Nurse Practitioner - Registered Nurse (Extended Practice)

POSITION SUMMARY

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Under the general direction of the Emergency CTM, as part of the multidisciplinary team working in Community, LTC or Acute Care, the Nurse Practitioner applies advanced nursing and medical theory to the provision of clinical care, autonomously ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescribing medications, and performing minor invasive procedures.

The Nurse Practitioner recognizes and fulfills their professional responsibilities by practicing in a manner consistent with professional obligations to take actions as per the Canadian Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses Act - Extended Practice Regulation, Standards of Practice for Registered Nurses on the Extended Practice Register, Competencies for the Registered Nurse (Extended Practice and other Provincial and Federal legislation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Overview:

Assessment, diagnosis, and treatment

• Assess, diagnose, manage, and evaluate health/illness concerns within the context of client/resident experiences and the determinants of health.
• Perform advanced comprehensive and focused health assessments.
• Synthesizes health assessment information and uses critical thinking and decision making to identify health concerns and risks, normal and abnormal states of health and formulate differential diagnoses.
• Orders appropriate screening and diagnostic investigation and interprets reports of these investigations based on sound clinical reasoning, scientific evidence and critical thinking consistent with professional practice standards and Prairie Mountain Health policies.
• Consults with specialists for clarification of diagnostic interpretation when necessary
• Communicate with clients/residents about health findings, discuss outcomes and prognosis.
• Determines and prescribes treatments based on theory and evidence based practice for the specific client population and assists patients/residents/clients to incorporate treatment plan into their daily lives
• Continually monitor, with client/resident, response to chosen treatment plan and make adjustments as indicated
• Uses sound clinical reasoning skills and established outcome criteria to evaluate initial and ongoing outcomes of the plan of care.
• Consults, refers, and revises plan of care based on findings of evaluation
• Carry out advanced therapeutic interventions, such as minor surgical and invasive procedures, essential for clinical management.
• Applies principles of harm reduction

Consultation and collaborative practice

• Collaborates with patients/residents/clients and, where applicable their families and other members of the health care team to share decision making and set priorities for the management of diseases, disorders or conditions
• Communicate with the other members of the health care team to ensure coordinated, comprehensive, and holistic services are provided to the client/resident.
• Act as a clinical expert/resource to establish, maintain, and empower client/resident care delivery.
• Demonstrate and practice expert skill in formal and informal consultation and collaboration with all disciplines, health care professionals, and clients/residents and their families.
• Model and promote collaborative practice among all team members.
• Model client-centered care with a strong emphasis on an inter-disciplinary team approach, maximizing each discipline’s scope of practice in the delivery of holistic care.
• Refer clients to appropriate programs and services as needed.
• Participate and/or facilitate team and client care planning as appropriate
• Demonstrates effective group facilitation skills
• Apply accepted theories of family dynamics, interactions, and role expectations while managing the care of individuals and families.

Prescribing medications

• Apply principles of pharmacology in selecting and prescribing drugs as part of the treatment plan.
• Monitor and discuss with client/resident their response and adherence to drug therapy and make changes as necessary to achieve desired effect.
• Apply health teaching principles when prescribing, educating, and supporting client/resident in recommended drug use.

Injury/illness prevention

• Utilize a population health and community development approach in planning, developing, and implementing health promotion, illness prevention, and health management strategies/programs.
• Collaborates with clients, interdisciplinary teams, and community members in assessing health promotion and illness prevention needs of clients, families and community outcomes.
• Provide counselling and education to clients/residents and their families
• Determine the need for health promotion, primary and secondary prevention strategies for individuals, families and groups, and implement same
• Provide expertise in the promotion of wellness.
• Focus on preventing the onset of disease and/or disability, minimizing complications, maintaining optimal physical and emotional functioning, and promoting self-determination/management by the individual client.
• Conduct risk assessments related to the prevention of injury and/or disability and develop appropriate health plans to reduce/prevent risk, in collaboration with the client and other service providers.

Professional responsibilities/accountability

• Document clinical care in a timely, accurate, and relevant manner in accordance with Prairie Mountain Health documentation practices and policies.
• Complete statistical data and reports as required.
• Demonstrate cultural competence, making resources available to those from diverse backgrounds.
• Recognizes the ethical issues inherent in the delivery of health care and facilitates client decision making about their health.
• Participate in and contribute to research relevant to practice
• Participates in strategic planning to support the implementation and evaluation of advanced practice nursing in area of specialty
• Utilize research findings in clinical practice.
• Provide clinical supervision, education, and mentoring for graduate nursing students and other health care professionals.
• Explain and promote the role of the nurse practitioner to clients/residents, the public, and other health care professionals.
• Develop and implement an education plan to maintain clinical competency.
• Commit to professional self-development on an ongoing basis through continuing education programs, literature/journal reviews, lectures, conferences, and/or committee work.
• Propose, maintain, and update policies and procedures relevant to this position in consultation with Manager.
• Demonstrates leadership skills, expertise, and in depth knowledge bases consistent with advanced nursing practice
• Other duties as assigned