RN II - Step Down Unit (CNA), Full Time, Day Shift

Adventist Health

About The Position

The RN II is responsible for planning and providing nursing care to patients in the step-down unit. The role interprets ECG rhythms, manages patient care during life-threatening emergencies, and supervises and delegates care responsibilities to ancillary personnel within their scope of practice. This position is represented by CNA. The nurse provides care to cardiac step-down and telemetry patients, including patients after coronary intervention, permanent pacemaker placement, or AICD placement, and patients admitted with stable acute coronary syndrome. The role includes developing goal-oriented care plans with the health care team, educating patients and families, documenting care and patient responses, completing unit-specific safety and quality checks, and identifying opportunities to improve care and unit operations. Adventist Health Sierra Vista is a 162-bed acute care facility on California’s Central Coast, with a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a county-designated trauma center.

Requirements

Associate degree or equivalent.
Current RN license in the state of practice.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from an approved vendor per Adventist Health policy.
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification from an approved vendor per Adventist Health policy.
National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) certification; required within six months of hire.
AHA-ACLS or ARC-ALS certification, as specified for the facility.
Competency in routine nursing skills, ECG rhythm interpretation, and care of cardiac step-down and telemetry patients.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Successful completion of a Basic Dysrhythmia Course.
Completion of a Critical Care Course.
Six months of cardiac step-down or telemetry experience within the last two years.

Responsibilities

Plan and provide nursing care to patients in the step-down unit.
Provide appropriate nursing interventions in stable and emergent situations, including managing care during life-threatening emergencies.
Interpret ECG rhythms accurately and verify alarm settings with the Monitor Technician according to policy.
Demonstrate knowledge of lead functions and application and recommend appropriate monitoring based on patient presentation.
Provide routine nursing care, including medication administration, intravenous therapy and blood products, catheter and drain care, and safe use of medical equipment used in the critical care setting.
Follow the chain of command according to policy.
Care for patients after coronary intervention requiring femoral sheath removal using a Femostop Device, after permanent pacemaker or AICD placement, and patients admitted with stable acute coronary syndrome.
Apply clinical judgment by integrating clinical data with clinical assessment when managing cardiac step-down and telemetry patients.
Initiate a multidisciplinary, goal-oriented care plan in collaboration with the health care team and document patient and family education using appropriate teaching methods.
Supervise and delegate patient care tasks to ancillary personnel based on their competency and scope of practice; evaluate the effectiveness of care performed.
Complete legible, accurate, and timely documentation of nursing care, including patient responses to medications, treatments, and procedures.
Perform unit-specific safety and quality control checks, including shift and 24-hour physician order checks, verbal and telephone order read-back, crash cart checks, urine quality control, refrigerator logs, and expiration-date checks.
Identify and communicate opportunities to improve care, services, and unit operations; try new approaches to problem solving and remain open to change and unit goals.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.
Receive required vaccinations as a condition of employment and annually thereafter where applicable; medical and religious exemptions may apply.