Professional Staff Nurse, Expert, BSN - 6E Brain Injury Rehab

UPMC Mercy is currently hiring a full-time Professional Staff Nurse, Expert, BSN to support its 6E Brain Injury Rehab unit!

Title and salary will be determined based upon education and nursing experience. Salary as shown is for an Expert level RN, which requires 4 years of nursing experience. Those with less experience will be hired at the appropriate level on our Career Ladder. Graduate nurses are encouraged to apply.

At UPMC Mercys 18-bed brain injury unit, each patient receives both an individualized and multidisciplinary approach to brain injury care. We are dedicated to guiding and supporting patients and families through the challenges of brain injury rehabilitation, and we recognize that each persons needs are different. Our program is the only of its kind in western Pennsylvania. Our team encompasses the physiatrist who oversees rehabilitation techniques, medical management, and methods of treating and preventing impairment in conjunction with UPMC Mercy. The patient care team also includes rehabilitation nurses who manage various aspects of the patients care and education; physical therapists who focus on restoring movement and function; occupational therapist who work with the patient on recovering skills needed for everyday living; speech language pathologist who work with communication, swallowing, and cognition; Case Managers who help direct each patients plan of care; neuropsychologists who help treat a patients memory, thinking, and concentration, and amongst some of the specialties that we have to offer our patients. As one of the leading rehabilitation programs in the United States, brain injury patients at the UPMC Rehabilitation Institute have access to state-of-the-art technology and comprehensive services to assist with brain injury recovery.

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.

Heres how we support our nurses:

• Generous Sign-On Bonus (eligibility varies based off experience)

• UPMCs brand new Monthly Loan Repayment program, exclusively for graduate nurses, offering $20,000* in loan repayment paid over three years (*Eligible flex full-time RN roles to receive prorated amount)

• Up to five and a half weeks of Paid Time Off annually, plus seven paid holidays each year

• Dedicated career ladders, including a brand-new nursing career ladder added just this year, allowing you to achieve your highest potential while rewarding you for your experience and advanced education

• 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!)

The Professional Staff Nurse provides highly competent patient care and treatment while demonstrating empathy and a passion for learning. A role that requires independent judgment, fluent communication, and candid partnership, the Professional Staff Nurse establishes relationships with physicians, other care providers, patients, and patients families to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care.

A Professional Staff Nurse and a member of the care delivery team, you will set the standards for the level and quality of nursing care and possess authority and accountability for its provision. At all times, you will exemplify a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrates a passion for developing others, enthusiastically and expertly precepts students, graduate nurses and new hires. 
• Analyzes clinical and behavioral situations, identifying learning opportunities to improve patient care practices. 
• Regularly seeks feedback on performance and applies continuous professional improvement. 
• Supports continuous learning in the clinical area by sharing research, materials from professional organizations, presenting on the unit, supporting journal clubs, etc.
• Applies the nursing process within the framework of Relationship Based Care to create a healing environment. 
• 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. 
• 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. Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers. 
• Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care. 
• 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. 
• Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
• Builds and mends relationships among colleagues within the framework of a healthy workplace. 
• Role models keen cultural awareness including preventing and addressing horizontal violence and impairment. 
• Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life through prioritization and delegation of responsibilities.
• Identifies opportunities for clinical quality as well as workplace improvement. 
• 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.
• 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. 
• Consistently gives appropriate feedback to all members of the health care team and participates in the nursing peer review process. 
• Promotes change that enhances the quality of patient care and the unit environment. 
• Serves on teams and leads successful teams as a part of daily practice. 
• Demonstrates highly developed clinical assessment and analytical skills within the context of Relationship Based Care. 
• Actively participates in shared governance at unit level and serves on hospital-wide councils.
• Performs in accordance with system-wide competencies/behaviors.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Minimum 4 years experience for Expert level.
• BSN required.
• For Expert level: Annual completion of a professional contribution selected from department, hospital or system gals, and approved by Unit Director AND either: UPMC approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained. 
  • 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.
• 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. 
• 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. 
• Must obtain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on a Professional Staff Nurse Performance Evaluation to be promoted to this level. 
• Must maintain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on annual performance evaluation to maintain status. 
• 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:

• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• 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 cert or Masters/DNP required within 1 year of moving into Expert level position
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• UPMC Wolff Learning Academy Certificate of Completion for Expert level. 
• 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.