Care Manager

Job Summary

Accountable for the patient's holistic plan of care in collaboration with other members of the health care team. Provides ongoing leadership, support and guidance to all nursing staff. Presents a positive image and attitude to staff, patients and visitors. Utilizes the nursing process to promote and restore patient's health status; provides physical and psychological support to patients and families; and supervising assigned team members. Identifies patient needs using the nursing process across the continuum of care. Uses a systematic critical-thinking approach to guides data gathering, assessment, nursing judgement, intervention and evaluation of human responses to actual and potential health problems through activities such as health teaching and the provision of care, supportive and restorative care and or support of a peaceful death. All responsibilities are carried out in accordance with the mission, vision, strategic imperatives and standards of Lexington Medical Center (LMC), American Nurses Association Standards, and in accordance with the provisions/statues set forth by the South Carolina Nurse Practice Act.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Education: Bachelors of Science in Nursing
Minimum Years of Experience: 2 Years of experience in areas of  specialty within the past 5 years
Substitutable Education & Experience (Optional): Consideration  will be given to candidates with an ADN or Diploma nursing degree who are  presently enrolled in a RN to BS in Nursing or RN to MS in nursing program with  the expectation that the degree be completed within 12 months of hire/promotion  into the Care Manager role
Required Certifications/Licensure: Current RN license to practice in the State of  South Carolina;

National nursing certification in specialty or must be obtained within six months of hire/promotion into role.
Required Training: Completes yearly safety training and other mandatory classes;

Earns a minimum of 20 hours of continuing education annually within specialty;

Efficient conflict resolution and problem solving skills.
 

Essential Functions

• Nursing care reflects an integration of knowledge, skills, experience and attitudes needed to meet the needs of patients and families. Thus, the continuums of RN characteristics are derived from patient needs and are demonstrated by proficiency in the following:
  • Clinical Judgment – Synthesizes and interprets multiple, sometimes conflicting, sources of data; makes judgment based on an immediate grasp of the whole picture, unless working with new patient populations; uses past experiences to anticipate problems; helps patient and family see the “big picture”; recognizes the limits of clinical judgment and seeks multi-disciplinary collaboration and consultation with others; recognizes and responds to the dynamic situation.
  • Advocacy and Moral Agency – Works on behalf of patient, family and community; advocates from patient/family perspective, whether similar to or different from personal values; advocates ethical conflict and issues from patient/family perspective; suspends rules – patient and family drive moral decision-making; empowers the patient and family to speak for/represent themselves; achieves mutuality within patient/professional relationships.
  • Caring Practices – Has astute awareness and anticipates patient and family changes and needs; fully engaged with and sensing how to stand alongside the patient, family, and community; caring practices follow the patient and family lead; anticipates hazards and avoids them, and promotes safety throughout patient's and family's transitions along the healthcare continuum; orchestrates the process that ensures patient's/family's comfort and concerns surrounding issues of death and dying are met. 
  • Collaboration – Seeks opportunities to teach, coach, and mentor and to be taught, coached and mentored; facilitates active involvement and complementary contributions of others in team meetings and discussions regarding patient care and/or practice issues; involves/recruits diverse resources when appropriate to optimize patient outcomes.
  • Systems thinking – Develops, integrates, and applies a variety of strategies that are driven by the needs and strengths of the patient/family; global or holistic outlook -sees the whole rather than the pieces; knows when and how to negotiate and navigate through the system on behalf of patients and families; anticipates needs of patients and families as they move through the healthcare system; utilizes untapped and alternative resources as necessary.
  • Response to Diversity – Responds to, anticipates, and integrates cultural differences into patient / family care; appreciates and incorporates differences, including alternative therapies, into care; tailors healthcare culture, to the extent possible, to meet the diverse needs and strengths of the patient.
  • Facilitation of Learning – Creatively modifies or develops patient/family education programs; integrates patient/family education throughout delivery of \ care; evaluates patient's understanding by observing behavior changes related to learning; is able to collaborate and incorporate all healthcare providers' and educational plans into the patient/family educational program; sets patient-driven goals for education; sees patient/family as having choices and consequences that are negotiated in relation to education.
  • Clinical Inquiry – Improves, deviates from, or individualizes standards and guidelines for particular patient situations or populations; questions and/or evaluates current practice based on patients' responses, review of the literature, research and education/learning; acquires knowledge and skills 

Duties & Responsibilities

• Seeks learning opportunities to teach, coach, and mentor and to be taught, coached and mentored.
• Collects data, understands algorithms, considers decision trees, and follows protocols.
• May develop, integrate, and apply a variety of strategies that are driven by the needs and strengths of the patient/family.
• Follows planned educational programs and sees patient/family education as a separate task from delivery of care. Provides data without seeking to assess patient's readiness or understanding. May adapt, modify, or develop these programs to improve the delivery of the content and improve reach.
• Works on behalf of patient, family and community; advocates from patient/family perspective.
• Follows standards and guidelines. Implements clinical changes and research-based practices.
• May improve, deviate from, or individualize standards and guidelines for particular patient situations or populations. This could include questioning and/or evaluating current practice based on patients' responses.
• Looks to acquires knowledge and skills needed to address questions arising in practice and improve patient care.
• Ensure Hazardous Waste or Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals are discarded, stored, and managed with other compatible waste streams in containers that are properly labeled and closed prior to being shipped offsite for proper disposal.  Initial RCRA training is received within 6 months of the hire date and continuing with annual RCRA training.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.