Registered Nurse (ICU)

Veterans Health Administration • Loma Linda, CA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Registered Nurse (RN) provides care and counseling, promotes and maintains health, and helps prevent illness and injury through the nursing process, including systematic data gathering, assessment, nursing judgment, and evaluation of human responses to actual or potential health problems. The RN is responsible and accountable for all elements of the nursing process when providing or supervising direct patient care.

The ICU RN provides high-quality, evidence-based intensive care to critically ill adult and geriatric Veteran patients, including patients with multisystem comorbidities who may require continuous cardiac monitoring and dysrhythmia interpretation, invasive hemodynamic management, ventilator support, and pharmacological interventions. ICU nurses provide at least 51% inpatient critical care to Veterans. The RN is accountable for direct care of an assigned number of patients during a shift, works as part of an interdisciplinary team, advocates for patients, and follows policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, and standards of practice. Current ACLS and BLS certifications must be maintained.

The RN provides competent, evidence-based care to assigned patients and oversees licensed vocational nurses and nursing assistants as appropriate. The position also contributes to nursing education, orientation, competencies, quality improvement, and outcomes utilization consultation. The nurse demonstrates leadership in holistic care, evaluates practice using the best available evidence, supports colleagues through knowledge-sharing and constructive feedback, contributes a nursing perspective to interdisciplinary discussions, and participates in strategies that sustain an evidence-based-practice culture. The role requires experience in relevant clinical situations, strong critical thinking, and technically skilled practice.

The work schedule is 1830–0700 on the night shift; the tour may change according to facility needs. Telework is not available, and this is not a virtual position. Daily work may involve exposure to infected patients, contaminated materials, and patients who may be combative due to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Physical requirements include pushing, pulling, reaching, finger use, walking and standing for up to six hours, intermittent kneeling, repeated bending for up to six hours, and rapid mental and muscular coordination. If working 10-hour shifts, time spent moving, bending, standing, and walking may be up to 12 hours.

Requirements

• Graduate from a professional nursing program accredited by ACEN or CCNE, or meet the stated alternative education provisions for bridge-program candidates or foreign nursing graduates.
• Hold current, full, active, and unrestricted RN registration in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, subject to the stated Graduate Nurse Technician exception.
• Demonstrate basic written and spoken English proficiency.
• Maintain current ACLS and BLS certifications.
• Meet the education and experience criteria for the applicable Nurse grade and level.
• Meet physical requirements, including pushing, pulling, reaching above shoulder level, use of fingers, walking and standing, intermittent kneeling, repeated bending, coordination, vision, color discrimination, hearing, and emotional and mental stability.
• Meet VA employment conditions, including U.S. citizenship except where policy permits otherwise, applicable Selective Service registration, background/security investigation, pre-employment drug screening and physical evaluation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master of Science in Nursing (MSN).
• Two to five years of adult ICU or critical care experience.
• One year of recent bedside ICU RN experience.
• Certified Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or other critical care certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide and supervise direct patient care using the nursing process, including data gathering, assessment, nursing judgment, and evaluation.
• Provide evidence-based intensive care to critically ill adult and geriatric Veteran patients, including patients requiring cardiac monitoring, dysrhythmia interpretation, invasive hemodynamic management, ventilator support, and pharmacological interventions.
• Provide direct care to an assigned number of patients during each shift and serve as a patient advocate.
• Follow applicable policies, procedures, protocols, guidelines, and standards of practice, including protocols for exposure to infection, contaminated materials, and potentially combative patients.
• Oversee licensed vocational nurses and nursing assistants as appropriate to the setting.
• Assist with nursing education, orientation, competency development, quality improvement, and outcomes utilization consultation.
• Collaborate with the interdisciplinary team and contribute the professional nursing perspective to team discussions.
• Evaluate nursing practice on an ongoing basis using best evidence and question clinical practices to support evidence-based care.
• Provide peers with constructive feedback and support colleagues by sharing knowledge, educational findings, experiences, and ideas.
• Participate in activities and strategies that sustain an evidence-based-practice culture and promote optimal patient outcomes.

Benefits

• 50 days of paid time off per year, comprising 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid Federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with VA contributions of up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree