Registered Nurse - Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation

Schuylkill•Easton, PA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Provides quality nursing care to patients in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation through the nursing process, adaptive exercise therapy, and disease-management tools, using evidence-based practice and department policies and procedures. Assignments include EKG/ECG monitoring, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, and clerical duties when appropriate. The role requires effective communication, attention to a safe work environment, and clinical and professional competency suited to the patient population, with a focus on excellent outcomes and patient experience. The nurse supervises cardiac rehabilitation sessions, monitors EKGs, updates exercise prescriptions, and documents patients’ responses to exercise. The role assesses patients’ learning needs, readiness, and barriers, and incorporates primary and secondary diagnoses into education plans. It includes documenting assessments and reassessments, care plans, interventions, outcomes, goals, and behavior changes; communicating with physicians and the care team; and contributing to quality, safety, evidence-based practice, research, performance improvement, and patient-experience goals. The nurse performs validated technical skills, supports department and hospital goals as a team member, and demonstrates leadership through teaching and mentoring colleagues and interns, precepting when assigned, delegating appropriately, and providing input on performance appraisals when requested. The position is onsite at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hecktown Oaks, with a day shift and a variable weekday schedule of eight hours per day, primarily Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
One year of ICU and/or Coronary Care Unit experience.
Strong knowledge of cardiac and pulmonary pathophysiology and ability to assess patients’ responses to exercise.
Knowledge and competence reflecting current nursing practice.
Ability to work interdependently.
Attainment and maintenance of unit-specific competencies.
Ability to use PC software programs.
Ability to multitask and work well under stress.
Critical-thinking and judgment skills, including evaluating patient responses to exercise during testing and intervention.
Strong patient-education and teaching abilities, individually and in groups.
Strong knowledge of cardiac risk factors and lifestyle modifications.
Strong clinical assessment skills and leadership in emergency situations.
Strong knowledge of arrhythmia interpretation.
American Heart Association Basic Life Support, Pennsylvania, upon hire.
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pennsylvania, upon hire.
Certified Cardiac Rehab Professional (CCRP), AACPRPCC, Pennsylvania, within one year.
Pennsylvania Registered Nurse license upon hire.
Ability to lift and carry 40–50 pounds; physical demands also include frequent to continuous standing and walking, and role-specific activities such as kneeling, bending, squatting, and performing CPR.

Responsibilities

Provide quality nursing care using the nursing process, adaptive exercise therapy, disease-management tools, and evidence-based practice.
Supervise cardiac rehabilitation sessions, monitor EKGs, update exercise prescriptions, and document patients’ responses to exercise.
Assess learning needs, readiness to learn, and actual or potential barriers, and incorporate primary and secondary diagnoses into patient education plans.
Document assessments and reassessments, care plans, interventions, outcomes, goals, and behavior changes.
Maintain ongoing communication with physicians and the care team as appropriate.
Demonstrate commitment to quality and safety and participate in evidence-based practice, research, and performance-improvement projects as applicable.
Communicate effectively with patients, families, visitors, staff, and professional colleagues.
Work as a team member in support of department and hospital goals and patient-experience objectives.
Perform validated technical skills based on clinical specialty and unit practice.
Teach and mentor new colleagues and department interns, and provide additional precepting when assigned.
Delegate based on team members’ skills and expertise, patient acuity and needs, and team-member availability.
Provide input, when requested, for performance appraisals of care-delivery team members.
Use EKG/ECG monitoring, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring, and clerical duties when appropriate.