Clinician - Cardiothoracic ICU

Clinician - Cardiothoracic ICU
Location: UPMC Altoona
Schedule: 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday

Why Join Us?


At UPMC Altoona, we're committed to building a culture of excellence in trauma care. As a Clinician on our Cardiothoracic ICU, you'll step into a highly respected nurse leader role where you'll inspire, mentor, and guide others while making a direct impact on patient outcomes. This is more than a job-it's an opportunity to shape the future of nursing practice and elevate patient care.


Compensation & Career Growth

• Generous $15,000 sign-on bonus for external candidates (with 2-year commitment).
• Placement into Clinician or Clinician Fellow title and salary grade based on experience and education. (Note that this job posting reflects the Clinician salary grade)
• Opportunities to lead initiatives in quality improvement, evidence-based practice, and onboarding.

What You'll Do


As a Clinician, you'll serve as both a leader and role model of professional nursing practice. Your responsibilities will include:


Leadership & Team Development

• Lead by example, fostering positive communication and teamwork.
• Mentor and coach colleagues, addressing cultural diversity and workplace challenges.
• Conduct staff evaluations, participate in hiring, and manage daily performance for direct reports.
• Support staff through change and transition, promoting participatory leadership and shared governance.

Clinical Excellence & Patient Care

• Provide clinical expertise and service-based education for staff, including orientation, training, and consultation.
• Apply Relationship-Based Care principles to meet the clinical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of patients and families.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and strong communication skills to advocate for patients and collaborate with care teams.
• Step in with direct patient care responsibilities when needed.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Drive quality improvement initiatives and integrate evidence-based practices into daily work.
• Share best practices across units and disseminate new knowledge through presentations, posters, and publications.
• Actively participate in preceptorship, mentoring student nurses, interns, and new hires.
• Champion lifelong learning and professional development for yourself and others.

What We're Looking For

• A nurse leader passionate about advancing patient safety, quality, and satisfaction.
• Someone who thrives in mentoring, coaching, and building strong teams.
• A professional committed to continuous learning and innovation in nursing practice.

Qualifications:

Clinician Requirements (Preferred):

• Minimum 3 years of nursing experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• BS/BSN required.
• If BS degree not in nursing, a Master's or higher degree in Nursing is required.

Clinician Fellow Requirements:

• Minimum 2 years' experience.
• If BSN is not at the time of hire, must be enrolled in a program within one year of hire/transfer date and completed within three years of enrollment (i.e. public health, information technology, administration, etc.).

Additional Qualifications:

• Demonstrated competence as a Professional Staff Nurse.
• 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.
• Must 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 their age-specific needs and to provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures.
• 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.
• Exemplary clinical judgment with critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care. 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 in practicing state*.
• National Certification preferred.
• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• NIH Stroke Scale (NIH)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Act 34

*Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.


UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran