Registered Nurse, Cardiac Cath Lab

Department of Veterans Affairs • Temple, TX

37d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cardiac Cath Lab, Registered Nurse delivers fundamental knowledge-based care to assigned clients while developing technical skills. Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates care based on age-specific components. Assumes responsibility for the coordination of care focused on patient education, self-management, and customer satisfaction throughout the continuum of care. Administers medications and procedures per established policies and guidelines. CTVHCS is in the process of making a cultural change, shifting from a disease-focused approach to a health and wellbeing approach, in order to implement the Whole Health System of Care. This is a VA-wide initiative to provide a comprehensive and systematic approach to improve healthcare delivery at all stages of Veteran care. This entails moving from an episodic, "siloed" approach to an interdisciplinary, holistic approach, emphasizing self-care in the larger context of well-being. All staff in this facility will be part of this process, shifting the focus from the question, "What's the matter with you?" to the question, "What matters to you, and how can we help you live your best life?" This strategy also involves integrating a full range of conventional approaches with Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) approaches in order to optimize lifelong health and well-being, as defined by the Veteran, rather than narrowly focusing on disease management.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for patient outcomes resulting from the nursing care for the patient undergoing a surgical/invasive procedure.
• Focuses is on individual growth and development in practice with increased levels of self-direction.
• Brings principles and theory with limited application of critical thinking skills.
• Plans, directs, and coordinates the care of every patient undergoing operative and other invasive procedures, taking into consideration respect for the individual and recognition of the important contribution that each team member makes to the patient's well-being.
• Focuses on individual growth and development in both the circulator and scrub role within the OR and to be competent in all surgical specialties served.
• Maintains knowledge of current Association of peri-Operative Registered Nurses (AORN) standards, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directives, and service level standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Assures the sterility of the surgical field is maintained and all instrumentation and equipment in play is used in a safe and efficient manner.
• Protects the patient from injury caused by chemical, electrical, mechanical, and thermal sources, and extraneous objects.
• Performs counting procedures to protect the patient from unintended retained surgical items.
• Participates in the Time Out process to ensure correct site, side, and level.
• Follows implant and tissue/tissue-based product documentation, policy, and procedures.
• Manages the patient's specimens in the appropriate manner.
• Administers medications safely and correctly.
• Performs interventions to maintain the patient's wound and tissue perfusion at or above baseline levels.
• Performs interventions to protect the patient from surgical site infection.
• Responsible for ensuring comprehensive documentation of all care provided during the perioperative experience is timely, complete, and accurate in the electronic health record.
• Responsible for knowing what reusable instruments, equipment, medical devices, or supplies are in use in the clinical area.
• Obtains, reads, and follows Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all reusable medical equipment (RME) in use in the clinical area and consults Sterile Processing and/or Infection Control as needed.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards
• 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
• 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Administration of Human Resource Programs
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees