Junior Sister / Charge Nurse ICCU

Job responsibilities

Title: Junior Sister/Charge Nurse

Grade: Nursing & Midwifery Band 6

Location: Intensive Care Unit

Professionally Matron

Accountable:

Reports to: Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

Job Purpose:

• To ensure the maintenance of a high standard of nursing care at all times through the effective management of staff and resources and to be available for advice and support within the specialty.

• Provide effective leadership and to act as a good role model, as well as to liaise with all members of the multi-disciplinary team and co-ordinate all aspects of care in the best interests of the patient and family.

• To supervise junior staff and to teach qualified and unqualified staff as appropriate.

• To liaise with person carrying overall responsibility for the Unit.

Dimensions

Regularly manage/support a shift demonstrating team leadership skills and sound clinical judgement.

Supervise 6 12 plus trained and untrained staff per shift within an 8 -15 bedded Intensive Care Unit.

The post holder supports, within a delegated group of staff, preceptorship duties/clinical supervision.

Key Relationships

General management, Senior and junior medical and nursing staff, ward clerks, facilities staff and other health care professionals, specialty regional network team/units, social workers, other care providers, patients and their relatives, volunteers.

Risk Assessment:

The post involves manual handling activities and exposure to body fluids, chemicals and x-rays. May involve some VDU work and individuals may be/are exposed to violence and aggression.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Professional/Clinical Leadership

Establish and maintain communication with people about routine and daily activities, overcoming any differences in communication between the people involved.

Assess, develop, implement and evaluate programme of care. To actively participate in team nursing and the development of nursing responsibilities for individual patients.

• To discuss with the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron regarding development and changes both nursing and medical, which affect patients directly and indirectly.

• To take appropriate action to ensure the safety of patients, including the delegation of patient care to nurses with the appropriate level of skill at all times. To report any accidents/incidents to the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron.

• To actively participate in the nursing process in the best interest of the patient.

• To ensure that acceptable standards of patient care are maintained and, where necessary, instigate changes in agreement with Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron.

• Lead others in the development of knowledge, ideas and work practice.

1. Staff Development

• Develop own knowledge and skills and contribute to the development of others.

Supervise the training of qualified and unqualified staff in accordance to their level of competence, and assist junior staff to develop clinical and managerial skills.

To Act as a mentor for junior staff, to participate in teaching for all learners in accordance with their objectives, working closely with the Clinical Facilitators. To provide support and supervision of learner nurses. To participate in teaching programmes.

Maintain a wide knowledge of current practice and issues within the speciality by reading relevant journals and attending study days where appropriate. Promoting the implementation and teaching of research based practice.

• To attend mandatory training days.

• To assist/organise and provide training programmes in accordance with the identified needs for the department.

3. CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

• Promote best practice in health, safety and security.

• Contribute to quality improvement.

• Promote peoples equality, diversity and rights.

• Participate in personal and departmental clinical audit.

• To ensure that nursing procedures are implemented and maintained in accordance with the policies of the Trust.

4. MANAGEMENT

Promote effective communication with ward/departmental staff and multidisciplinary teams.

To effectively manage the Unit/department in the absence of the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron.

Assist in the preparation of the duty rota for staff trained and untrained within the Unit establishment. To provide effective and well balanced staff cover to meet the requirements of the service and to ensure the presence of a suitably qualified and experienced nurse at all times.

Contribute to the implementation of service developments.

Plan, allocate, assess and provide feedback to team members.

Maintain and support the efficient use of physical and/or financial resources.

To collect information for and participate in studies to determine patient dependency and quality assurance

To take all measures to ensure safety and report all accidents/incidents to the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron and to monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies.

Maintain accurate records at all times, ensuring appropriate reporting mechanisms are used.

Be conversant with Trust and other policies, procedures and mechanisms in

Place

To work in accordance with government initiatives to ensure targets set are achieved.

5. PROFESSIONAL

To maintain a professional attitude at all times developing the role of the nurse in the best interest of the patient and profession in accordance with Nursing & Midwifery Council.

To be aware of personal and professional development. To attend courses and conferences as recommended and approved by the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron.

To be conversant and comply with the Trust policies and regulations and attend mandatory lectures as instructed.

Participate in research projects where appropriate, report findings within a multidisciplinary framework.

Implement research where appropriate.

6. PERSONNEL

To participate in the selection and interviewing of nursing staff within the ward/department.

Participate in devising induction programmes for newly appointed staff.

To assist the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron in monitoring staff performance.

Participate in staff appraisal and writing of reports.

To assist in the maintenance of day to day discipline within the department.

To inform the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse/Matron of staff failing to meet the required standard of performance, and taking appropriate action where required.

To counsel staff in relation to personnel and professional matters.

7. Local Ward/Department Variation to Core Job Descriptions

The post holder will be designated to take charge of the Unit in the absence of the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.

To enable the post holder to contribute the continuity of effective communications, good team spirit and the concept of 24 hour responsibility. Internal rotation between day and night duty will be an integral part of the role.

The post holder will have the opportunity to apply for rotational and secondment opportunities within the directorate/specialty.

The post holder will contribute, once agreed and developed, to support the Advanced Nurse Practice programme within the directorate/specialty.

The post holder will be fully aware of the principles of cross infection.

The above duties and responsibilities are intended to represent current priorities and are not meant to be a conclusive list as the role will inevitably vary and develop over time. The post-holder may, from time to time, be asked to undertake other reasonable duties. Any changes will be made in discussion with the post-holder in the light of service needs.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse.
• Diploma/Critical Care Modules at Level 5/6/7.
• Teaching & Assessing qualification.
• Experience in ICU at Senior Staff Nurse level.

Desirable

• Educated to Degree level or working towards.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrate experience at haemodialysis/filtration.
• Conversant with haemodynamic monitoring.
• Shift management experience.
• Sound communicator.

Desirable

• Clinical audit activity.
• Risk assessment/reporting.
• Staff appraisals and PDR formation.
• Awareness of sickness absence/
• monitoring.
• Complaints handling.
• Using Care standards.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Evidence of being up to date with current NHS/professional issues.
• Experience and knowledge within the speciality or related field.
• Clinical credibility.
• Evidence of teaching and development skills.
• Leadership skills and ability to inspire and motivate others.
• Awareness of health and safety issues and management of them.
• Able to prioritise workload.
• Fully aware of principles of infection control.
• Fully aware of the principles of clinical governance and the application of clinical governance.
• Computer literate as appropriate to the post.
• Promote peoples equality, diversity and rights.

Desirable

• Paediatric experience.
• Demonstrates ability to advance nursing skills.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Good communication skills.
• Assertive, enthusiastic, dynamic.
• Demonstrate initiative, motivation and ability to put things into practice.

Other Job requirements

Essential

• Demonstrates team leadership skills.
• Demonstrates research-based approach to practice.
• Able to extend role.
• Internal rotation.
• Able to deputise in the absence of Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.

Desirable

• Willing to rotate/second within the specialty.
• Willing to participate in the Senior Nurse site rota cover for supportive experience for role.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).