Garnet Health (formerly Greater Hudson Valley Health System,) is a New York State, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Middletown, New York, approximately 60 miles north of New York City. Garnet Health is comprised of Garnet Health Medical Center, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, Garnet Health Doctors, Garnet Health Foundation and Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills.  Garnet Health is dedicated to developing specialty services, medical programs and needed healthcare services that allow residents to remain close to home to receive quality care.

Providing healthcare to nearly 450,000 residents in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster Counties, Garnet Health was designed to improve the quality, stability and efficiency of healthcare services in the mid-Hudson and Catskill region. Services provided by more than 3,300 employed professionals and over 850 medical staff members, makes Garnet Health one of the largest healthcare providers in the tri-county area. The System’s three hospital campuses (Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills (Harris and Callicoon, NY) and Garnet Health Medical Center (Middletown, NY) plus several outpatient facilities, offer a broad spectrum of care including:

• 601 licensed inpatient beds
• Emergency medicine
• Surgical services
• Ambulatory surgery services
• Skilled nursing unit
• Cardiology services including emergency and elective angioplasty
• Oncology services from diagnosis to treatment
• Orthopedic services including joint replacements
• Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence
• Birthing centers
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• Outpatient diagnostic imaging
• Geriatric assessment
• Primary, Specialty, and Urgent care practices
• Adult day care
• Mental health and chemical dependency programs
• Diabetes program
• Wound care
• Sleep Center Services
• Outpatient infusion services
• Rehabilitation services including: physical, occupational and speech therapy
• Hospitalist services
• Rape intervention and support services
• Community screenings and support groups

Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations (ANA, 2010).

Garnet Health Medical Center clinical nurses are guided by the New York State Nurse Practice Act, the American Nurses Association (ANA) guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses, the Essential Guide to Nursing Practice, Jean Watson’s Nursing Philosophy and Science of Caring, the Garnet Health Medical Center Plan for Nursing Quality and Safety, and the Garnet Health Medical Center Nursing Strategic Plan (NSP). Clinical nurses are empowered to work toward an improved healthcare system by providing safe, timely, effective, equitable, and patient centered care (IOM).

Garnet Health Medical Center clinical nurses embrace the Essential Features of Professional Nursing as indicated by the ANA, they include:

• Provision of a caring relationship that facilitates health and healing.
• Attention to the range of human experiences and responses to health and illness within the physical and social environments.
• Integration of assessment data with knowledge gained from an appreciation of the patient of the group.
• Application of scientific knowledge to the processes of diagnosis and treatment through the use of judgment and critical thinking.
• Advancement of professional nursing knowledge through scholarly inquiry.
• Influence on social and public policy.
• Assurance of safe, quality, and evidence-based practice.

Licensure:

• Active New York State Nursing License in good standing

Education:

• Associate, Baccalaureate (preferred), Master’s, or Doctorate Degree in Nursing from an Accredited School of Nursing.

Certification:

• American Nurses Association endorsed Certifications or Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Certification Preferred (*Based on Certification specialty hours of work requirement).

Physical Demands:

• Considerable standing, walking, reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching.  Considerable visual demands.
• New Hires - Must be able to perform RN essential physical functioning demands as determined by Employee Health / Pre-Screening Assessment
• During any patient transferring task, if any caregiver is required to lift more than 35 lbs of a patient's weight, then the patient should be considered to be fully dependent and assistive devices should be used.
• Ergonomic stressors includes moderate to frequent heavy (lifting, positioning, pushing, and/or transferring of patients) and must participate in Safe Patient Handling initiatives.
• American with Disability Act Requirements: External and Internal applicants, as well as position incumbents, must be able to perform the essential position responsibilities as listed in this position description either aided or unaided or with the assistance of a reasonable accommodation to be determined by the organization on a case by case basis.

Mental Demands:

• Ability to foster collaborative relationships, to work well under pressure, to organize and synthesize new information and prioritize tasks. Possess critical thinking, analytical skills and flexibility.
• Ability to multi-task. Required detailed attention to work in an environment where interruptions cannot be controlled. Demonstrates sensitivity to customer needs and expectations.
• Work schedules may include irregular hours including nights and weekends. 

Working Conditions:

• ORMC abides with the New York Department of Labor / Nursing Licensure Board recommendation on the 16 hours work limit.

OSHA Directive CPL-03-00-016:

• Contact with patient’s under a wide variety of circumstances.
• May be exposed to unpleasant patient elements (exposure to blood and other potentially infectious material).
• Subject to varying and unpredictable situations.
• Handles emergency and crisis situations.
• Must wear Personal Protective Equipment to ensure your safety which may include items such as gloves, safety glasses, respirators, or coveralls, vests, lead vests, and full body suits.
• May have contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.

Patient and Staff Safety:

• Recognizes the importance of patient/staff safety precautions as it relates to specific department and area of responsibility.
• Consistently utilizes precautions and follows appropriate procedure to enhance patient/staff safety in daily operations.
• Identifies and reports any potentially dangerous situations which could cause medical error and/or patient or staff harm.
• Immediately takes action, where appropriate, to minimize the risk of injury. Where appropriate to staff member’s responsibilities, reports errors, when these occur, to supervisor and in the MIDAS RDE system on an Incident report. Participates when appropriate in Root Cause Analysis and/or other efforts to reduce the risk of medical error and/or patient or staff harm.

Training: 

• Clinical nurses are accountable for completing their annual / required mandatory training within certain time frames
• All clinical nurses must have BLS and this training must be kept current.
• In certain clinical areas additional AHA training may be required.  If you are transferring to one of these areas you must have the appropriate training prior to beginning the position.