Per Diem Clinical Nurse - Critical Care

County of Santa Clara•Santa Clara, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, the Per Diem Clinical Nurse provides care to patients in a structured environment and initiates and performs established nursing interventions using current clinical knowledge. Positions are available in critical care and other specialty units at Saint Louise Regional Hospital, O’Connor Hospital, Valley Medical Center, and Regional Medical Center. Assignments may require work at different hospital or clinic sites. Per Diem Clinical Nurse appointments are non-permanent positions established to meet peak workloads or other unusual work situations. Nurses must be available for at least six 8-hour shifts per month, including two weekend shifts when applicable. Nurses hired for shifts longer than eight hours must be available for at least four shifts per month, including two weekend shifts when applicable. Four weekend shifts per month may be approved as an alternate schedule to the eight-shift monthly requirement. Nurses must also be available to work one of the three major winter holidays. When assigned and working, nurses receive time-and-a-half for hours worked on two of the three major holidays described in the posting. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is a public health care system that includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics, and more than 60 specialty and subspecialty services. Its mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County. The role supports assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of nursing care, including patient and family education, documentation, care coordination, and compliance with safety standards and applicable nursing regulations. Employees may be assigned as Disaster Service Workers and must complete assigned related training and return to work as ordered during an emergency.

Requirements

Possess and maintain an active California Registered Nurse (RN) license without restrictions.
Have one year within the last three years of full-time RN experience in an accredited hospital, clinic, or healthcare setting.
Have one year within the last three years of full-time RN experience in a nursing specialty area.
Possess and maintain Basic Life Saving (BLS) certification during employment.
For clinical specialty areas, possess and maintain Advanced Cardiovascular Life Saving (ACLS) certification and other required specialty-area certifications.
Be able 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 return to work as ordered during an emergency.
Demonstrate knowledge of the California Nurse Practice Act, American Nursing Association Code of Ethics, nursing professional practice, applicable healthcare laws and regulations, nursing and medical theory, acute and primary care nursing, clinical specialty diagnoses and treatment, clinical systems and equipment, safety and infection control, basic nursing sciences, English usage, and common computer and charting systems.
Demonstrate the ability to adapt to unexpected patient or family responses, monitor patient satisfaction, support patient and family understanding of care plans, guide and coach colleagues, identify changes requiring new actions, use critical thinking with complex data, foster mutual respect and professional growth, balance competing demands, prioritize multiple patient needs, communicate effectively with diverse people, and maintain effective working relationships.
Be able 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, assisting with CPR, working in confined spaces, performing fine motor and skilled procedures, and using the vision, hearing, and touch needed for patient assessment and care.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Interview patients and/or families to collect nursing assessment data, document and report findings, formulate nursing diagnoses, and identify deviations from normal or changes in patient condition.
Observe and document patients’ physical, psychosocial, cultural, and learning needs, as well as their responses to care.
Identify patient care problems, establish priorities, initiate and contribute to patient care plans, and adjust plans as patient needs change.
Plan patient teaching activities and teach patients and families.
Provide nursing care based on the patient care plan and coordinate activities needed to implement it.
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 nursing care and patient responses, participate in discharge planning, and communicate evaluation outcomes.
Evaluate patient responses to care and the effectiveness of teaching provided by self and others.
Comply with internal and external regulations, and recognize registered nurses’ legal and ethical responsibilities.
Contribute to unit standards of care and, when assigned, participate in research projects.
May be assigned Disaster Service Worker duties and perform other related duties as required.