Licensed Practical Nurse - Primary Care

Makes members/patients and their needs a primary focus of ones actions; develops and sustains productive member/patient relationships. Actively seeks information to understand member/patient circumstances, problems, expectations, and needs. Builds rapport and cooperative relationship with members/patients. Considers how actions or plans will affect members; responds quickly to meet member/patient needs and resolves problems. Performs duties as under Nurse Practice Act (Portions adopted from the Colorado State Nurse Practice Act CRS 12-38-103).

• This position knows and complies with all Kaiser Permanente quality, safety, and emergency policies and procedures. Demonstrates quality and effectiveness in work habits and clinical practice in every interaction with patients, colleagues, providers, and leadership. Ensures patient safety in the preparation and provisioning of care related to but not limited to medications including the consistent use of 5 rights and 3 checks of medication administration, procedures, infection prevention, fall prevention, including consistent use of two patient identifiers and procedural time outs. Reports safety hazards, accidents and incidents, and unsafe working conditions promptly.
• Applies principles of asepsis and infection control. Maintains a safe and therapeutic patient care environment, including identifying malfunctioning equipment.
• Supports the physician and other medical providers in the care and treatment of patients, including rooming the patient; communicating delays to patient, provider, and team members; and facilitating the medical providers schedule. Performs duties and responsibilities with excellence, enthusiasm, great service orientation demonstrating courteous behaviors and mannerisms, and by anticipating physician and other medical providers needs.
• Practices within scope of practice perimeters as inferred by licensure, standard nursing practice, knowledge, skill level, and KP guidelines.
• Performs routine and specialized nursing procedures following physicians orders and approved nursing care plan, e.g. administers treatment using therapeutic equipment, such as intermittent positive pressure breathing apparatus; administers medications (including narcotics) orally or by injections; and provides specialized nursing care to acutely ill patients. If IV certified LPN, may perform intravenous therapy, as per Colorado State Board of Nursing Chapter IX.
• Monitors patients condition by observing, collecting, reporting, and recording objective/subjective data; identifies changes in the patients condition; collect data and report sign and symptoms of deviation from normal health status, symptoms and/or reactions to medications and treatments; initiates appropriate standard emergency procedures and reports adverse patient conditions to physician, Nursing Manager, or registered nurse.
• Teaches and promotes general preventive health measures to patients and members of their families regarding home health care, such as use of medications, administering injections, taking blood pressure, general post-operative care, and general diabetic care. Disseminates pre-printed standard aftercare instructions and pre-printed patient instruction material. Licensed Practical Nurse.
• Assists physician with examinations, treatments and minor surgery, by preparing patient and room for a specific procedure and attending patient during procedure.
• Records pertinent information in patients medical chart, e.g., patients nursing history, physical data, vital signs, symptoms, treatments, examinations, medications administered, reactions and general observations, according to standard requirements.
• Assists in orienting and training new employees, as assigned. May perform the duties of a Nursing Assistant or Medical Receptionist, as required. May assign/coordinate activities for nursing and medical assistants and medical receptionist.
• Orders, stores and maintains adequate inventory of supplies and instruments used by department as assigned.
• In addition to defined technical requirements, accountable for consistently demonstrating service behaviors and principles defined by the Kaiser Permanente Service Quality Credo, the KP Mission as well as specific departmental/organizational initiatives. Also accountable for consistently demonstrating the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors necessary to provide superior and culturally sensitive service to each other, to our members, and to purchasers, contracted providers and vendors.