in the rooms of Tsali Care Residents, notifying other nurses if assistance is needed in an emergency situation. Reports directly to the Director of Nursing who reviews documentation to ensure all forms are legible, complete, and submitted in a timely manner.

Responsibility for Accuracy

Requires a high degree of accuracy in nursing and lab procedures. Undetected errors could have minimal or life-threatening results. Requires a high degree of accuracy of documentation of nursing assessments, so that this may be reported to the patient's physician in order to establish an appropriate plan of care and minimize the risk of injury to the patient. The submission of false or inaccurate information would place the agency at risk for fraudulent claims, resulting in loss of agency certification, and the nurse's license would be in jeopardy.

Customer Service

Consistently demonstrates superior customer service skills to patients/customers by demonstrating characteristics that align with CIHA’s guiding principles and core values. Ensure excellent customer service is provided to all patients/customers by seeking out opportunities to be of service.