Description

The Admissions and Discharge Nurse plays a key role in ensuring smooth transitions for patients entering and leaving the healthcare facility. This nurse provides comprehensive assessments, coordinates care plans during admission, and ensures safe, efficient, and compassionate discharge processes. The goal is to promote continuity of care, patient satisfaction, and compliance with clinical and regulatory standards.

Schedule: Full-Time, Weekends; Weekdays, Day Shift 4–5 days week including one Day Shift Weekend 

Primary Responsibilities and Duties:

Admissions Nurse Responsibilities:

• Conduct thorough nursing assessments upon patient admission, including medical history, current health status, medication review, and psychosocial needs.
• Collaborate with physicians and the interdisciplinary care team to develop an initial plan of care tailored to the patient’s needs.
• Educate patients and families on facility policies, care procedures, and expectations during their stay.
• Ensure accurate documentation of admission data in the electronic health record (EHR).
• Coordinate with case management and other departments to ensure appropriate service referrals and continuity of care.
• Verify that all admission orders and documentation meet facility, state, and federal requirements.
• Maintain excellent communication with referring agencies and family members to facilitate a seamless transition into care.

Discharge Nurse Responsibilities:

• Assess the patient’s readiness for discharge by reviewing the care plan, treatment outcomes, and follow-up needs.
• Develop and communicate a comprehensive discharge plan in collaboration with physicians, social workers, and other team members.
• Provide education to patients and families on post-discharge care, medications, follow-up appointments, and signs of complications.
• Ensure discharge documentation, including discharge summaries, medication reconciliation, and continuity-of-care forms, are complete and accurate.
• Coordinate with home health services, rehabilitation, or long-term care facilities as needed.
• Facilitate safe transport and ensure all discharge instructions are understood by patients and caregivers.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives related to patient transitions and readmission reduction.

Requirements

Job Qualifications:

• Current and active Registered Nurse (RN) license (state-specific).
• Minimum of 1 or more years of clinical nursing experience; prior experience in admissions, discharge planning, or case management preferred.
• Strong clinical assessment, critical thinking, and patient education skills.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and documentation abilities.
• Familiarity with EHR systems and care coordination protocols.
• Compassionate, patient-centered approach to care.

Physical Requirements:

• Work performed in a medical setting due to the need to work in person with residents and their families.
• Ability to work in a variety of environments within the facility, including resident rooms, common areas, and administrative offices.
• Must be able to sit, stand, bend, reach, talk, hear, stoop, kneel, crouch, stretch, twist, use hands and fingers, handle or operate objects, equipment, or controls and move about facilities.
• Required vision includes close, vision, distance, peripheral, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Emotional resilience and ability to cope with the physical and emotional demands of working with residents who may have complex healthcare needs.
• Stamina to stand and walk for extended periods while conducting tours, completing paperwork and assisting with resident admissions.
• Capability to assist residents and other nursing staff with mobility tasks, including transferring them from beds to wheelchairs, assisting with standing or walking, and positioning them for therapy activities.
• Maintain regular attendance and timeliness as set forth within the work schedule designated by the department supervisor/manager.
• Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
• The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
• The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
• The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.