Per Diem Clinical Nurse - Emergency Department

County of Santa Clara • Santa Clara, CA

3d

About The Position

Per Diem Clinical Nurses provide nursing care to patients in a structured environment under general supervision, initiating and performing established nursing interventions using current clinical knowledge. Positions are available in Emergency Departments at O’Connor Hospital, Regional Medical Center, St. Louise Regional Hospital, and Valley Medical Center, as well as Express Care at Valley Medical Center. Employees may need to work at different hospital and clinic sites and must be able to travel to alternate locations.

This is a non-permanent appointment established to meet peak loads or other unusual work situations. Nurses must generally be available for at least six 8-hour shifts per month, including two weekend shifts where applicable. Nurses hired for shifts longer than eight hours must be available for at least four shifts per month, including two weekend shifts where applicable; four weekend shifts may be approved as an alternate schedule to the eight-shift requirement. Nurses must be available to work one of the three major winter holidays. When assigned and working, they receive time-and-one-half pay for hours worked on two of those holidays.

The role includes assessing patients and families, developing and implementing care plans, providing and documenting nursing care, educating patients and families, coordinating care, and evaluating patient responses. Employees may be assigned Disaster Service Worker duties and must complete related training and report to work as ordered during emergencies.

Requirements

• Possession and maintenance of an active California Registered Nurse (RN) license without restrictions.
• At least one year within the last three years of full-time RN experience in an accredited hospital, clinic, or healthcare setting.
• At least one year within the last three years of full-time RN experience in a nursing specialty area.
• Possess and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification during employment.
• For clinical specialty areas, possess and maintain Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification and any other required specialty-area certifications.
• Ability to travel to alternate work locations; if driving, possess a valid California driver’s license before appointment and qualify for and maintain County driver authorization.
• Complete assigned Disaster Service Worker training and, in an emergency, return to work as ordered.
• Knowledge of the California Nurse Practice Act, American Nursing Association Code of Ethics, Nursing Professional Practice Model, applicable healthcare laws and regulations, nursing and medical theory, acute and primary care nursing, specialty-area diagnosis and treatment, clinical systems and equipment, safety and infection control, basic sciences, English usage, and common computer and charting applications.
• Ability to adapt to unexpected patient or family responses; monitor patient satisfaction; support patient and family understanding of care plans; guide, coach, and precept colleagues; identify changes requiring different actions; interpret complex data using critical thinking; foster respect and professional growth; balance competing demands; coordinate multiple patient needs and reprioritize as conditions change; communicate effectively with people of diverse backgrounds; and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to work alternate schedules, weekends, and holidays as necessary and perform the physical skills required to deliver patient care, including lifting, moving, and transferring patients and equipment, performing CPR, and carrying out mobility, fine-motor, vision, hearing, and touch-related clinical tasks.

Nice To Haves

• A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Interview patients and/or families to obtain nursing assessment information, and record and report the data.
• Use assessment data to formulate nursing diagnoses and identify deviations from normal or other patient problems, symptoms, or behavioral changes; report findings to the appropriate authority.
• Observe and document patients’ and families’ physical, psychosocial, cultural, and learning needs and responses.
• Identify patient care problems, establish priorities, and initiate or contribute to patient care plans and unit standards of care.
• Plan patient teaching activities and teach patients and families.
• Provide nursing care according to the care plan and established priorities; coordinate activities needed to carry out the plan.
• Seek supervision and guidance when developing nursing skills, performing unfamiliar procedures, or working in unfamiliar situations.
• Accept accountability for nursing care provided and monitor compliance with safety standards and care protocols.
• Record care provided and the patient’s response; participate in implementing patient discharge plans.
• Comply with nursing regulations and recognize registered nurses’ legal and ethical duties; may participate in research projects.
• Evaluate patient responses to care and teaching, and communicate evaluation outcomes.
• May be assigned Disaster Service Worker duties and perform other related duties as required.

Benefits

• Time-and-one-half pay for hours worked on two of the three major winter holidays, when assigned and worked.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed