About the position
Specialty Registered Nurse (RN) assumes responsibility and accountability for a group of patients for a designated time frame and provides care to these patients through the therapeutic use of self, the nursing process, the environment/instrumentation, and other health care team members. These nurses work in ambulatory/acute care setting administering hi-risk medications and/or sedations. These nurses provide care in the hospital setting. Cardiac and vascular nursing is a specialty within the nursing profession that encompasses the care of individuals across the life span who are undergoing a surgical procedure or procedure requiring sedation/anesthesia. Cardiac and vascular nursing incorporates the pre-procedure care, acute post-operative care, and care for a subset of inpatients. The Cardiac and vascular nurse will use a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Nursing care can range from routine, elective procedures to highly complex procedures to direct admits and transfers. These nurses have adapted nursing process to include strict adherence to the procedural safety checklists, titratable infusions, post-operative airway, pain, nausea, and arterial and venous access site management. Cardiac and vascular nurses will educate patients about post-operative care management and provide same day discharge instructions for outpatients and continued care for inpatients. The delivery of professional nursing care at Stormont Vail Health is guided by Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring and the theory of Shared governance, both of which are congruent with the mission, vision, and values of the organization.
Responsibilities
- Provides direct patient care as defined within the scope of the state's nurse practice act.
- Performs assessment/data collection in an ongoing and systematic manner, focusing on physiological and cognitive status.
- Administers prescribed medications, infusions, titrate cardiac and anticoagulant infusions, and/or treatments in accordance with nursing standards.
- Formulates a prioritized and goal directed plan of care for inpatients, based on patient's presenting problems and projected outcomes.
- Implements care in a knowledgeable, skillful, consistent manner, while promoting the continuum of care.
- Establishes priorities of patient care based on essential patient needs and available unit resources.
- Prepares equipment and aids provider during treatment, examination and testing of patients.
- Evaluates the effectiveness of the health care process in meeting outcomes.
- Observes, records, and reports patient's condition and reaction to drugs and treatments to provider.
- Documents in patient and department records in a timely, accurate and concise manner according to department standards.
- Maintains and reviews patient records, charts, and other pertinent information.
- Compiles tests and examination results.
- Monitors patients' level of consciousness throughout and side effects of sedation/anesthesia recovery.
- Assists Cardiologist, Radiologists, and APP's to conduct laboratory test results, cardiac stress tests, stress echocardiograms, CT coronary cardiograms, and cardiac rhythm interpretation.
- Treats pain, nausea, and other post-procedure symptoms of anesthesia.
- Evaluates the patient's progress towards achieving outcomes.
- Performs efficiently in emergency patient situations following established standards of care.
- Practices effective problem identification and resolution as a method of sound decision making.
- Greets patients and prepares them for provider examination.
- Collects patient history information.
- Instructs patients in collection of samples and tests.
- Triages and refers incoming telephone calls.
- Instructs patient and family regarding medications and treatment instructions.
- Participates in system wide/department patient care quality improvement activities.
- Participates actively in clinical education activities, including orientation of new employees and teaching student nurses.
- Participates in nursing research activities.
- Participates in development and attainment of system wide/department hospital goals.
- Delegates tasks and duties in the direction and coordination of health care team members.
- Seeks validation of knowledge base, skill level and decision making as necessary.
- Floats to the hospital to perform Registered Nurse duties as requested.
- Adheres to Universal Protocol and completes surgical safety checklists.
- Completes pre-operative care and tasks to pre procedure orders and safety protocols.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) Preferred
- Experience in a clinic setting Preferred
- Registered Nurse - KSBN Required
- Basic Life Support - BLS RQI or other certifications may be required in lieu of or in addition to BLS depending on department. Must have within 90 days of hire.
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support - ACLS Must have within 90 days of hire.
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support - PALS Must have within 90 days of hire.
