In-House Contract RN — Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Postpartum

Johnson Regional Medical Center•Clarksville, AR

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Johnson Regional Medical Center is seeking an experienced Labor, Delivery, Recovery & Postpartum (LDRP) Registered Nurse for a 12-week, direct in-house contract assignment in Clarksville, Arkansas. The RN provides safe, compassionate, family-centered care during labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum, as well as newborn and mother–baby couplet care. The position requires independent practice after hospital orientation and validation of required competencies. Base compensation is $50.00 per hour. The employee works assigned 12-hour shifts, days or nights according to department needs. Weekly hours, shift assignments, weekend and holiday requirements, call obligations, overtime, differentials, incentive and benefits eligibility, guaranteed hours, and orientation compensation are addressed in the written agreement and applicable hospital policies. The assignment lasts 12 consecutive weeks; extensions require mutual written agreement, and completion does not guarantee renewal or permanent employment. Applicants must not have worked at JRMC in the six months immediately before the contract start date and former employees must be eligible for rehire. The employee must maintain all required credentials, competencies, and qualifications throughout the assignment. The RN provides and documents labor and delivery care, postpartum care, newborn care, and care for assigned mother–baby couplets. Responsibilities include maternal and fetal assessment, medication administration, support during birth and recovery, recognition and escalation of complications, newborn assessment and stabilization, family education, discharge preparation, and coordination with providers and other departments. The RN also follows patient identification, infant security, infection prevention, medication safety, documentation, emergency preparedness, and reporting procedures; participates in required education, drills, chart reviews, and quality improvement; and maintains professional conduct and confidentiality. The role involves frequent standing and walking, bending, reaching, repositioning, assisting with patient transfers using appropriate equipment and support, and responding promptly to emergencies. The RN must be able to monitor patients and equipment, communicate clearly, and document care, with or without reasonable accommodation. Continued assignment depends on satisfactory clinical performance, safe practice, attendance, professional conduct, timely documentation, and maintenance of required credentials. Contract cancellation, early separation, and notice provisions are defined in the signed agreement.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited registered nursing program.
Current, unrestricted Arkansas RN license or valid multistate RN license authorizing practice in Arkansas.
Recent, demonstrated experience independently caring for laboring patients, postpartum patients, newborns, and mother–baby couplets.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Current Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification.
Current Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification.
Demonstrated competency in electronic fetal monitoring, interpretation, documentation, and appropriate escalation of concerning findings.
Ability to recognize maternal and newborn deterioration and initiate appropriate interventions.
Successful completion of required preemployment screening, occupational health clearance, orientation, and competency validation.
Ability to meet the role’s physical and functional requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Must not have worked at JRMC during the six months immediately preceding the contract start date; previous JRMC employees must be eligible for rehire.
Must maintain required licenses, certifications, competencies, and employment qualifications throughout the assignment.
Must work the agreed schedule for the full 12-week assignment and comply with applicable attendance, scheduling, weekend, and holiday requirements.

Nice To Haves

Two or more years of recent LDRP or comparable obstetric nursing experience.
Experience in a rural hospital setting.
Current fetal monitoring education, such as an accepted intermediate or advanced fetal monitoring course.
Experience with obstetric emergencies, cesarean birth support, breastfeeding assistance, and newborn stabilization.
Experience with JRMC’s electronic health record or a comparable documentation system.

Responsibilities

Perform and document maternal assessments, obstetric history, labor progress, pain assessments, and individualized plans of care.
Assess fetal status using appropriate monitoring, recognize concerning patterns, and promptly communicate findings.
Provide nursing care during spontaneous, induced, and augmented labor.
Administer and monitor medications, IV fluids, and blood products in accordance with authorized orders, hospital policies, and validated competencies, including high-alert obstetric medications when ordered and within competency.
Support patients receiving epidural or other prescribed analgesia and monitor maternal and fetal response.
Prepare for and assist with vaginal and operative births within the assigned nursing role; provide immediate maternal recovery care after delivery.
Recognize and respond to obstetric emergencies, including hemorrhage, hypertensive emergencies, eclampsia, shoulder dystocia, cord prolapse, and suspected maternal sepsis.
Assist with urgent or emergent cesarean birth preparation and care within validated competencies and hospital staffing arrangements.
Perform and document postpartum assessments, recognize and escalate complications, administer medications, evaluate treatment response, and educate patients about recovery, medications, warning signs, follow-up care, and emergency assistance.
Assess psychosocial needs and communicate concerns requiring additional support or evaluation; support feeding choices and provide breastfeeding assistance within nursing competency.
Perform and document newborn transition and ongoing assessments, monitor clinical status, and recognize and respond to changes such as respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, temperature instability, feeding difficulty, jaundice, or suspected infection.
Administer ordered newborn medications and prophylaxis, complete required screenings, initiate neonatal resuscitation and stabilization within NRP training and validated competency, and assist with transfer preparation when a newborn needs a higher level of care.
Teach parents and caregivers about safe sleep, feeding, cord care, infant security, and newborn warning signs.
Independently manage assigned mother–baby couplets based on acuity, competency, and the department staffing plan; maintain separate assessments, medication records, plans of care, and documentation for mother and newborn.
Coordinate care while assessing the individual needs and safety of both patients; promote bonding, skin-to-skin care, rooming-in, and family participation when clinically appropriate.
Apply patient identification and infant security procedures consistently and complete discharge preparation and education for both mother and newborn.
Complete assessments, reassessments, interventions, medication records, education, and discharge documentation accurately and within required time frames; use barcode scanning and patient identification processes according to policy.
Accurately document supplies, procedures, and services to support continuity of care, supply tracking, coding, and billing.
Communicate changes in patient condition promptly, use the chain of command when concerns remain unresolved, provide complete bedside handoffs, and coordinate care with providers and other departments.
Follow infection prevention, medication safety, fall prevention, infant security, and emergency preparedness requirements; promptly report safety events, near misses, equipment concerns, and care variances.
Participate in required drills, education, chart reviews, and quality improvement activities, and maintain respectful communication, patient confidentiality, and professional conduct.
Work the agreed schedule for the full assignment; meet the weekend and holiday requirements specified in the agreement; submit requested time off before contract execution for documented approval; arrive on time and ready to assume the assignment; and follow attendance, call-off, low-census, and scheduling policies.
Accept assignment changes based on department needs, patient acuity, and validated competency; float only to assignments consistent with competency, appropriate orientation, and hospital policy; and complete required orientation and education.