Professional Staff Nurse, 8 South

Join Our Team at UPMC Hamot as a Casual Professional Staff Nurse on the 8 South Unit!

Neurology and Neurosurgical Acute Care Unit

8 South is a 20-bed unit who cares for adult and geriatric neurological or neurosurgical patients. Within the 20 beds are 9 beds capable of accommodating intermediate care patients and 2 beds capable of accommodating epilepsy monitoring patients (EMU). The unit provides service to patients with neurological conditions that include cerebral vascular accidents (CVAs), seizures, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), multiple sclerosis (MS), and other neurological disorders.

The unit also provides for patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures, which include craniotomies, back surgeries, spinal cord stimulators, deep brain stimulators, cranial nerve decompressions, and aneurysm coilings/clippings. This unit has a 6:1 nurse-patient ratio every shift.

Title and Salary will be determined based upon education and experience.

Purpose: The Professional Staff Nurse, a Registered Nurse, is a key member of the care delivery team responsible for setting care standards and ensuring high-quality nursing care. They manage patient care activities, using independent judgment and collaborating with team members. Their role includes leadership, partnership, and supervision, and they maintain collaborative relationships with physicians, other healthcare providers, patients, and families to achieve desired outcomes. They also demonstrate a commitment to the community and the nursing profession.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally. Demonstrates accountability, enthusiasm, motivation, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Understands cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships.
• Maintains a balance between work and personal life, modeling safe work hours and healthy lifestyle.
• Communicates safety hazards identified in the workplace to peers and management. Demonstrates knowledge of adult learning principles and applies them in teaching patients, families, students, and new staff.
• Provides detailed teaching to guide patients and families through care transitions. Supports the development of students, new staff, and colleagues, and may serve as a preceptor.
• Creates an environment of open dialogue and continuous development by seeking feedback. Applies the nursing process to create a healing environment and formulates daily goals and care plans with patients.
• Demonstrates critical thinking in identifying clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues. Practices solid communication skills, translating patient conditions to other care providers and recommending changes.
• Ensures comprehensive patient documentation to promote communication between caregivers. Incorporates goals from national professional organizations and health systems to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction.
• Builds healing relationships with patients, families, and colleagues to create a compassionate patient-focused experience. Demonstrates accountability for professional development to improve practice and patient care quality.
• Actively participates in unit-based shared governance, goal setting, and supports change processes. Serves as an engaged partner on the care team, responding to team member needs.
• Participates in work to improve patient care and the professional practice environment. Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility.
• Actively participates in quality improvement efforts and identifies opportunities for improvement. Takes personal responsibility for improving patient satisfaction with care and service.
• Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support clinical care improvements. Identifies research issues, discusses quality improvement opportunities, and influences patient care plans.

• Must demonstrate knowledge and skills to provide age-appropriate care for patients on assigned unit.
• Understands principles of growth and development across the lifespan.
• Able to assess and interpret patient data to identify age-specific needs and deliver appropriate care per department policies.
• Minimum of 1 year nursing experience required.
• BSN preferred.
• Capable of building and maintaining positive, caring relationships with all levels of staff, patients, and families.
• Able to work effectively in complex environments with changing priorities and specialized equipment.
• Requires sound clinical judgment, critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Must demonstrate leadership in applying the nursing process and guiding others.
• Physical requirements include mobility, visual manual dexterity, and stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.
• Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) within one year of hire or transfer.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• NIH Stroke Scale (NIH) within 6 months of hire or transfer.
• Registered Nurse (RN) 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.
• Act 34
• UPMC approved national certification preferred.

*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