11.74600 - Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse / RN

DCH Health System•Tuscaloosa, AL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurse provides cardiac rehabilitation services in accordance with professional standards of practice. Based on each patient’s individual needs, the RN guides interventions to restore functional capacity, reduce coronary heart disease risk factors, and promote behaviors that support healthy living and social independence. The role includes ensuring safe and appropriate monitoring, providing immediate emergency intervention—including ACLS—and assisting with pulmonary rehabilitation as needed. The nurse assesses adult and geriatric patients, collaborates with patients and staff to establish treatment goals, implements interventions that promote safety and function, and provides education and ongoing evaluation. The role also supports staff training, policy and procedure development, performance improvement, patient safety, and efficient use of supplies. The RN is accountable for departmental outcomes and adherence to DCH standards, policies, and procedures. This position requires onsite presence. Work involves patient-care environments and possible exposure to bodily fluids, infectious disease, chemicals, hazardous materials, or cleaning solutions, as well as wearing protective equipment when appropriate. Physical duties may include standing, walking, kneeling, sitting, crouching, stooping, navigating uneven surfaces, and lifting up to 50 pounds; heavier objects may occasionally be moved with assistance. The role may involve stress and fatigue and requires communication, leadership, delegation, and conflict-management skills.

Requirements

Current Alabama RN license in good standing with the Alabama Board of Nursing.
Associate Degree in Nursing; a BSN is preferred.
BLS certification required.
Must obtain ACLS within six months of hire.
Knowledge of cardiac patient care, coronary artery disease risk factors, signs and symptoms of cardiac problems, counseling, and educational programs for cardiac patients and their families.
Must meet behavioral expectations and demonstrate the ability to work with an interdisciplinary team.
Ability to read, write legibly, speak, and comprehend English.
Must become familiar with AACVPR guidelines.
Must be able to communicate clearly and accurately, work in groups, perform structured and unstructured work, and meet time pressures and timelines.
Must be able to delegate to team members and students and receive delegation.
Must be able to address conflict and stressful situations and communicate with people with different personalities, including unpleasant or verbally or physically aggressive individuals.
Physical presence onsite is essential.
Hearing and vision must be normal or corrected to within normal range.
Must be able to perform the duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
Must be able to stand, walk, kneel, sit, crouch, or stoop with good balance for extended periods and maneuver over uneven surfaces.
Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds and occasionally move heavier objects with assistance.
Must tolerate a variety of environments and situations and be subject to stress and fatigue.
May be exposed to human body fluids, disease, infection, laboratory chemicals, hazardous materials, or cleaning solutions and must wear common protective or safety equipment as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

BSN.
Experience in cardiac rehabilitation with cardiac emergency or critical care.

Responsibilities

Provide cardiac rehabilitation services in compliance with applicable standards of practice and assist with pulmonary rehabilitation as needed.
Demonstrate and establish an atmosphere of excellent customer service.
Conduct individualized needs assessments considering medical history, current health status, biopsychosocial characteristics, and coronary artery disease risk factors for adult and geriatric patients.
Collaboratively establish treatment goals with patients and responsible staff.
Implement interventions that promote patient safety, improve function and prognosis, and support independent self-management of health behaviors.
Monitor and assess patients, including vital signs, auscultation as appropriate, cardiac arrhythmia recognition, electrical cardiograph monitoring and simple interpretation, physical assessment, rated perceived exertion, and rate perceived dyspnea.
Educate patients on diet and weight management, exercise, mental health, smoking cessation, cardiac health, controlled breathing, and disease-specific topics.
Monitor progress, evaluate outcomes, adjust treatment modalities, and provide recommendations to the primary care physician regarding progress and discharge status.
Recognize urgent and emergent situations and take appropriate action, including initiating ACLS and early defibrillation when warranted.
Assist with training and direction of support staff and delegate appropriately to team members and students.
Assist with policy and procedure development and ensure compliance.
Participate in economical utilization of supplies and performance-improvement activities.
Perform special projects and related duties as assigned.
Advocate for and participate in patient safety; identify and reduce unsafe practices and risks or hazards to patients, visitors, and employees.
Perform low-level disinfection according to the manufacturer’s instructions for use.
Perform and accurately record technical procedures safely, effectively, efficiently, and within the scope of policy.
Meet or exceed departmental goals and comply with DCH values, mission, vision, behavioral standards, employee handbook requirements, and applicable policies and procedures.
Use electronic mail, telephone, texting, time-and-attendance software, learning-management software, and the intranet as required.
Perform essential job functions in a manner that supports the safety of patients, visitors, and employees.
Complete other duties as assigned.