Our client is a leading childrens’ hospital in Melbourne that has been providing outstanding care for Victoria’s children and their families for 150 years. They are the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria and care extends to children from Tasmania, southern New South Wales and other states around Australia and overseas.

With a passionate, highly skilled and committed staff campus wide of close to 4,000, they provide a full range of clinical services, tertiary care and health promotion and prevention programs for children and young people.

The hospital is the designated state-wide major trauma centre for paediatrics in Victoria and a Nationally Funded Centre for cardiac and liver transplantation.

They also lead a number of state-wide services, including:

• Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service: delivering paediatric rehabilitation services to children, adolescents and their families.
• Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program: providing a multidisciplinary approach to palliative care for children across Victoria.
• Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service providing assessment and care for abused, assaulted and neglected children and adolescents.
• Victorian Infant Hearing Screening Program: conducting hearing screenings of newborn babies while they are in hospital. The delivery of this service involves working with diagnostic audiology and early intervention services from across
• Victoria, Australian Hearing, Cochlear Implant Clinic, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, The University of Melbourne School of Audiology and Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

Role and responsibilities

To ensure the provision of high quality nursing care to infants and their families within RCH, acting as a role model and expert clinical practitioner and working with the wider multidisciplinary team within NICU to promote a progressive attitude to the continual improvement of patient care through research and evidence based practice. The Registered Nurse will ensure that clinical practice and delivery of care is consistent with the hospital and Australian Nurses and Midwifery Council standards, by providing comprehensive, safe, evidence-based practice to facilitate optimal health outcomes.

The Registered Nurse is expected to establish and maintain positive interpersonal relationships with other staff members characterised by trust, mutual respect, and open, honest communication across a variety of internal and external organisational relationships including all clinical staff, and non – clinical support staff, hospital Board and non-Executive Directors, Maternal Child Health Nurses, members of the general public and visitors both formal & informal to the hospital.

Direct Comprehensive Care
Using evidence- based practice and a holistic approach to individualised nursing care, assess, plan, implement and evaluate care for babies within the clinical area.
Actively support and promote the involvement of parents/carers in the planning, management and evaluation of care by collaborative partners in care and maintain effective communications with parents and relatives, from admission, ensuring they have sufficient confidence, assistance and support to enable them to for their baby in preparation for discharge.

• Safely administer prescribed medications and to monitor their effects in line with required professional standards.
• Establish and maintain competency and safe maintenance of all medical devices within clinical setting.
• Promote and work within AHPRA / NMBA statutory framework. i.e. code of practice, Scope of professional practice, and standards for Administration of medicines, and Standards for Record Keeping.
• Ensure that you maintain fully up-to-date with current legislations and are familiar with all local policies and personnel procedures.
• Ensure that all manual and computer records are accurate and legible in accordance with the AHPRA code of practice and comply with the standards for record keeping legislation and organisational policy.
• Maintain proactive approach to the development of clinical skills within the unit ensuring that practice reflects best practice standards, local and national policies and are in keeping with relevant professional standards

Support Systems

• To be responsible for the organisation and management of direct patient care to a group of babies
• To keep fully informed of all clinical developments within the profession and act as resource for the multidisciplinary team, parent and relevant agencies.
• Assist the AUM team with the setting and monitoring standards of neonatal care and the reporting of variations in care using Risk reporting system.

Education

• Participate in the clinical teaching of all learners, junior members of staff including allied health and support staff
• Act as mentor to all learners and preceptor to new registered staff.
• Participate in the development of competencies across the service
• Ensure that practitioners develop the competencies relating to their practice
• Proactive in the orientation and education of junior medical staff to the unit
• Take responsibility for own professional development
• Seek adequate training to enable you to increase your clinical skills and keep abreast of current research based practice
• Actively promote Health Education and participate in the development and evaluation of teaching and assessment packs.
• Identify limitations in personal knowledge and skills and plan action to overcome these in consultation with nursing team leader.
• Identify own potential and develop accordingly with in consultation with nursing team leader and Unit Manager.
• To attend local and organisational meetings and development sessions as directed or required.

Research

• To adhere to and actively participate in the regular review of nursing practice, policies, procedures and protocols.
• Contribute and participate in the audits of the neonatal service and the learning environment.

Professional leadership

• Role model best practice demonstrating clinical leadership in offering expertise, advice and support to all nursing staff and actively contribute to the development of a learning environment to support learners
• To keep fully informed of all clinical developments within the profession and act as resource for the multidisciplinary team, parent and relevant agencies.
• To promote a professional image at all times, and be accountable for own clinical practice.
• Maintain the unit philosophy of family centred care.
• Work in collaboration with other members of the team to ensure that Organisational,Divisional and Local objectives are met in the delivery of key objectives.
• To be an advocate for the neonate and to promote effective communication with all members of the multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications and experience

• Current registration as a Registered Nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) administered though the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APHRA)
• Demonstrated commitment to ongoing personal and professional development, as evidenced in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record/Professional Practice Portfolio (PPP)
• Proven recent experience working within a neonatal critical care setting
• Proven experience in shift co-ordination / in charge role within critical care setting
• Evidence of preceptorship certification
• Holds or actively working towards Post Graduate Certificate in Neonatal or Paediatric Intensive Care Nursing
• To have an understanding of Clinical Governance and how this impacts onto everyday practice.
• Experience of working within Workplace Health and Safety framework
• Employees are required to undertake a National Criminal Record Check and a Working with Children Check prior to commencing employment
• Employees are required to maintain a valid Working with Children’s Check throughout their employment
• Employees are required to maintain compliance with the hospital's “Staff Immunisation - Prevention of Vaccine Preventable Diseases” procedure.
• Flexible working approach to internal rotation requirements of the service

Key selection criteria

• Well-developed interpersonal and communication skills both written and verbal
• Demonstrated ability to work within a multidisciplinary team and autonomously as required acting as a role model at all times
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and be flexible to changing priorities and environment
• Demonstrates analytical & critical thinking skills
• Demonstrate an understanding of the audit/research process and relevance to clinical practice
• Evidence of neonatal intensive care service improvement