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 Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare's team of nursing professionals supplement the
in-house nursing staff of hospitals, nursing homes, rehab
centers and other facilities. In operation since 1981
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare has been brokering
professional nurses as a cost-efficient solution to staff
shortages and/or increased patient census. As former nurse
managers and as critical care RN's, the owners of
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare have an intimate
understanding of the staffing dynamics within healthcare
facilities. Through this experience and knowledge, they
understand and appreciate the issues related to quality,
flexibility, reliability and fiscal sensitivity. They have
built their business on those principals and remain dedicated
to combining these elements to provide a genuine solution for
your staffing needs.
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With their
personal critical care experience, when starting their
business over 20 years ago, the owners of Criticare/Chadds
Ford Alternacare put special emphasis on servicing the
critical care areas. Over the years that high-tech specialty
service has continued to be a niche market for
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare and has blossomed to include
many specialty areas within the acute care hospitals. Those
areas include but are not limited to: ICU, CCU, CVU,
Telemetry, NICU, PICU, MICU, SICU, Open-Heart Unit, ED, PACU,
OR, Special Radiology, Cardiac, Electrophysiology, and GI
Labs. This niche market continues to be a significant portion
of the supplemental staffing services provided by
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare to acute care hospitals
located in southern New Jersey, Philadelphia and surrounding
counties, and extending into central PA. Your needs will be
met by nurses with the expertise required for the clinical
area served. It is essential that our clients receive the most
capable and qualified practitioners!
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 The professional nurses working
with Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare include Registered
Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses. All professional nurses
working with Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare must meet our
rigorous screening. This includes a review of the candidate's
work history, review of their clinical skills and
proficiencies (individualized to represent various specialty
units), clinical references (3), health profile including TB
testing and HBV inoculation record (or declination), State of
PA Criminal Record Check and drug screen. Additionally, all
professional nurses must provide a copy of their current
nursing license, CPR card (BCLS for healthcare workers) and
their malpractice insurance facesheet. Professional nurses
providing services to MD/MR clients are also required to
complete the PA Child Abuse History Clearance.
 General duty nurses must
successfully complete the National League for Nursings' Basic
Proficiency in Medication Administration examination. Critical
care nurses must successfully complete the National League for
Nursings' Medication Examination for Coronary Care.
Additionally, all critical care and telemetry nurses are
required to provide a copy of their ACLS certification. Nurses
working in other specialty areas, such as NICU and PICU, must
provide certifications as they relate to their specific area
of clinical expertise. For instance, Neonatal ICU nurses must
provide documentation of neonatal CPR certification.
The owners
of Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare understand and appreciate
that the healthcare arena is a dynamic environment with
on-going changes in regulatory requirements. In order to serve
you better all of the staff at Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare are willing to address your special needs as it
relates to changing regulatory standards and credentialing.
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In order
to assist the facilities with JCAHO certification and with the
assistance of a hospital nursing administrator and clinical
nurse educator, Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare developed a
General Orientation Booklet. This booklet contains information
related to many of the topics reviewed during a new employee's
orientation. Many of these topics are generic in our industry
and apply to all nursing environments. The booklet includes
but is not limited to the following topics: patient safety,
side rails, restraints, body mechanics, needle sticks, Right
to Know Law, fire safety, OSHA Standards for Bloodborne
Pathogens, and Advanced Directives. Each applicant is provided
with a copy of this booklet for their files and is required to
provide a signed checklist identifying that they have reviewed
this information. This checklist remains in their file.
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All
nurses working with Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare must
execute a nurse agreement that defines the relationship
between the nurse, Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare, and the
facility. Among the factors identified in the agreement are
the following:
- All patient records are the property of the facility and
shall not be removed from the unit or facility
- All nurses working with Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare agrees to maintain patient and client
confidentiality
- The facility shall not make available to any of the
nurses working with Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare any
employee benefits
- All nurses performing services at facility shall be
required to follow the rules and regulations, policies and
procedures of the facility as dictated by industry
regulation and standards of practice
- All nurses working with Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare must maintain and update their credentials on an
annual basis.
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It is
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare's desire to have all
professional nurses who report to your facility to be prepared
and productive immediately. Therefore, Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare's staff works with each facility to identify their
specific requirements for orientation. This process is truly a
"win/win" situation for all parties. Clearly, both the
facilities and the nurses working with Criticare/Chadds Ford
Alternacare have a desire to have the worker feel comfortable
and productive in the work environment as quickly as possible.
By developing an orientation program that meets your specific
needs the nurse has the opportunity to have an understanding
of the process and flow of services within your specific
clinical areas. This enhances the nurse's ability to perform
at a higher level and you realize the benefit of a qualified
and productive worker.
Prior to
the start of a nurse's first shift at your facility,
Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare's staff will provide you
with copies of the documents you wish to maintain on file for
that nurse. All of the documents remain in the workers' file
at the Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare office.
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The
offices of Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare are open Monday
through Friday 9am to 5pm. However, the service we provide is
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. An administrative staff is
available around-the-clock. We believe this is an essential
part of our commitment to maintaining on-going and continuous
communication with our clients. Therefore, should you have a
problem, question, or staffing issue simply pick up the
telephone and call! You telephone call will be answered by a
LIVE PERSON who will take your message and telephone number.
They will forward your message to our on-call staff who will
provide you with prompt and courteous service. Additionally,
at all times Criticare/Chadds Ford Alternacare maintain an
administrative on-call person. Therefore, should an issue
arise that the on-call personnel cannot resolve you have the
option of speaking with an administrator.
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