Registered Nurse – 7N- Telemetry – Full Time 12 Hour Day - (Non-Exempt) (Union)

University of Southern California•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$46 - $99

About The Position

The Registered Nurse is an integral part of the interdisciplinary team and uses the nursing process to provide therapeutic care to patients. The nurse is accountable for coordinating patient care and educating patients and families in accordance with standards, policies, and practices in a compassionate, supportive, and therapeutic environment. This position is in a telemetry setting and involves assessing patients, formulating nursing diagnoses, developing and updating individualized plans of care, administering medications and IV therapy, carrying out procedures, documenting care, educating patients and families, and coordinating transfers and discharge planning. The nurse communicates with patients, families, physicians, and other healthcare team members, manages time and priorities, and follows regulatory, safety, infection-control, and documentation requirements. The role also calls for competency in caring for high-acuity patients in stepdown and telemetry settings, using specialized monitoring and advanced therapeutic modalities. Additional duties and care competencies described in the posting cover medical-surgical, intensive care, dialysis, and psychiatric patient care, as well as behavioral restraint practices and quality improvement. The nurse participates in professional development and performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Nursing (BSN); employees hired before December 2019 may be grandfathered from the BSN requirement.
At least 1 year of acute inpatient hospital experience as a registered nurse.
Excellent communication skills, including proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English.
Knowledge of medical procedures and conditions and ability to understand, follow, and perform duties, including whole blood collection and apheresis procedures, in accordance with administrative and clinical policies, regulations, and procedures.
Commitment to excellence in patient care and customer service.
Ability to work independently with minimal direction and supervision.
Registered Nurse license from the California Board of Registered Nursing.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider certification.
Fire Life Safety Training (LA City); if not held at hire, it must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained through renewal before expiration. Required within LA City only.
American Heart Association Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Healthcare Provider certification for Intensive Care, Step-down, and Telemetry departments. Nurses without prior telemetry or critical care experience must obtain ACLS within 180 days or by the end of orientation, whichever is sooner.

Nice To Haves

Specialty certification.

Responsibilities

Use the nursing process to provide therapeutic patient care and coordinate care and education for patients and families.
Follow policies and procedures and apply scientific knowledge in nursing practice.
Complete nursing assessments at admission, each shift, and when a patient's condition changes; complete daily patient acuity assessments by 0200/1400.
Interpret assessment information and formulate nursing diagnoses.
Develop individualized plans of care, document expected outcomes, and review and update plans daily based on patient outcomes.
Administer medications and IV therapy at prescribed intervals and perform patient care procedures according to policy.
Delegate tasks according to others' scope of practice and competency, advocate for patients, and manage restraint use according to policy, including attempting alternatives and ensuring required orders, assessments, monitoring, and audits.
Maintain complete and accurate documentation on required forms and flow sheets, transcribe and sign off orders before the end of the shift, and complete 12-hour/24-hour chart checks.
Educate patients and families, orient them to the room and unit, explain the plan of care, identify knowledge deficits, and use or provide MICROMEDEX information.
Collaborate with case managers and physicians on discharge planning; complete transfer paperwork and ensure patients' belongings are sent with them.
Use patient-care equipment safely and appropriately according to manufacturer guidelines.
Communicate effectively with patients, families, physicians, and the healthcare team, including during shift reports, rounds, handoffs, and interactions with students and new or contract employees.
Organize and prioritize work, manage time effectively, take meal breaks without incurring overtime, and complete the shift on time.
Comply with regulatory requirements and safety practices, including patient identification, medication reconciliation, handoff, alarm management, hazardous-waste handling, HIPAA, OSHA, infection control, handwashing, and electrical and body-mechanics safety.
Manage high-acuity stepdown and telemetry patients, including post-operative and transplant patients, and provide care using modalities such as ventilators, arterial/CVP lines, ventricular assist devices, and lumbar drains.
When applicable, initiate, perform, and terminate dialysis treatments according to policy and standards of care; review orders and labs, perform safety checks, maintain equipment, inform patients, and complete treatment documentation.
When applicable, provide psychiatric patient care, maintain a therapeutic milieu, assess safety and contraband, participate in treatment planning, monitor unit access and visitors, follow patients' legal status, and administer psychotropic medications only with proper consent and documentation.
Use de-escalation techniques and apply behavioral restraint or seclusion when appropriate; monitor patient safety, obtain required physician orders and assessments, notify the manager, contact significant others as permitted, and complete debriefing.
Identify patients who meet Core Measure criteria, complete related documentation, and participate in data collection and process improvements related to Nurse Sensitive Quality Indicators.
Participate in professional hospital and nursing activities, committees, teams, unit projects, research, and other professional development activities.
Perform other related duties as assigned.