Nurse Practitioner – Position Description

Nurse Practitioner - Position Description

Our Nurse Practitioners provide advanced clinical expertise and leadership to enhance patient treatment and care planning in primary care. This is provided within an interdisciplinary model that best meets the patient requirements and is in line with the vision and values of the practice.

You will provide an empathetic and efficient first contact service for our patients and visitors, ensuring everyone is acknowledged in a professional, friendly, helpful and culturally appropriate manner, using discretion and diplomacy.

RESPONSIBLE TO:
Regional Manager
General Practitioners

FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH:
Internal
Regional Manager
Reception and administrative staff
Doctors
Nurses
Clinical Pharmacist
Pharmacists
Physiotherapists
Health Improvement Practitioner
Health Coach
Community Support Worker

External
Patients & Supporting Whanau
Visitors
Other Medical Professionals
Other relevant Stakeholders

Key Result Area

Clinical Practice

Behaviour

Best practice for people within the Practice

Performance Measures

Demonstrates effective clinical management of primary care patients within scope of practice
Utilises current research and evidence-based, advanced holistic assessment and diagnostic reasoning to form sound professional judgements in practice and consults as required.
Uses knowledge of pathophysiology and pharmacology, and advanced holistic clinical assessment skills to perform diagnoses and to plan care
Orders and interprets appropriate diagnostic and laboratory tests and explains the necessity, preparation, nature, and anticipated effects of procedure(s) to patients, patient’s family, staff, and other members of the health care team
Effectively manages own caseload.
Performs therapeutic or diagnostic procedures based upon patient’s clinical status and document patient’s response to the procedure(s)
Practices as a member of the interdisciplinary team to improve outcomes for clients with relate to area of practice.
Upholds the Treaty of Waitangi and cultural safety in nursing
Contributes to a culturally safe environment
Identifies educational needs of the patient, patient’s family and nursing staff and participates in teaching opportunities.
Maintains and supports expertise in nursing practice
Advocates on behalf of patient/family/colleagues as appropriate
Assists the interdisciplinary team with decision-making related to medico-legal and ethical

Behaviour

Establishes and promotes effective models of care.

Performance Measures

Establishes and promotes effective models of care. Innovative approaches are utilised as necessary to meet client needs

Key Result Area

Clinical Leadership and Consultancy

Behaviour

Demonstrates effective clinical leadership and consultancy

Performance Measures

Takes a leadership role in complex clinical primary care situations across settings and disciplines and follows through with required change to systems and processes as necessary
Collaborates and leads effectively within the multidisciplinary team
Briefs colleagues on relevant trends and issues
Demonstrates skilled mentoring/ coaching and teaching
Undertakes clinical supervision
Handles problems and complaints sensitively

Behaviour

Provides expert advice

Performance Measures

Acts as a consultant for primary care and management within the scope of practice
Recommends appropriate care products
Acts a specialty consultant nationally and internationally

Behaviour

Interprofessional health care

Performance Measures

Promotes nursing contribution to health care
Collaborates across the care continuum with relevant multidisciplinary and intersectoral groups to take a co-ordinated and evaluative approach to care delivery

Behaviour

Conducts and/or participates in relevant research

Performance Measures

Relevant nursing and related research are critiqued and reflected in education and practice

Presents and publishes research which challenges practice at local, national, and international level

Behaviour

Develops and influences health/socio-economic policies and nursing practice at a local, national and international level

Performance Measures

Contributes to policy development related to primary care locally and contributes nationally
Represents nursing at a strategic level in planning

Behaviour

Develops self and others

Performance Measures

Performance management is regularly undertaken, and feedback is utilised

Education plan is in place and pursued
Leads nursing education in team
Conducts and documents regular case review
Contributes to clinical component of performance management of critical care complex team members

Key Result Area

Practice Development/Quality activities

Behaviour

Works with nursing staff to continuously improve nursing practice and patient outcomes in all areas related to primary care.

Reflects and critiques the practice of self and others.

Performance Measures

Participates in the development of the nursing plans and relevant line plans and ongoing improvement activities

Participates in relevant education programmes and improvement projects

Continuously improves care processes to improve patient outcomes and documents

Champion’s quality improvement methodology with a focus on high standards of care.

Behaviour

Actively manages risk

Performance Measures

Provides expert advice to investigations, assessment of practice and reviews outcomes. Collaborates on changes to practice and follows up required.

Key Result Area

Health and Safety

Recognises individual responsibility for workplace Health & Safety under the Health and Safety Act 1992

Behaviour

Actively contributes to a therapeutic environment

Performance Measures

Contributing to the identification of specifications, trials, and purchase of new equipment

Contributing to the identification of possible research/quality projects and participate in the development, implementation, and feedback
Contributing to the development and reviewing of standards of practice, protocols, and policies
Works with the Service Quality Coordinator to facilitate event meetings designed to promote quality improvement and compliance in primary care

Management Roles:

Ensures a safe working environment and safe working practices

Participates in Health & Safety activities directed at preventing harm in the workplace, in consultation with employees and Health & Safety representatives for area

Reports any related accidents/incidents in the workplace to management within 24 hours, using the assigned process

Ensures compliance with protocols regarding safety and emergency issues.

Non-Management roles:

Health and Safety policies are read and understood, and relevant procedures applied to own work activities
Workplace hazards are identified and reported including self-management of hazards where appropriate
Can identify Health and Safety representative for area.

Key Result Area

Cultural Safety
Honouring Cultural Diversity

Behaviour

Actively demonstrates commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi principles.

Performance Measures

Respect, sensitivity, cultural awareness is evident in interpersonal relationships.

Our cultural differences are acknowledged by respecting spiritual beliefs, cultural practices, and lifestyle choices.

Promotes strategies for primary care that assists too positively impact on health disparities for Māori and Pacific Island populations.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills

The Nurse Practitioner will communicate with a variety of health professionals within and external to the practice, both nationally and internationally. They will be required to have excellent communication and negotiation skills so that they can ensure appropriate and timely clinical care can be provided in a cohesive manner from a range of services across continuum of care.

The Nurse Practitioner will be required to interact on a frequent basis with a range of practice staff members including the following groups:

General Practitioners
Practice Nurses
Administrators

Externally there will be frequent contact with:

Other General Practices
DHB & PHO clinicians
Other nurse practitioners both nationally and internationally
Other Define specialty services both nationally and internationally
Primary Health Care Organisations where appropriate
Tertiary Education providers

Situations may often call for tact, diplomacy and will require information to be handled in a discreet and sensitive manner.

In conflict situations will be required to exercise sound judgement, negotiation, and persuasiveness skills, toward facilitating a workable outcome.

Problem Complexity

The Nurse Practitioner will be regularly challenged by a wide range of complex and unpredictable clinical problems and issues related to primary care patient care within the secondary settings. There will be demands to meet deadlines and maintain accuracy and quality of information. There will be a requirement to be able to prioritise issues and negotiate time frames, while still providing a quality customer service. The range of problems will be diverse and require solutions customised to meet the circumstances of the patient/family.

Scope for Action

The Nurse Practitioner will be required to initiate and develop innovative approaches to problem solving and utilise the skills of other disciplines and team members to co-ordinate and resolve problems. They will need to negotiate with and co-ordinate a variety of staff at all levels across the continuum of care and will frequently need to develop individual solutions for each issue and problem.

They are empowered to make decisions or recommendations relating to patient management. Discretion is required to be exercised in releasing confidential information to the appropriate parties.

Dimension of the Position

The Nurse Practitioner reports operationally to the General Practitioners.

They will be required to maintain a regional and national level of input into the direction of the speciality and improvements in care/processes with respect to cost, quality and outcome measures. This will include recommendations for enhancing professional practice across the specialist group and consider national and international professional trends.

Qualification/Competency

Clinically focused master’s degree in Nursing

Registered as Nurse Practitioner with NZNC

Current Practicing Certificate

Skill / Knowledge / Behaviour

Advanced clinical assessment and management skills in primary care

Skills in problem solving, priority setting, delegation and planning.
The ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff and develop relevant networks.
The ability to work in a wide range of patient settings across the continuum of care.
Advanced communication and interpersonal skills

Facilitation and negotiation skills
Ability to self-evaluate and reflect on practice.

Ability to critique research and use it as the basis of practice
A strong patient/family focus.
A strong commitment and genuine interest in quality and service.
A capacity to demonstrate strong clinical leadership.
The ability to work independently and be a member of a team.
A commitment to the development of the nursing profession
A commitment to cultural awareness and its application to nursing practice.

Utilisation of information technology

Demonstrate an ability to access and use available clinical information systems
Be conversant with applications required for your specific discipline/role. For example PMS, Outlook.
Maintain own professional development by attending relevant IT educational programmes