Facility: Kennestone Hospital

Overview

The Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit is a comprehensive cardiothoracic environment. The unit consists of 16 cardiac surgery intensive care beds with a primary focus on the care of the cardiac patient pre and post cardiac surgery. The services most frequently provided include, but are not limited to cardiac surgery recovery, vascular surgery recovery, thoracic surgery recovery, cardiac monitoring, hemodynamic monitoring, intravenous medication management, intra-aortic balloon pump management, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) management, targeted temperature management, Impella management, ECMO, Destination VAD therapy, and ventilator management.

The RN Clinical Nurse – Critical Care is a proactive member of an interdisciplinary team of licensed and unlicensed care givers who ensure that patients, families and significant others receive individualized high quality, safe patient care. They practice in a clinical environment that is administered by Nurse Managers and other leaders and is supported through the Wellstar Shared Governance Model. The framework for practice is steered by the Wellstar Professional Practice Model and evidence-based practice and research. RN competencies are derived from these models and supported by the Wellstar Values.
It is expected that all RN Clinical Nurses – Critical Care are licensed, knowledgeable and uphold the practice of nursing as outlined by the Georgia Professional Nurse Practice Act and implements the Scope of Practice and Code of Ethics Standards put forth by the American Nurses Association. As a member of the patient services team, it is expected that the individual upholds the voice of the patient, system policies and procedures while supporting service excellence goals.
Responsibilities
Core Responsibilites and Essential Functions

• Exemplary Practice and Outcomes
  * Performs the Nursing Process (assessment; diagnosis; identification of outcomes; planning; implementation and evaluation) in the performance of clinical care using evidence base practice, uses analytical/critical thinking and ensuring that care is individualized; coordinating care through effective partnerships recognizing that caring is central to achieve optimal patient care outcomes
  * Provides relationship-based patient centered care that is consistent with population specific characteristics (e.g. age, gender, disease, etc) in a manner that adapts service delivery to reflect an understanding of cultural diversity
  * Always partners with the patient and significant others (as appropriate) using such appropriate method for setting and purpose (e.g., bedside shift report; interdisciplinary rounds; just in time and planned patient teaching; keeping the patient and significant others updated and making the patient’s goals the focus of the plan of care.
  * Practices using current clinical practice standards.
• Teamwork and Collaboration
  * Coordinates the delivery and documentation of safe quality patient care that promotes the professional care delivery model. This includes, but is not limited to diverse and inclusive interdisciplinary communication methods (interdisciplinary rounds, case review, etc); completion of timely documentation and promotion of a respectful, inclusive clinical environment
  * Demonstrates teamwork and collaboration by practicing in a manner that is fiscally responsible and promotes the recruitment and retention of all healthcare team members.
  * Participates and supports performance improvement inclusive of all stakeholders, research and research utilization to promote safe, quality patient care including initiating and/or leading such activities as well as, promoting an inter/intra-disciplinary process and actively supports/participates in shared governance at all levels in the system.
• Professional Development and Initiative
  * Completes all initial and ongoing professional competency assessment, required mandatory education, population specific education.
  * Serves as a preceptor and/or or mentor for other professional nurses (and staff or students for all disciplines) to ensure that there is a current and future qualified workforce; modeling the professional practice of nursing and creating a healthy work environment
• Evidence Based Practice and Research
  * Promotes Evidence based practice, nursing research and performance improvement in nursing. Participates in activities such as value analysis as part of the decision-making process in evaluating patient care products.
  * Upholds all health care system/organizational policies and procedures and clinical competencies put forth by this job description and professional association including legal, regulatory and accreditation requirements and standards ensuring by way of example, such goals as TJC Patient Safety Goals and Wellstar Health Systems’ safety absolutes
  * Participates in data collection, poses relevant clinical questions to advanced evidence-based practice. Consults appropriate experts and uses appropriate resources and evidence to address practice questions.
• Resources and Support
  * Proactively plans for the care of patients across the care continuum in the course of giving direct patient care.
  * Participates in the development of protocols and procedures when called upon or through self-initiation in collaboration with care managers and other members of the health care team to achieve best practice outcomes (i.e., decrease in re-admission rates; avoidable days; adverse events; etc).
  * Supports efficient and effective use of human and material resources.
• Required for All Jobs
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Complies with all Wellstar Health System policies, standards of work, and code of conduct.
• Qualifications
  Required Minimum Education
• Diploma from an accredited nursing program Graduate of an accredited/approved school of nursing Required and
• Bachelor's Degree Baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN) from an accredited school of nursing Preferred
• Required Minimum Experience
• Minimum 5 years direct patient care experience Required
• Required Minimum Skills
• Ability to read, write and speak English language, optimize the use of technology to support clinical care and holds basic computer skills.
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative skills along with customer service skills required.
• Ability to function in a fast-paced environment and respond to emergencies in using a decisive, composed and respectful manner.
• Possess excellent time management skills.
• Practices nursing using evidence and analytical skills along with possessing strong critical thinking skills.
• Required Minimum License(s) and Certification(s)
• Reg Nurse (Single State) Required
• RN - Multi-state Compact Required
• Basic Life Support Required
• BLS - Instructor Required
• BLS - Provisional Required
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Required
• ACLS - Instructor Required
• ACLS - Provisional Required
• Additional Licenses and Certifications