Graduate Registered Nurse- Cardiac Surgery ICU - Full Time

Opening Summer 2026 at 4000 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland, FL.

The Orlando Health System of Care

includes award-winning hospitals and ERs, specialty institutes, urgent care centers, primary care practices and outpatient facilities that span Florida’s east to west coasts, Central Alabama and Puerto Rico. Collectively, our dedicated team members honor our over 100-year legacy by providing professional and compassionate care to the patients, families and communities we serve. Combining the collective strengths of two powerhouse organizations, Orlando Health and the high-quality physicians at Watson Clinic are expanding access to award-winning specialty care for patients in Polk County and beyond.

Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital – a State-of-the-art, Seven-story, Multi-specialty Hospital – Will Serve As a Vital 550,000 Square-foot Healthcare Hub Offering

300+ inpatient beds and 69 emergency and observation beds

Dedicated labor and delivery services – including a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) that will debut shortly after the hospital opens

Comprehensive cardiovascular, neurology, and oncology services

Advanced surgical procedures

Join us in shaping the future of healthcare in Polk County as part of the Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital opening team and share in the privilege of saying you were there from the very beginning.

Orlando Health is committed to providing you with benefits that go beyond the expected, with career‑growing FREE education programs and well‑being services to support you and your family through every stage of life. Orlando Health Is Your Best Place to Work” is not just something we say, it’s our promise to you.

Tuition reimbursement and loan repayment programs

Back‑up childcare and elder care

Fertility benefits and adoption assistance

NCLEX reimbursement

Free NCPDs for RN license

Dedicated RN career counselor and GN Coordinators to develop you

Specialty certifications reimbursement

Company is committed to diversity and inclusion. We are an equal opportunity employer including veterans and people with disabilities.

Administers patient care in an area in a hospital or inpatient setting where patients have an advanced illness or injury that routinely requires timely, intense, and complex care to stabilize and support the patient's medical condition. Demonstrates critical knowledge, skills, and judgement to care for patients requiring complex assessment and therapies, high intensity interventions, and high‑level continuous nursing vigilance.

Utilizes information and assessment data to anticipate and respond with confidence and adapt to rapidly changing patient conditions.

Monitors and adjusts specialized equipment used on patients, and interprets and records electronic displays, such as intracranial pressures, central venous pressures, pulmonary artery pressures, and cardiac rhythms from cardiac monitors, respirators, ventilators, oxygen pumps, etc.

Responds to life‑saving situations based on nursing standards and protocol.

Observes, monitors, and assesses patients’ condition, recognizes, identifies, and interprets serious situations and calls Physician or takes preplanned emergency measures when Physician is not immediately available.

Assesses patient’s needs and develops/revises an individualized plan of care based on patient needs and responses. Respects diversity by building respectful relationships with all team members and customers.

Demonstrates advanced knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on his or her assigned unit/ department.

Serves as a preceptor, charge nurse, unit educator, and/ or nurse clinician.

Communicates and collaborates with medical staff and interdisciplinary team to effectively plan and manage the unit/department.

Serves as a role model for staff and supports the hospital and nursing department’s goals and strategies.

Demonstrates knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span, assesses the data reflective of the patient’s status, and interprets the necessary information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to his or her age specific needs.

Coordinates the care and delegates as appropriate to other team members on a defined group of patients.

Documents patient care in a knowledgeable, skillful, and consistent manner meeting all required and regulatory standards. Demonstrates competency in nursing skills and use of patient care/unit equipment as defined by unit/department‑specific requisite skills.

Prioritizes patient care in an ongoing manner in accordance with Evidence‑Based Practice Standards of Care.

Delegates tasks and duties to healthcare team members in accordance with the patient’s needs and the team member’s capabilities and qualifications.

Communicates appropriate information regarding patient condition or unit concerns to other health care team members.

Demonstrates awareness of legal issues and patients’ rights.

Collaborates with the education department and nursing leadership team to effectively transition and support new team members and/or students.

Maintains reasonably regular, punctual attendance consistent with Orlando Health policies, the ADA, FMLA, and other federal, state, and local standards.

Maintains compliance with all Orlando Health policies and procedure.

Specific Essential Function for trained Advanced Care Registered Nurse ECMO Specialist Job responsibilities * Registered Nurses who have received specialized training and are able to function as an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) Specialist provide daily staffing for Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) services. * Specialists work under the direction of unit leadership, intensivist services, perfusion services, and in collaboration with bedside staff to ensure that the patient on ECMO has adequate perfusion, corrects for proper acid‑base balance, and provides for hemodynamic stability within ordered parameters. * Nursing ECMO Specialists work in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and communicate with physicians, perfusionists and other members of the healthcare team to interpret, adjust and complete treatment specific care for the ECMO patient. * ECMO specialists are expected to perform required technical skills with efficiency, accuracy and safety while anticipating, troubleshooting, and managing crises and emergency situations according to policy and procedure. * Performs scheduled, un‑scheduled, and emergency ECLS in the hospital setting. * Operates all ECMO equipment under the direction of MD/perfusion providers. * Monitors and optimizes the ECMO circuit and related equipment during the management period. * Manages any equipment when connected in‑line with ECMO circuit. * The professional nurse contributes to the knowledge and skills of others, and the continuous improvement of the quality of health care practice and organizational outcomes.

Participates and may lead unit level and/or organizational level committees of nursing practice and performance improvement.

Participates in department and organizational peer review, mentoring, and coaching regarding professional practice or role performance.

Attends staff development in‑services, department meetings, and/or nursing committee meetings.

Partners with the nursing leadership team to identify professional development needs.

Maintains equipment and supplies for use in ECMO/perfusion services and provides pertinent information to supervisor/director in conjunction with biomed or vendors.

Provides critical nursing resource support to CVICU or other areas as directed by leadership when not providing ECLS services.

Our people are passionate about what they do, the product they sell, and the customers they serve. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Section 1557), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), in covered health programs or activities. Graduate of an approved school of nursing.

Meets all mandatory, developmental, and performance competency requirements for Orlando Health and unit/department.

Maintains current State of Florida RN license or valid eNLC multistate RN license

Maintains current BLS/Healthcare Provider certification.

NRP required for Neonatal Intensive care Unit (NICU).

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