State of Maryland

A Registered Nurse Charge Perkins MDH36 is the lead level of work responsible for nursing care in a ward on an assigned shift at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center.  Employees in this classification assign, review and approve the work of and train Registered Nurses, Security Attendants Nursing or Security Attendant Licensed Practical Nurses assigned to the ward for a shift.   

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a higher-level Nurse.  Employees are assigned to day, evening, night or rotating shifts which may include holidays and weekends.  Employees are subject to call-in during emergencies and staffing shortages.  The work is performed at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where care is provided to mentally ill patients who have been judged not criminally responsible for committing felonies, and to those who are difficult to manage in less secure settings and who have been deemed dangerous to themselves or others.  Employees are required to observe infection control precautions in order to prevent contamination and spread of disease.  Employees may be required to lift patients or apply restraints.  The work may require long periods of standing, walking, bending and reaching.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Registered Nurse Charge Perkins is differentiated from the Registered Nurse Perkins in that the Registered Nurse Charge Perkins is in charge of nursing care of a designated work area on a particular shift and leads assigned staff which may include Registered Nurses while the Registered Nurse Perkins performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.  The Registered Nurse Charge Perkins is differentiated from the Registered Nurse Supervisor Perkins in that the Registered Nurse Supervisor Perkins is responsible for the twenty-four hour supervision of a ward or is a shift supervisor for several wards.

Leads subordinate licensed or non-licensed nursing personnel and support staff caring for patients in a designated area on an assigned shift;

Assigns and evaluates nursing care provided in an assigned area according to nursing services guidelines;

Interprets and implements nursing, personnel, facility and agency policies;

Participates in evaluation of the overall nursing program in a unit;

Participates in interdisciplinary planning for the total therapeutic program;

Performs quality assurance monitoring of the healthcare provided in one or more programs;

Monitors use of services for appropriateness in assigned program(s);

Investigates complaints regarding patient care and possible health law violations;

Assesses the appropriateness of patient seclusion or restraint;

Conducts ward meetings with registered nurses, paraprofessional staff and patients to effectively address the patients’ needs;

Assesses physical complaints by patients and provides appropriate referrals and follow-up services;

Records and reports the health status of patients and other appropriate information;

Provides direct nursing care as needed;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the principles, practices and theory of the registered nursing process;

Knowledge of personality development theories for evaluating behaviors and reactions of patients;

Skill in observing and measuring the effects of nursing intervention;

Skill in providing accurate nursing documentation and record keeping;

Skill in assessing physical, emotional and social needs of patients;

Skill in developing a plan of care for the patients;

Ability to lead other Nurses;

Ability to assess the use of health care services;

Ability to evaluate quality of nursing care provided in specific health care settings;

Ability to explain program policies and procedures to professional health care providers and to the public;

Ability to explain long-term and short term goals of nursing care to team members, patients and their families;

Ability to communicate effectively with patients, professional and nonprofessional workers and the general public;

Ability to establish effective working relationships with community health, welfare and educational agencies, patients and their families, and the general public.

Education:   Determined by the Maryland State Board of Nursing under the licensing requirements for Registered Nurses.

Experience: Two years of experience as a Registered Nurse, one year of which must have been in a psychiatric setting.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing or a related field from an accredited college or university for the one year of general experience.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Master’s degree in nursing or a health-related field from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

3. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Nursing classifications or Nursing and Hospital Administration specialty codes in the Nursing field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Employees in this classification are subject to call-in and, therefore, will be required to provide the facility with a phone number at which they can be reached.

2. Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit E, Health Care Professionals classes. As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial, and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining. Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime, as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.