Registered Nurse- Inpatient Unit

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

La Rabida Children’s Hospital provides specialized, family-centered health care to children with medically complex conditions, disabilities, and chronic illness. Through expertise, compassion, and advocacy we help children and their families reach their fullest potential, regardless of their ability to pay.

Our not-for-profit hospital, licensed for 49 beds, helps transition children from neonatal or pediatric intensive care to home, by providing medical, rehabilitative and developmental care, and by training families to continue treatments and manage the necessary equipment in the home. La Rabida also provides extensive rehabilitation for those recovering from wounds or burns and treatment for exacerbations of chronic conditions.

The hospital’s enhanced pediatric patient-centered medical home provides primary care to children with complex medical conditions and their siblings. Children with medical homes elsewhere come to La Rabida for specialty services. La Rabida offers a wide range of specialty services provided to children with sickle cell disease, diabetes, and many others. Children are supported in their emotional and developmental growth, particularly in cases where such growth has been interrupted by accident or disease.

Finally, La Rabida provides forensic and treatment services for children exposed to abuse and neglect, comprehensive assessments for youth in care, early intervention for children between 0 and 3 years of age. Care coordination services for medically complex children are also provided for those who are covered by a health plan and receive care from providers in Cook County

Job Description

SUMMARY: The Registered Nurse focuses on developing skills to guide him/her over a continuum of basic patient care through more complex assignments, assessing the needs of acute and chronically ill children using effective communication with patients/families and team members.  The Registered Nurse uses the nursing process in a family-centered, interdisciplinary context to coordinate care and achieve team goals.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Nursing Process  
   1. Completes initial and ongoing assessments and actively seeks assistance to verify assessments/changes noted.
   2. Identifies problems e.g., nursing diagnosis and adds to problem list/kardex.
   3. Carries out interventions defined in policy or individual plan of care as well as prescribed orders.  Seeks assistance when relationship between orders and assessment is unclear.  (e.g., abnormal lab values.)  Maintains working knowledge of routine procedures, techniques, treatments as defined in policy.
   4. Evaluates interventions against desired goals and seeks input on changes.
   5. Documents assessments, interventions and patient responses, manually and electronically.  Verifies and transcribes medical orders.
2. Assuring/Improving Quality of Care 
   1. Maintains a safe and therapeutic patient care environment by providing care that follows policies and procedures and is in accord with the Illinois Nurse Practice Act.
   2. Demonstrates Unit specific skills and competencies (e.g, Tracheostomy Certification).
   3. Knowledgeable in using patient care equipment; recognizes any malfunction, takes out of services and reports immediately.
   4. Demonstrates knowledge of infection control and safety precautions (e.g., isolation, IV line care).
   5. Displays basic knowledge of regulatory requirements; participates in continuous preparation for survey.
   6. Aware of quality improvement initiatives on unit and in hospital and seeks to incorporate information from projects into practice. Monitor quality indicators as directed.
   7. Completes and routes safety events appropriately.

 

1. Patient/Staff Education      
   1. Assesses patient/family readiness to learning.
   2. Sets mutual goals and provides patient/family education, evaluates efficacy of teaching and documents in the patient record.
   3. Obtains education materials and uses tools appropriate to patient’s age and/or special needs.
   4. Provides specific discharge instructions for this episode of care.
   5. Utilizes interpreter services as necessary.
   6. Attends/Completes all mandatory education and in-services within appropriate timeframe.

 

1. Leadership/Collaboration/Professional Development
   1. Practices Service Excellence Behaviors.
   2. Seeks experiences to develop clinical knowledge base and technical skills.
   3. Delegate patient care tasks to other members of team:  includes assigning responsibilities, evaluating completion of tasks, and providing education, feedback and coaching to complete tasks. 
   4. Demonstrates effective communication, feedback, and conflict resolution skills.
   5. Promotes collaboration among healthcare team members.
   6. Follows chain of command for problem resolution.

 

1. Other Requirements

Obtains and maintains basic certifications as required – RQI BLS, RQI PALS.

ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS:

Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required. Candidates                                                                                      with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) may be considered                                                                                for hire if they are actively enrolled in an accredited BSN or                                                                                        Master’s of Science (MSN) program at the time of hire and                                                                                        maintain continuous enrollment. ADN-prepared nurses hired under                                                                            this provision must obtain their BSN or MSN within 2 years of hire.

Related Work Experience:   Pediatric, PICU & NICU experience preferred

Licensure/Certification: Licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse in the State of

Illinois.

 

Specialized Knowledge and Skills: Growth and Development, Family Centered Philosophy

CPR required: Effective 7/1/2026 New hires will obtain RQI BLS within 30 days                                                                         of hire or prior to direct patient care and will maintain                                                                                         certification quarterly. 

PALS required:                                               New hires will obtain RQI PALS within 6 months of hire and will                                                                                 maintain certification quarterly.

Additional Information

La Rabida Children’s Hospital is very proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

La Rabida is a place unlike any other. We understand the needs of families with children dealing with the most serious or complicated of conditions. With teams of the best healthcare providers in Chicago, we give continuous, comprehensive care, education, and support, helping families face their unique obstacles head-on.   

La Rabida Children’s Hospital is very proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.