Staff Nurse-CTICU (Harrisburg)

Company: UPMC
Location: Harrisburg
Posted on: July 19, 2021

Job Description:

Description

The CTICU is a 19 bed Cardiac unit which primarily cares for cardiac surgery open heart patients immediate post-op, we also care for acutely ill cardiac patients such as MI, Cardiogenic Shock, those needing devices such as Intra-aortic balloon pump, Impella, and ECMO.  We care for acutely ill vascular patients requiring surgery and care for them immediate post-op to include those needing Thoracic drains and EKOS.  We care for stroke patients, post cardiac arrest (to include hypothermia protocol), minimally invasive cardiac procedure patients, and renal disease patients to include those needing CRRT.  We also care for medically ill patients such as septic shock, acute exacerbation of CHF, and other disease processes requiring ICU critical care.  It is a fast-paced environment with little downtime.  The average stay for many of our cardiac and thoracic patients is 24-72 hours.  The medical patients stay longer with an average of 10-18 days depending on severity of illness and if there are beds available on N10 or M10 where most medical patients from our unit are transferred.  All cardiac, thoracic, and vascular patients are usually transferred to M6 or discharged to home from the unit.  

Purpose:
The Staff Nurse is a Registered Nurse (RN) or Graduate Nurse (GN) and a member of the care delivery team. The Staff Nurse is responsible to set the standards for the level and quality of care. The Staff Nurse has responsibility, authority and accountability for the provision of nursing care. The Staff Nurse manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication and collaboration with all team members. The role of the Staff Nurse encompasses the beginnings of leadership, partnership, collaboration and supervision. The Staff Nurse establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Staff Nurse begins to demonstrate a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with all members of the health care team. Begins to demonstrate awareness of cultural diversity, horizontal violence and impairment in the health professions. Cares for patients and self by supporting safety in the workplace.
• Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care. Makes recommendations for the improvement of clinical care and the health of the workplace and welcomes and participates in change initiatives. Leads by investing and building healthy relationships among colleagues and other disciplines. Shows the ability to set priorities and demonstrates an understanding of shared governance and begins participating at the unit level. Begins to serve as an engaged member of a team supporting colleagues in service to patients and families and may participate in task forces or other initiatives.
• Actively engages in clinical development and/or RN residency program for new hires. Requests opportunities to learn safe, accountable and autonomous practice from more experienced nurses. Seeks, accepts and utilizes performance feedback from peers, preceptors and unit/department Leaders as a learning opportunity and to improve practice. Demonstrates enthusiasm for continuous learning and identifies and creates a plan for the continuation of learning and development.Identifies patient and family needs for education and provides basic education to support the episode of care. Seeks professional development and involvement through membership in a professional nursing organization and/or reading professional literature on a regular basis.
• Applies basic nursing knowledge and skills within the framework of Relationship Based Care, using the nursing process to meet the clinical, psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient and family. Communicates effectively, both verbally and in documentation. Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, spiritual issues within the episode of care. Learns to incorporate national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction. Formulates a plan of care and daily goals that consider individual patient needs. Demonstrates initiative and seeks formal and informal opportunities to improve clinical practice. Seeks guidance and asks questions to continuously improve nursing practice. Creates a caring and compassionate patient-focused experience by building healing relationships with patient, families and colleagues. Identifies ethical situations within patient care or within the workplace and seeks assistance. Professionally accepts assignments that gradually increase patient load and complexity.
• Demonstrates a basic knowledge of research, how it affects practice and who/what resources are available to assist with evidence based practice by asking questions, demonstrating interest, participating in unit-based journal clubs. Clinical practice demonstrates knowledge of how quality and innovation impacts patient satisfaction, safety, and clinical quality outcomes. Identifies opportunities for improvement on the clinical area.

Qualifications

The individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and/or interact appropriately to the ages of the patients served by his/her assigned unit as specified below. They must also demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs and to provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures.Zero to one year of experience.Completion of UPMC student nurse internship or student clinical transitions course at UPMC preferredBSN preferred.Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families.Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment.Critical thinking, analytical and problem solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care.Good clinical judgment.Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and to lead others in application of the nursing process.Mobility and visual manual dexterity. Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting and positioning of patients.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located. CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hireMust complete licensure examination within FOUR MONTHS of hire or within one year of graduation, whichever comes first. Though temporary permits are valid for one year from the date of graduation, not one year from issue of permit (or until the results of the examination are known at which time it becomes null and void), UPMC requires that GNs take the licensure examination within 4 months of their start date or they will be terminated or demoted from the GN position, at the discretion of the BU.

Clearances must be dated within 90 days
 

• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Registered Nurse (RN) OR Temporary Practice Permit (TPP)
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal
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• UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran

Keywords: UPMC, Harrisburg , Staff Nurse-CTICU (Harrisburg), Other , Harrisburg, Pennsylvania