Sr. Professional Staff Nurse - 8 South

Job Description

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Join our dedicated team at UPMC Hamot as a Full-Time Professional Staff Nurse on the 8 South unit! 

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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.  

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Purpose:
\n The Senior Professional Staff Nurse is a Registered Nurse and a member of the care delivery team. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse is responsible to set the standards for the level and quality of care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse has responsibility, authority and accountability for the provision of nursing care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication and collaboration with all team members. The role of the Senior Professional Staff Nurse encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration and supervision. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients and their families, to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse demonstrates a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

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UPMC is committed to investing in nurses like you – financially, personally, and professionally – starting on day one of your career. From tackling student loans to advancing your career later in life, UPMC is the partner you need to succeed and thrive in your nursing career. 

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Here’s how we support our nurses:

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• Sign-On Bonus amount and eligibility based on type of nursing role and candidate experience
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• Up to five and a half weeks of Paid Time Off annually, plus seven paid holidays each year
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• Dedicated career ladders allowing you to achieve your highest potential while rewarding you for your experience and advanced education
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• Tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 per academic year at any accredited institution, available to employees and their dependents (plus discounts for UPMC employees including no cost RN-BSN/MSN options!)
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Responsibilities:

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  Relationship Building: Develop and maintain productive working relationships internally and externally, demonstrating accountability, enthusiasm, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Recognize cultural differences and promote healthy relationships while maintaining a balance between work and personal life. Communicate safety hazards identified in the workplace to peers and management.

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  Patient Education: Demonstrate knowledge of adult learning principles (and/or teaching children when applicable) to effectively teach patients, families, students, and new staff. Provide comprehensive education to guide patients and families through their care episodes and transitions to other levels of care or home. Support the development of students and new staff, serving as a preceptor and fostering an environment of open dialogue and continuous improvement through feedback.

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  Nursing Process Application: Utilize the nursing process within the framework of Relationship-Based Care to create a healing environment. Formulate daily goals and care plans that involve the patient as a partner, considering their holistic needs. Employ critical thinking to identify and address clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues. Communicate effectively with other care providers, articulating the patient’s condition and recommending changes in care as needed. Ensure comprehensive documentation that promotes effective communication among caregivers.

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  Professional Development: Take accountability for personal and professional development, actively participating in unit-based shared governance and goal-setting initiatives. Support quality improvement efforts to enhance patient care and the practice environment. Collaborate as a full partner on the care team, responding to team members’ needs for assistance.

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  Quality Improvement: Engage in department or unit-specific quality improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities for improvement and take personal responsibility for enhancing patient satisfaction with care and service. Utilize research and evidence-based practices to support clinical care improvements, discussing findings during multidisciplinary rounds and influencing patients’ care plans

  Responsibilities:
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• Identifies opportunities for clinical quality as well as workplace improvement.
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• Applies evidence based practice as a regular aspect of professional practice. Serves on or leads teams that launch innovations in patient care or support a healthy workforce.
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• Serves as a role model of professional nursing practice by serving as a recognized unit leader in one or more of the following areas: clinical expertise, teacher, specialized resource nurse, and/or evidence based practice. 
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• Consistently gives appropriate feedback to all members of the health care team and participates in the nursing peer review process.
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• Promotes change that enhances the quality of patient care and the unit environment. 
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• Serves on teams and leads successful teams as a part of daily practice. 
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• Demonstrates highly developed clinical assessment and analytical skills within the context of Relationship Based Care. 
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• Actively participates in shared governance at unit level and serves on hospital-wide councils.
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• Demonstrates a passion for developing others, enthusiastically and expertly precepts students, graduate nurses and new hires. 
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• Analyzes clinical and behavioral situations, identifying learning opportunities to improve patient care practices. 
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• Regularly seeks feedback on performance and applies continuous professional improvement. 
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• Supports continuous learning in the clinical area by sharing research, materials from professional organizations, presenting on the unit, supporting journal clubs, etc.
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• Applies the nursing process within the framework of Relationship Based Care to create a healing environment. 
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• Formulates daily goals and a plan of care for patients that involves the patient as partner and considers the individual needs of the patient in a holistic manner. 
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• Practices solid communication skills, and is able to articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices. 
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• Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers. 
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• Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care. 
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• Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction of the patient experience in daily work. 
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• Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
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• Builds and mends relationships among colleagues within the framework of a healthy workplace. 
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• Role models keen cultural awareness including preventing and addressing horizontal violence and impairment. 
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• Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life through prioritization and delegation of responsibilities.
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• The individual 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. 
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• They must also 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 his/her age-specific needs and to provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures. 
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• Minimum 2 years’ experience. 
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• BSN preferred. 
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• Must obtain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on a Professional Staff Nurse Performance Evaluation to be promoted to this level. 
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• Must maintain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on annual performance evaluation to maintain status. 
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• Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families. 
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• Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment. 
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• 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. 
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• Mobility and visual manual dexterity. 
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  Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting and positioning of patients.

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• Annual completion of a professional contribution selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by Unit Director OR UPMC approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained OR Certification not required if Master's in nursing or DNP is held. If a BSN is held, a Master's degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification.
  Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
  \n 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. UPMC approved nursing certification preferred. Annual completion of a professional contributions selected from department, hospital or system goals, and approved by Unit Director OR UPMC approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained. OR Certification not required if Master's in nursing or DNP is held. If a BSN is held, a Master's degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification. CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
  \n NIH within 6 months of hire or transfer into department, ACLS within 1 year of hire or transfer into department
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• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
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• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
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• NIH Stroke Scale (NIH)
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• Registered Nurse (RN)
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• Act 34
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*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 \n