Job Description

The Ostomy Nurse serves as the patient & family liaison for the Inpatient Wound, Ostomy, & Continence Program. The Ostomy Nurse works closely with a broad spectrum of healthcare providers and administrative personnel to ensure optimal patient care as it relates to Wound, Ostomy, & Continence Nursing.  The Ostomy Nurse is responsible for inpatient consultation, planning, and coordinating a plan of care for patients as part of the multidisciplinary team.  This clinical provider will provide patient care within regulations in accordance to their licensure within the Commonwealth of MA.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• The Ostomy Nurse is a leader within the Nursing department who provides direction and sets priorities for patient care
• The Ostomy Nurse will begin the discharge planning process through patient education and prioritization.
• The Ostomy Nurse, in conjunction with Case Management, coordinates the transition of care from one health care setting to another which includes:  inpatient, Home Health Care, Skilled Nursing Facility, Rehab facilities.
• The Ostomy Nurse collaborates and communicates with a wide range of multidisciplinary providers with the goal of achieving an exceptional patient experience.
• The Ostomy Nurse identifies high risk patients and works with the appropriate services to achieve the best possible patient outcomes.
• The Ostomy Nurse develops patient education programs and educates the patient and /or family regarding the patient’s clinical condition, treatment, postoperative course, and the patient’s role in recovery.
• The Ostomy Nurse develops staff education programs and educates all staff related to Wounds, Ostomies, & Continence, participating in regularly scheduled hands on education sessions.
• The Ostomy Nurse is responsible for engaging unit based Skin Champions and maintaining the Skin Champion Committee. 
• The Ostomy Nurse is responsible for performing quarterly PI audits in conjunction with the Skin Champions.
• The Ostomy Nurse works closely with Risk Management & the Quality Department to prevent harm, participate in Route Cause Analyses, identify trends, and reduce PI Prevalence & Incidence.

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• Develops and maintains relationships between all members of the interdisciplinary care team including administrative and Clinical staff, thus producing high performing, patient focused teamwork.
• Develops and maintains affinity between all supporting departments, clinical areas, and staff outside of the Inpatient Wound Care Program, thus producing high performing patient focused teamwork.

SKILLS AND QUALITIES

• Mature professional  who exhibits the following skills:
  • Leadership skills :  Lead by example, Positive thinking, focused on goal 
  • Communication Skills: Listens, persuades, influences others
  • Organization skills: Plans, sets goals, analyzes results
  • Team building Skills:  Sets examples, provides vision delegates, positive, energetic
  • Coping skills: Flexible, creative, patient, persistent
  • Technical skills: Experience, clinical  knowledge and expertise, 
  • Inspires a shared vision
  • Successful communicator
  • Integrity
  • Enthusiasm/Passion
  • Empathy
  • Competence in role of Ostomy Nurse
  • Ability to delegate tasks
  • Able to handle situations of high stress and pressure 
  • Team building skills
  • Problem solving skills

CLINICAL SKILLS

• Qualified in all basic life support standards as set by the American Heart Association, and defined by hospital policy
• Possess the ability to care for chronically ill adult patients with a broad range of medical problems
• Possess the ability to care for neonatal & pediatric patients related to wounds & ostomies. 
• Possess the maturity, self-confidence, and ability to follow complex patient management plans in collaboration with the attending physician. 
• Multilingual skills preferred.
• Eligible for state and federal controlled substances registration.
• Possesses and applies the skills and knowledge necessary to provide care to patients throughout the life span, with consideration of aging processes, human development stages and cultural patterns in each step of the care process.
• Ability to provide primary care for a caseload of patients according to practice guidelines and hospital policies, procedures and protocols.
• Able to function independently 
• Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Pre-operative Stoma Marking

Qualifications

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree
• BLS Certification required
• ACLS Certification preferred 
• WOCN Certification

EXPERIENCE:

• Project management experience preferred
• Leadership experience preferred
• WOCN Experience

LICENSES, ETC.:

• Current Massachusetts Registered Nurse License 
• Current Wound, Ostomy, &/or Continence Certification

AGE SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES: Possesses the skills and knowledge to provide care to the age group of the population serviced including:

• Knowledge of growth and development
• Ability to interpret age specific data and response to care
• Provide age specific communication

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Inpatient areas 
• Continuous exposure to sick patients and bodily substances.
• Work requires frequent lifting of patients.

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:

Must be able to perform all essential functions of this position with reasonable accommodation if disabled.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed, as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Tufts Medical Center reserves the right to modify position duties at any time, to reflect process improvements and business necessity.

COVID-19 POLICY:

Please note that effective October 1, 2021, as a condition of employment at Tufts Medical Center, all employees and new hires must have received their complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted an exemption.