LPN

Job Summary:
The Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) functions under the supervision and guidance of the Director of Nursing and Clinical Care Liaison and participates in the multi-disciplinary process of providing care and treatment to patients and provides clinical support and technical assistance to the professional medical and other staff. The LPN is responsible for functioning within the scope of practice dictated by the authority of the Mississippi Board of Nursing (MSBON). Position requires excellent customer service skills with patients, and their families, other staff, physicians, vendors, and the public.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:
This is the entry level class in the Licensed Practical Nurse series. This class is distinguished from the Licensed Practical Nurse II by the performance of the more routine tasks and duties assigned to positions within this series. Employees at this level are not expected to perform with the same independence of direction and judgment on matters related to established procedures and guidelines as are positions allocated to Level II.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Licensed practical nursing and related policies, procedures, trends and developments.
• Laws, rules and regulations governing the treatment and care of patients and the scope of responsibility of the provider.
• Patient care, assessment, and treatments.
• Equipment and technology as it relates to field.
• Current knowledge of trends, research and developments within nursing and related field.
• Skills in communication and interpersonal techniques.
• Ability to perform various therapies and procedures and operate equipment.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team and independently.

Knowledge of the 6 rights:

• Right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers.
• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service.
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist medical provider with patient office visits: including, scheduling appointments, patient referrals, putting patients in rooms, interviewing patients, recording vital signs including pulse rate, blood pressure, height and weight, and enter information in patient’s electronic medical record.
• In consultation with the provider and nursing staff, teach, promote, and inform patients and their families on illness management such as how to manage symptoms of chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.).
• Perform select clinical tests including urinalysis, phlebotomy, urine culture and sensitivity, pregnancy tests, blood glucose monitoring, etc.
• Utilize population health systems such as Athena and Aledade to export documentation required for Huddle Sessions, medication reconciliation, and appointment follow-up for patients.
• Perform routine equipment inspection, cleaning, calibration, quality assurance, and coordinate any maintenance or repairs.
• Administer, topical, oral or injectable medications, and document medication under physician’s order and follow the six (6) medication rights and reduce the potential for medical error.
• Set up proper equipment for specific office-based procedures.
• Assist providers with office-based procedures.
• Dispose of biohazard waste according to OSHA standards.
• Sterilize, package, and autoclave instruments, using proper sterilization protocols.
• Label and process patient specimens as needed, including tracking specimens in appropriate logs.
• Organize exam rooms, including general cleaning, upkeep, and re-stocking of supplies.
• Field patient telephone calls and respond accordingly.
• Develop relationships across broad organizational lines and where innovative and unstructured situations arise. Relationships usually involve combined skills in communicating, understanding and flexibility with workflows.
• Refer to other team members such as case management, QI/QA team, etc.
• Responsible for clinical box messages and timely response to patient requests.
• In consultation with the provider and nursing staff, teach, promote, and inform patients and their families on illness management such as how to manage symptoms of chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.)
• Change dressings, applying bandages, removing sutures and other first aid procedures.
• Appropriately dispense vaccinations through AccuShelf.
• Maintain clinical lab books through recording daily lab procedures conducted, obtaining and tracking lab reports.
• Demonstrate appropriate hand washing technique to ensure proper infection control and follow universal precautions.
• Perform all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.
• Administer immunizations for influenza, tetanus, childhood immunizations, etc. & eye and hearing tests for school physicals.
• Perform other necessary duties as required by the Community Health Center to meet the goals of providing primary health care.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Graduate of an accredited practical nursing program.
• Minimum 1-3 years’ experience in a medical clinic setting preferred.
• Knowledge of principles of safe and accurate medical administration.

Certifications/Licenses:

• Valid LPN Licensure through Mississippi Board of Nursing (MSBON)
• Active Basic Life Support Certification (BLS)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Licensed practical nursing and related policies, procedures, trends and developments.
• Laws, rules and regulations governing the treatment and care of patients and the scope of responsibility of the provider.
• Patient care, assessment, and treatments.
• Equipment and technology as it relates to field.
• Current knowledge of trends, research and developments within nursing and related field.
• Skills in communication and interpersonal techniques.
• Ability to perform various therapies and procedures and operate equipment.
• Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team and independently.

Knowledge of the 6 rights:

• Right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, right time, and right documentation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including ability to effectively communicate with internal and external customers.
• Must be able to work under pressure and meet deadlines, while maintaining a positive attitude and providing exemplary customer service.
• Ability to work independently and to carry out assignments to completion within parameters of instructions given, prescribed routines, and standard accepted practices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist medical provider with patient office visits: including, scheduling appointments, patient referrals, putting patients in rooms, interviewing patients, recording vital signs including pulse rate, blood pressure, height and weight, and enter information in patient’s electronic medical record.
• In consultation with the provider and nursing staff, teach, promote, and inform patients and their families on illness management such as how to manage symptoms of chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.).
• Perform select clinical tests including urinalysis, phlebotomy, urine culture and sensitivity, pregnancy tests, blood glucose monitoring, etc.
• Utilize population health systems such as Athena and Aledade to export documentation required for Huddle Sessions, medication reconciliation, and appointment follow-up for patients.
• Perform routine equipment inspection, cleaning, calibration, quality assurance, and coordinate any maintenance or repairs.
• Administer, topical, oral or injectable medications, and document medication under physician’s order and follow the six (6) medication rights and reduce the potential for medical error.
• Set up proper equipment for specific office-based procedures.
• Assist providers with office-based procedures.
• Dispose of biohazard waste according to OSHA standards.
• Sterilize, package, and autoclave instruments, using proper sterilization protocols.
• Label and process patient specimens as needed, including tracking specimens in appropriate logs.
• Organize exam rooms, including general cleaning, upkeep, and re-stocking of supplies.
• Field patient telephone calls and respond accordingly.
• Develop relationships across broad organizational lines and where innovative and unstructured situations arise. Relationships usually involve combined skills in communicating, understanding and flexibility with workflows.
• Refer to other team members such as case management, QI/QA team, etc.
• Responsible for clinical box messages and timely response to patient requests.
• In consultation with the provider and nursing staff, teach, promote, and inform patients and their families on illness management such as how to manage symptoms of chronic disease (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, etc.)
• Change dressings, applying bandages, removing sutures and other first aid procedures.
• Appropriately dispense vaccinations through AccuShelf.
• Maintain clinical lab books through recording daily lab procedures conducted, obtaining and tracking lab reports.
• Demonstrate appropriate hand washing technique to ensure proper infection control and follow universal precautions.
• Perform all aspects of patient care in an environment that optimizes patient safety and reduces the likelihood of medical/health care errors.
• Administer immunizations for influenza, tetanus, childhood immunizations, etc. & eye and hearing tests for school physicals.
• Perform other necessary duties as required by the Community Health Center to meet the goals of providing primary health care.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements:

• Graduate of an accredited practical nursing program.
• Minimum 1-3 years’ experience in a medical clinic setting preferred.
• Knowledge of principles of safe and accurate medical administration.

Certifications/Licenses:

• Valid LPN Licensure through Mississippi Board of Nursing (MSBON)
• Active Basic Life Support Certification (BLS)