RN Surgical Services / Case Manager

Lakewood Health System•Staples, MN

About The Position

About Lakewood Lakewood Health System is a comprehensive rural healthcare system in central Minnesota. Leading the way in providing quality, personalized healthcare for a lifetime, Lakewood prides itself on remaining fiercely independent to prioritize its patients, staff, and communities in all decisions. Voted as one of Star Tribune’s Top Workplaces for the sixth year in a row, we do rural healthcare differently at LHS by providing a solid foundation of family practice providers with access to best-in-class specialty services, all right here at Lakewood. Across the spectrum of life, Lakewood Health System provides compassionate, quality care for the Brainerd Lakes region and beyond. About the Team When you choose Lakewood Health System for surgery, you’re in the hands of experienced, board-certified surgeons backed by highly trained support teams and innovative technology—all at a convenient location close to home. Our surgical teams use the most advanced and least invasive techniques possible. Lakewood operates three operating rooms Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On-call staff is available for emergency procedures on weekdays after 3:30 p.m. and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. Many procedures can now be performed on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to complete most of their recovery at home. Our Outpatient Department, which serves as our pre- and post-surgical area, is open from 6:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to care for patients before and after surgery. Outstanding surgical care includes: Highly skilled surgical specialists who work with a multidisciplinary team of professionals dedicated to your individual needs. Minimally invasive procedures, advanced surgical technologies and state-of-the-art inpatient and outpatient surgical facility with a calm, healing environment where pain control, patient safety, and infection prevention are our top priorities. Mission for Position The Outpatient RN provides an exceptional surgical experience for patients that aligns with Lakewood Health System’s mission, vision, and values. This role supports patients throughout their surgical journey—from pre-procedure coordination and preparation to hands-on patient care, recovery, discharge, and aftercare. Duties & Responsibilities This position blends care coordination (case management) and direct patient care. In general, the role is anticipated to include approximately 0.4 FTE dedicated to surgical case management and care coordination and 0.5 FTE providing hands-on patient care. Actual time allocation may vary based on patient volume, scheduling needs, and departmental priorities. Coordinate patient care by comprehensively evaluating, medically optimizing, and preparing patients to safely proceed with their surgical procedures. Provide surgical case management support, including managing work queue referrals, coordinating scheduling, communicating with patients and care teams, and ensuring patients are appropriately prepared and cleared to proceed with surgery. Deliver direct, hands-on patient care throughout the surgical experience, including admission, procedural support as applicable, recovery, and discharge. Assess and care for the whole patient by addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs throughout their surgical experience. Provide continuity of care by implementing surgeon orders and care plans during admission, recovery, and discharge. Monitor patients for changes, ongoing issues, or potential complications and intervene appropriately based on assessment findings. Ensure documentation is timely, accurate, and reflects all aspects of care provided. Promote and support professional nursing practice and collaborative team care within Lakewood Health System.

Requirements

Maintain an active Minnesota RN license
CPR Certified
ACLS Certified or obtained within 6 months of hire
PALS Certified or obtained within 6 months of hire
Knowledge of EKG rhythms preferred; successful achievement of educational course required within 6 months of hire.

Nice To Haves

Previous Outpatient or PACU experience
Previous ICU or Critical Care experience
Provides excellent patient care
Problem solving skills
Excellent communication skills

Responsibilities

Coordinate patient care by comprehensively evaluating, medically optimizing, and preparing patients to safely proceed with their surgical procedures.
Provide surgical case management support, including managing work queue referrals, coordinating scheduling, communicating with patients and care teams, and ensuring patients are appropriately prepared and cleared to proceed with surgery.
Deliver direct, hands-on patient care throughout the surgical experience, including admission, procedural support as applicable, recovery, and discharge.
Assess and care for the whole patient by addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs throughout their surgical experience.
Provide continuity of care by implementing surgeon orders and care plans during admission, recovery, and discharge.
Monitor patients for changes, ongoing issues, or potential complications and intervene appropriately based on assessment findings.
Ensure documentation is timely, accurate, and reflects all aspects of care provided.
Promote and support professional nursing practice and collaborative team care within Lakewood Health System.