Professional Staff Nurse - General Surgery

UPMC • Erie, PA

3h • Onsite

About The Position

UPMC Hamot is seeking a Full-Time Professional Staff Nurse to join their General Surgery Operating Room team. This role supports a high-acuity, fast-paced surgical environment and requires rotating shifts, weekends, and on-call coverage, with 8-, 10-, or 12-hour shift options available. The state-of-the-art Operating Room features 17 surgical suites and supports a wide range of specialties, including Robotics, Kidney Transplants, Trauma, and many additional complex surgical services. The team provides high-quality care for both elective and urgent cases, serving patients from infant through geriatric populations. This is a collaborative environment where nurses work alongside world-class surgeons and anesthesiologists, playing a vital role in delivering lifesaving care. The Professional Staff Nurse OR is a Registered Nurse and a member of the care delivery team, responsible for setting the standards for the level and quality of care. This role involves responsibility, authority, and accountability for providing nursing care, managing patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through independent judgment, communication, and collaboration with all team members. The position encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration, and supervision, establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients, and their families to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Professional Staff Nurse OR demonstrates a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

Requirements

• Ability to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and/or interact appropriately to the ages of the patients served by his/her assigned unit.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs and to provide the care needs as described in the department policy and procedures.
• Zero to two years of experience.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families.
• Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment.
• Good clinical judgment with critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care.
• Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and to lead others in application of the nursing process.
• Mobility and visual manual dexterity.
• Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting and positioning of patients.
• Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located.
• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• Graduate nurses must complete licensure examination within SIX MONTHS of hire or within one year of graduation, whichever comes first.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).
• Registered Nurse (RN) OR Temporary Practice Permit (TPP).
• Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.

Nice To Haves

• Prior nursing experience or surgical technologist experience is highly preferred
• BSN preferred
• UPMC approved national certification preferred

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and the quality of patient care.
• Actively participates in unit-based shared governance, goal setting and supports the change and transition process to improve quality of care and the practice environment.
• Serves as a highly engaged and full partner on the care team and responds willingly to care team member needs for assistance and partnership.
• Participates in work that improves patient care and the professional practice environment.
• Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility with the change process.
• Applies the nursing process within the framework of Relationship Based Care to create a healing environment.
• Formulates daily goals and a plan of care for patients that involves the patient as partner and considers the individual needs of the patient in a holistic manner.
• Demonstrates critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care.
• Practices solid communication skills and is able to articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and to negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices.
• Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.
• Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality and satisfaction.
• Creates a caring and compassionate patient focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families and colleagues.
• Demonstrates knowledge of adult learning principles (and/or teaching children if applicable) and applies in teaching of patients, families, students and new staff.
• Provides detailed and appropriate teaching to patients and families to effectively guide them through the episode of care as well as transition to another level of care and/or home.
• Supports the development of students, new staff and colleagues, may serve as a preceptor.
• Creates an environment of open dialogue, inquiry and continuous development by asking for feedback and improving practice.
• Actively participates in department or unit-specific quality improvement efforts.
• Identifies opportunity for quality improvement to colleagues and management.
• Takes personal responsibility in improving patient satisfaction with the quality of care and service.
• Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support improvement in clinical care: identifies research issues or articles related to clinical specialty or areas of interest, discusses opportunities for quality improvement at multidisciplinary rounds, and influences patients' plans of care.
• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by demonstrating accountability for actions, enthusiasm, motivation and commitment to patients and colleagues.
• Demonstrates an understanding of cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships.
• Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life.
• Models safe work hours, time management and healthy lifestyle.
• Communicates with peers and management any safety hazards identified in the workplace.
• Performs scrub role (requirement for RNs hired on or after July 1, 2023).
• Performs in accordance with system-wide competencies/behaviors.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Generous Sign-On Bonus for experienced nurses of up to $15,000 (Amount and eligibility based on type of nursing role and candidate experience)
• Up to five and a half weeks of Paid Time Off annually, plus seven paid holidays each year
• Dedicated career ladders allowing you to achieve your highest potential while rewarding you for your experience and advanced education
• Tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 per academic year at any accredited institution, available to employees and their dependents (plus discounts for UPMC employees including no cost RN-BSN/MSN options!)
• Competitive career ladder
• Total Rewards package

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees