Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Registered Nurse is a skilled health care professional who coordinates and implements a variety of medical back office duties and procedures. The Registered Nurse is the first line of support for the practitioner staff and performs nursing duties such as providing nursing triage, practitioner assistance, sample collection, patient follow-up, medication administration, collaboration, patient education, and emergency response. Under the direction of the Medical Director, this position is responsible for the professional and efficient daily operation of the medical clinic’s back office and assures that county, state, and federal medical office mandates are implemented in collaboration with the providers and staff.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Perform Routine Back Office Medical Procedures

• Serve as triage nurse seeking assistance from other staff when required; evaluate the needs of the students presenting as emergencies, walk-ins, or on the telephone and provide follow-up as needed
• Provide first aid and evaluate routine episodic problems not needing physician or physician assistant attention, seeking medical input as needed
• Instruct and prepare patients for examination and diagnostic procedures
• Assist in examination and special procedures, including minor surgery, orthopedic applications, centrifuging, autoclaving, and other special studies/tasks
• Perform nursing duties to include procedures such as phlebotomy, injections, ear lavage, bandaging, splinting, etc.
• Assure reliance of in-house test procedures and adequate handling/processing of lab specimens to be sent to outside lab
• Manage dispensary, including ordering, stocking, monitoring expiration dates, and reconciling cost factors of all medications; responsible for properly disposing of expired drugs and researching new product availability and pricing; advises front office of any and all changes in products, costs, etc.
• Delivers pre-packaged, labeled, and properly identified medications to patients on a patient-specific order and reviews dosage, side effects, etc.
• Tracks and advises patients of lab/study results after the appropriate medical practitioner approval and advice
• Works with other back office employees such as MA’s and other part-time RN’s and assists in recruitment of nurses and other back office personnel as requested by Medical Director, Clinic Director, or other staff members
• Responsible for specific tasks and messages in the EHR and for team member not working for that day(s)

Facilitate Proper Maintenance of Back Office Medical Clinic

• Maintain biohazard waste material consistent with state and federal regulations
• Confirm the exam rooms are well-stocked and equipment is functional
• Conduct annual calibration of back office equipment performed by outside vendors
• Responsible for complete listing and updating of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all hazardous chemicals in the back office and oversees the biohazardous chemical/waste

Provide Health Education and Implement Health-Related Programs

• Explain procedures, medications, and other medical-related matters to students; provide for health education to students; arrange for individualized health education as needed
• Participate and oversee various health promotion outreach programs, as resources allow, to students, and serve as an educator on various health initiatives with an emphasis on college health
• Provide health education and appropriate immunizations and prophylaxis for the travel medicine program
• Maintain accurate and updated EHR patient education handouts
• Works with other SHC staff to plan and facilitate vaccine clinics.
• Act as a member of Eating Disorder Team, providing nursing for patients and reporting immediately at-risk patients

Other Duties as Assigned

• Assist back office personnel in adhering to policies and procedures; and maintain government regulations in maintenance of back office laboratory and machinery
• Maintain employee immunization records, including annual update of immunizations
• Attend a variety of professional meetings as a representative of the Student Health Center; maintain current knowledge of nursing best practices
• Serve as a member of campus committees as designated
• Maintain University credit card receipts when making purchases, e.g., patient nourishment, dry cleaning of lab coats, etc.
• Maintain nursing licensure and assure CLIA status for lab
• Assist Clinic Director and Risk Management in the ongoing process of preparing the University for various emergency scenarios; serve on the Residential Emergency Response Team (RERT) and SHC Emergency Response Team, and if safe to do so and necessary, provide assistance overnight

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Working knowledge of Electronic Health Records (EHR) system and its functionality
• Nursing and case management theory and practice including nursing protocols, medical procedures, patient history, and charting procedures
• Effectively communicate technical, medical information into an understandable format for patient care
• Organize and coordinate patient load with emphasis on efficiency, decreasing patient wait time while maintaining excellent patient care
• Exercise cultural competency and respectful consideration in a student population representing diverse cultures
• Maintain professionalism, good judgment sense, and confidentiality
• Ability to interact with a variety of people both in-person and on the telephone, especially in regard to ill or injured students, their parents, faculty, and staff
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Excellent organization and time management skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced setting with multiple demands that often occur at the same time
• Understand and follow guidelines of HIPAA policy for patient confidentiality
• Perform all of the above with a sense of compassion toward students and coworkers in concurrence with the University, Student Affairs, and Student Health Center missions

Work Habits

• Shall maintain a clean, neat, and professional appearance at all times in accordance with Pepperdine’s mission and image
• Observes appropriate conduct standards; maintain attendance and punctuality
• Shall notify the Medical Director of any policy and procedural problems, scheduling difficulties, employee matters, or state or federal standards problems
• All work produced shall be neat and professional in quality
• Shall be conscientious in performance of all job duties
• Work as a team member and foster a cooperative work environment
• Shall deal with stressful situations in a calm manner
• Appropriately delegate tasks; encourage employees to speak with their manager when appropriate
• Comply with all policies and procedures of the Student Health Center, Pepperdine University, and state and federal professional legal requirements

Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a clinic environment: (1) Actions: frequent use of keyboard, frequent sitting for long periods of time, occasional bending or squatting; (2) Lifting: frequently up to 10 pounds, occasionally up to 25 pounds; (3) Vision: constant use of overall vision, frequent reading and close-up work, occasional color and depth vision; (4) Dexterity: frequent repetitive motion, frequent writing; frequent grasping, holding, and reaching; (5) Hearing/Talking: frequent hearing and talking, in-person and on the phone; (6) Emotional/Psychological: frequent decision-making and concentration, frequent public and/or coworker contact, occasional working alone; (7) Environmental: frequent exposure to noise

Faith

• Personal faith in Jesus Christ; active involvement in a local church; demonstrated support for the Christian mission of the University

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Preferred Experience

• 5 years of clinical nursing experience

Education

• Academic degree in nursing (bachelor's or master’s degree)
• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing

License, Certification, Registration

• Valid California Board of Registered Nursing license
• AHA Basic Life Support (BLS) certificate
• Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) certification, preferred

Pepperdine University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate in employment practices on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, disability, or prior military service. Federal guidelines recognize the right of church-related institutions to seek personnel who will support the goals of the institution, including the right to select members of the church to which the institution is related.