Hospital Nurse Shift Manager - Per Diem - Shift

Kern Medical•Bakersfield, CA

21d

About The Position

Kern Medical is an acute care teaching center with 222 beds, providing advanced trauma care and a range of primary, specialty, and multi-specialty services. This per diem role supplements department staffing needs, with no guarantee of minimum hours and a minimum scheduling expectation of four shifts per month. The Nursing Shift Manager interprets and monitors compliance with hospital and Nursing Department policies, serves as a clinical and operational resource, and coordinates staffing and patient-care responses across hospital units. The role also oversees incoming transfers and direct admissions, including triage, physician communication, bed placement, required authorizations and agreements, and transfer documentation. The position requires a current California Registered Nurse license and qualifying hospital RN experience through one of two pathways: a relevant bachelor's degree and three years of recent paid full-time hospital RN experience, or five years of recent hospital RN experience including one year in a charge nurse or leadership role. The employee must maintain BLS, ACLS, PALS, and RQI Provider certification and competency. Depending on assignment, other certificates of competency may be required. A background check may be required. All Kern Medical employees are designated Disaster Service Workers and must report to or remain at work during a disaster or civil disorder when safe and practicable. A valid California driver's license and compliance with the applicable vehicle-use policy are required if the role's responsibilities involve driving.

Requirements

Current California Registered Nurse license.
One qualifying experience pathway: a bachelor's degree in Nursing, Business, Health Care Administration, or another related field from an accredited college or university, plus three years of paid full-time hospital RN experience attained within the past five years; or five years of hospital RN experience attained within the past seven years, including one year in a charge nurse or leadership role for a function such as education, safety, quality management, research, or policy development.
Maintain American Heart Association Provider Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications.
Maintain RQI Provider certification and competency as a continued condition of employment.
Depending on assignment, possess and maintain specific certificates of competency as a condition of employment.
Knowledge of patient-care delivery systems; personnel management; in-service training for professional and allied nursing personnel; nursing records, reports, and statistics; and modern hospital organization, practices, supplies, and equipment.
Ability to plan, organize, coordinate, and assist in directing nursing services for a large general hospital.
Ability to analyze and respond to crisis situations, select effective courses of action, and work calmly and effectively with people and circumstances.
Ability to evaluate and assess professional and allied nursing personnel.
Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
If responsibilities require driving a personal vehicle, possess a current valid California driver's license and comply with the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119).
If responsibilities require driving a Kern Medical-owned, leased, or rented vehicle, possess a current valid California driver's license, sign authorization for release of driver record information, and comply with the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119).

Responsibilities

Interpret hospital policies and procedures for staff, monitor compliance, and ensure nursing units operate consistently with Nursing Department and Kern Medical policies.
Serve as a resource for hospital staff and as a clinical resource for Nursing staff; advise Nursing Unit Managers about significant unit issues, concerns, and occurrences.
Work with medical staff to support interdepartmental communication and problem-solving.
Evaluate staffing needs on each unit each shift and adjust assignments hospital-wide as needed; assist with staff evaluations and, when appropriate, recommend disciplinary action.
Provide patient care in emergency situations as required.
Represent Kern Medical to visitors, other providers, media representatives, and the general public.
Manage and oversee incoming transfer requests from outlying facilities, coordinating and monitoring transfers and direct admissions in a timely manner.
Perform telephone patient triage, prioritize patient information, and communicate patient clinical presentations to accepting Kern Medical physicians.
Ensure accepted transfer patients receive bed assignments and priority placement.
Ensure insurance preauthorization for non-emergent inpatient-to-inpatient transfers.
Ensure signed Take Back Agreements for inpatient-to-inpatient transfers.
Follow transfer center guidelines and document transfers using the Transfer Log, Admissions and Transfers Log, and Transfer Center Intake Form.
Use the on-call physician list via Tiger Connect to contact the appropriate service for transfers.
Perform other job-related duties as required.