Cardiovascular Essentials for Nurses-Handout: Nurse Initial Competency Checklist

Handout: Nurse Initial Competency Checklist

Pdf Summary

This document is a checklist for the initial competency and orientation of an ambulatory nurse. It includes various areas of nursing essentials that the nurse must demonstrate competency in. <br /><br />The checklist begins with resources that the nurse should locate and review, such as policy and procedure documents, manuals, and annual requirements. Infection prevention is emphasized, including proper hand hygiene, following standard precautions, and donning and doffing personal protective equipment.<br /><br />Effective communication with the healthcare team and patients is important, and the nurse should demonstrate appropriate use of the facility phone system, communication tools like SBAR and RBAC, and reporting critical lab values. The nurse should also be knowledgeable about the organization's electronic health record system and patient privacy regulations.<br /><br />General patient care skills are addressed, including the ability to perform basic nursing care functions, respond to abnormal findings, and manage clinic schedules, phone calls, and secure messages. The nurse should also be able to provide referrals to outside resources and demonstrate knowledge of patient care during a clinic visit.<br /><br />Emergency preparedness is also covered, including knowledge of the proper response to medical and fire emergencies, as well as oxygen safety and specimen collection procedures. The nurse should also be competent in cardiovascular interventions, such as acute coronary syndrome, hypertension, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease.<br /><br />Lastly, the document emphasizes the proper implementation of endocrine and medication administration interventions, including medication storage and disposal, patient education, and handling biohazard waste.<br /><br />The document includes spaces for self-assessment by the employee and validation of competency by the preceptor. It also includes areas for signatures by the orientee, preceptor, manager, and educator to confirm their agreement to maintain employee confidentiality and seek appropriate intervention for behavioral or personal issues.

Keywords

ambulatory nurse

competency

infection prevention

communication tools

electronic health record

patient care skills

emergency preparedness

cardiovascular interventions

medication administration

employee confidentiality