SCNR Job Description

Scope of Position

The Surgical Clinical Nurse Reviewer’s chief responsibility is to collect and submit reliable data to the ACS NSQIP. This is accomplished through high-quality clinical screening, data compilation, documentation and entry into the ACS NSQIP database of all eligible surgeries for the medical center. The SCNR also works closely with the members of the Department of Surgery to identify opportunities for clinical quality improvement and other special projects as may be identified.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Documenting Patient Care

• Data Collection

Responsible for the identification of surgical patients for inclusion in the program registry through the application of strict program inclusion/exclusion criteria and randomization protocol.

Responsible for the reliable collection of pre-operative, operative, and post-operative data components for the program through the effective utilization of the hospital medical record system.

Responsible for meeting the accrual requirement of cases per year through the correct application of the program’s randomization protocol.

Attends weekly Morbidity & Mortality conferences to ensure reliable data collection of postoperative occurrences.

Demonstrates applicability of the methodology and the reliability of definitions utilized by reviewers within the program through Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) testing.

Responsible for identifying areas for streamlining and process improvement in the data collection process.

Demonstrates appropriate utilization of resources necessary to obtain valid, reliable data for entry into the Program.

• Website Interaction (www.acsnsqip.org)

Responsible for utilizing software applications available at the site for data collection and analysis.

Responsible for the accurate and timely entry of data into the program’s website and assuring the transmission of completed data.

Responsible for reviewing weekly site accrual report on the website and responding to accrual report alerts.

Working Effectively with Patients, Families, and Staff

• Establishes effective working relationships with members of the hospital community, especially staff in the Surgery, Medicine, Nursing, Medical Records and the Information Systems departments whose support is necessary for the management and success of the program.
• Contacts patients and/or families via telephone and/or written communications post-operatively for the purpose of identifying possible occurrences associated with surgical procedures performed at the hospital.
• Serves as an educational resource on the ACS NSQIP for internal and external audiences by developing educational material and delivering presentations.

ACS NSQIP Participation

• Participates in weekly teleconferences with other surgical clinical nurse reviewers.
• Attends national conferences pertaining to the program as requested.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
• Licensed in state as a registered nurse.
• BSN, NP or PA strongly preferred.
• Minimum three (3) years’ experience in inpatient surgical nursing required.
• Ability to interact with all members of the surgical team and administrative staff in a professional and courteous manner.
• Computer and Internet skills and experience required—familiarity and comfort with MS Office products is essential for success in this position (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access).
• Clinical chart review and abstraction experience required.
• Database data entry and/or management experience preferred.
• Statistical knowledge preferred.
• Quality improvement or patient safety knowledge and experience preferred.