Registered Nurse - Trauma Orthopedics

Registered Nurse

Join a team where your work matters—every moment, every patient, every community. At SSM Health, you'll be empowered to grow, supported to thrive, and inspired to make a lasting impact.

In this role, you will provide hands-on support in a fast-paced, 24-bed trauma-focused care environment where every shift makes a direct impact on patients and families. This team primarily cares for acutely stable trauma patients who require ongoing assessment, evaluation, and multidisciplinary collaboration. Common admissions include motor vehicle collisions, gunshot wounds, traumatic brain injuries, orthopedic fractures, falls, and a variety of medical-surgical conditions.

Department: Orthopedic and Trauma, Medical / Surgical

Schedule: 12-hour shifts with every third weekend and a holiday rotation.

Sign-On Bonus: Ask your recruiter about sign-on bonus eligibility

Apply today. SSM Health – We bring out the incredible in you, every day.

Job Summary:

The Registered Nurse is a professional practitioner who assesses, manages, directs, and provides nursing care activities during the patient's hospital stay and coordinates planning with other disciplines utilizing a patient/customer driven approach.

Job Responsibilities and Requirements:

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITIES AND PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Essential Functions: The following are essential job accountabilities and performance criteria:

1) Performs comprehensive nursing assessment/reassessment.

Criteria

A) Performs age-appropriate admission assessment or transfer assessment. Obtains input from family/guardian when appropriate.

B) Accurately and completely documents findings.

C) Performs assessment of post-op/post-invasive procedure patients.

D) Assesses and documents education and discharge needs of patient and family on admission and throughout hospitalization.

E) Provides patient reassessment documenting pertinent observations according to the patient plan of care, changes in condition, status and/or diagnosis, response to care, procedures, etc., and standards of care.

2) Establishes, coordinates and evaluates a plan of care based on analysis of assessment data, patient diagnosis, lab data, tests, procedures, physician orders, protocols and standards of care and other information as relevant.

Criteria

A)Identifies short and long term goals based on patient care needs.

B)Formulates nursing interventions to achieve desired patient outcome.

C) Incorporates disease specific evidenced based practice into nursing care plan and other documentation

3) Provides and documents nursing interventions based on assessed patient needs, plan of care, and changes in patient status.

Criteria

A) Collaborates with appropriate health team members for coordination of daily plan of care for assigned patients.

B) Provides, coordinates and communicates patient care, including accurate Handoff Communication Reports.

C) Administers and documents medications accurately according to policies and procedures.

D) Monitors, maintains and documents accurate IV fluids and parenteral nutrition according to policies and procedures.

E) Completes referrals as indicated by assessment data.

F) Requests consultation for special needs, equipment, or information for patient and/or family.

G) Provides patient/family education and discharge planning per documentation guidelines and protocol.

H) Clarifies all physician orders as warranted.

I) Acknowledges and implements physician orders in an accurate and timely manner as evidenced by documentation in the medical record.

J) Assists physician with procedures/treatments as requested or delegates to Care Partner as appropriate.

K) Documents "Readback" for all telephone / verbal orders.

L) Takes telephone / verbal orders only in emergency situations.

M) Recognizes changes in patient's condition and takes appropriate nursing actions.

N) Involves the family/guardian when providing care and in decision-making as appropriate.

O) Recognizes risks for patient and takes appropriate action.

P) Incorporates use of Infection Control practices in daily care.

4) Documents and or communicates nursing care and or changes in patient condition.

Criteria

A) Performs and documents ongoing evaluation of effectiveness of care based on assessment data, nursing interventions, patient response to medications, treatments and procedures.

B) Evaluates and documents effectiveness of patient/family education.

C) Evaluates plan of care and modifies as indicated in "A" above.

D) Recognizes significant changes in patient's clinical parameters and reports immediately to physician and others as indicated.

E) Identifies problems, gathers pertinent data, suggests solutions, communicates using appropriate lines of authority, and works toward problem resolution.

F) Reports variation from care/treatment following the occurrence reporting policy and procedures.

5)Specialized Care: Provides specialized care to patients at high risk for injury.

Criteria

A) Restraint Care

1. Initiates/evaluates alternatives to restraint prior to application

2.Applies restraints consistent with the approved procedure.

3. Monitors and assesses patient's response throughout the restraint period at the appropriate intervals.

4. Provides specified patient care (toileting, skin care, hydration, feeding, etc.) on a timely basis.

5. Provides consultation for peers to determine alternatives to restraints and 1:1 observation.

6. Documents restraint use and associated care thoroughly.

B) Pain Management

1. Assess patient for presence of pain on admission and during assessments/reassessments.

2. Incorporates patient's cultural/spiritual beliefs regarding pain into pain management plan.

3. Implement pain management techniques. Focus on prevention rather than treatment.

4. Include patient and/or family members in developing a pain management plan.

5. Consider other methods of pain control when developing plan of care: massage, repositioning, immobilization, and music therapy.

C) Abuse Assessment

1. Is aware of abuse recognition criteria and incorporates it into assessments.

2. Reports signs of possible abuse/neglect to the Administrative Director of Behavioral Health, physician, Risk Management and Social Work.

3. Takes appropriate action to support patient safety when signs of abuse are noted.

6) Demonstrates accountability for own professional practice.

Criteria

A) Adheres to all quality and performance standards, policies, procedures, protocols when implementing clinical and technical aspects of care.

1. Participates in learning experiences that increases professional competence.

B) Demonstrates appropriate technical and cognitive skills for area of practice.

C) Maintains currency in all hospital/unit information, communication, policies and procedures.

1. Attends staff meetings/reviews minutes when absent

2. Participates in Committee(s), Shared Governance, Work Team(s), in a leadership and or in membership role

3. Reviews Hospital/Nursing publications

4. Keeps up to date with policies and procedures

5. Participates and or keeps up to date with Shared Governance and Unit Based Practice Council activities and information. Contributes to requests for feedback.

D) Demonstrates ability to change and adapt to changing work demands

1. Responds positively to change

2. Provides assistance and support to peers, co-workers and other team members

3.Adapts positively to changes in unplanned work load and job demands

7) Ability to relate to coworkers in a professional and appropriate manner.

Criteria

A) Orients and/or precepts new employees when required.

B) Participates in and maintains a collaborative team approach toward work.

C) Functions as a resource person to co-workers, patients/families, medical staff and other members of the health care team.

D) Effectively assumes and delegates care and other activities to the appropriate team member.

E) Redirects clinical staff when the medical plan of care is altered.

F) Communicates the plan of care to be followed on each individual patient in a precise and professional manner.

G) Responsible for the supervision and teaching of students/new staff nurses.