Registered Nurse, Heart-Lung-Vascular

Registered Nurse, Heart-Lung-Vascular

Full Time, 72 Hours Per Pay Period, Night Shift

With more than 30 specialties from Cardiology and Neurosurgery to Orthopedics and Vascular care, Methodist Medical Center was one of the first hospitals in East Tennessee to offer cutting-edge treatments and technologies that benefit people with life-threatening aneurysms, severely damaged knee, hip and shoulder joints, sudden heart failure, and non-healing wounds.

Culture of Unit:

Our team prides itself on its close teamwork and safe, evidence-based practices that provide the best care for our patients possible. Our culture promotes patient and staff safety and encourages everyone to speak up, ask questions, and learn from one another.

Work Environment:

The Heart/Lung/Vascular medical/surgical environment provides care of adult patients experiencing primarily pulmonary healthcare concerns. Frequently observed ailments include COPD exacerbation, respiratory viruses, asthma, bronchitis, etc. The IMC is a brand new 21-bed critical care step down unit that provides enhanced nursing services for patients that are too sick to be safely provided care on a medical/surgical unit but may not be in need of the monitoring available in the ICU. Our patients in the IMC are mixed acuity, which means you may encounter cardiovascular, neurological, respiratory, urological, gastrointestinal, or endocrine step down patients.

How Does Scheduling Work?

Scheduling is observed in a four-week period. The nurse manager inputs the schedule and pays close attention to staff requests including desired schedule patterns and vacation times.

Job Objectives:

Assumes direct responsibility and accountability for, and authority of, the nursing care of all patients assigned.

Responsibilities:

• Assesses and identifies the patient's physiological and psycho-social problems and needs.
• Develops an individualized plan of nursing care for each patient in which goals, in terms of measurable outcomes, are stated.
• Ensures that nursing care plan is consistent with the medical plan and adheres to accepted current standards of care and practice.
• Makes appropriate assignments to team members by utilizing patient acuity data, and maintains accountability for members under his/her direction.
• Ensures nursing care adheres to current hospital/departmental policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Demonstrates principles of infection control and collaborates with infection control nurse to ensure safety of patients, staff, and visitors.
• Participates in the orientation of new personnel.
• Assists clinical instructors in providing learning experiences for nursing students.
• Documents review and/or revision of each assigned patient's plan of care at least every 24 hours.

Qualifications:

Education/Knowledge/Skills: Must be a graduate of an accredited school of nursing. Must have knowledge of:

• Etiology, pathophysiology and prognosis for illnesses and health problems;
• The nursing process;
• The management process;
• Current developments in nursing;
• Hospital functions, policies, procedures and regulations as they relate to nursing service.

For staff involved in the care of age-specific groups, knowledge of the bio-psychosocial needs of adult, geriatric and pediatric patients is essential. Special knowledge is required in growth and development needs of pediatric/geriatric patients where applicable.

Experience: Previous experience in department specialty preferred.

Licensure/Certifications: Must be currently licensed as a Registered Nurse by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, or have a temporary permit to practice. Must be currently certified (or scheduled for certification or recertification training according to department guidelines) in the life support program(s) specific to unit(s) worked (CPR, ACLS, NALS, BLS).