Registered Nurse CICU

Position Title: Registered Nurse- New Grads Welcome

Specialty: Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) – Heart Institute (G6)

Department/Unit: CICU – G6, Heart Institute

Shift/Hours: AM & PM Rotation | 36 hours/week

About The Unit

The Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) is a 36-bed critical care unit within Cincinnati Children’s Heart Institute. The unit provides specialized care for critically ill newborns, children, adolescents, and adults with congenital or acquired heart disease. Our team cares for patients who have undergone cardiothoracic surgery, heart or lung transplants, and those requiring advanced therapies such as ECMO and ventricular assist devices (VADs). Additional patient populations include those recovering from cardiac catheterizations and those with complex medical cardiac issues like pulmonary hypertension.

We are currently seeking a Registered Nurse with a minimum of two years of nursing experience to join our high-performing, collaborative care team.

Why Cincinnati Children’s?

At Cincinnati Children’s, everything we do starts with one goal: making children’s health better. We value innovation, compassion, and excellence, and believe in a holistic, family-centered approach to care. As a Magnet-designated institution, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of nursing excellence.

“The nurses at Cincinnati Children’s help families reach the best outcomes with dignity, respect, and lots of smiles. Such quality care is why we were designated a Magnet institution back in 2009.”

— Barb Tofani, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, SVP, Patient Services

What You’ll Do As a CICU Nurse

• Deliver high-quality, compassionate, relationship-based care to critically ill cardiac patients.
• Collaborate within a multidisciplinary team to provide individualized care.
• Serve as a key resource to families, offering education and emotional support.
• Manage complex care situations involving ECMO, VAD, transplant recovery, and other high-acuity cardiac cases.
• Maintain and build critical care competencies in a state-of-the-art facility.
  
  

What We Offer

• Comprehensive Benefits from Day 1
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Pension plan & 403(b) retirement plans
• Premium Pay Programs
• Shift and weekend differentials
• Weekend Option pay
• Professional Development
• Clinical Advancement Program (CAP)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Access to cutting-edge training and simulation resources
• Supportive Culture & Resources
• Employee Resource Groups
• Mental health and wellness programs
• Relocation assistance available
• Generous employee discounts & referral bonus program
  

Qualifications

• Current RN license in the State of Ohio
• prefer minimum of 2 years of nursing experience required (critical care or cardiac preferred)
• BLS certification required; ACLS and PALS preferred or willingness to obtain
• Strong communication, critical thinking, and team collaboration skills
  
  

Are you ready to grow your career in a world-renowned pediatric cardiac intensive care environment?

Job Responsibilities

• Compliance - Patient Services Staff - Sustain a working understanding of regulatory requirements and accreditation standards. Support leadership in Compliance efforts to meet and sustain the regulatory compliance efforts of the department and hospital. Be mindful and judicious in monitoring safety and departmental policies and procedures. Ensure all individual certifications and Safety College requirements are fulfilled in a timely basis. Work with department managers, nurse council and magnet representatives to identify and share safety best practices. Be mindful of CCHMCs processes and compliance with CMS standards and freely communicate safety and compliance concerns to leadership team members.
• Uses systems thinking - Sees the pieces or components; sees patient and family within the isolated environment of the unit; sees self as key resource to support the family through the healthcare experience through care coordination. Sustains a working understanding of regulatory requirements and accreditation standards. Supports leadership in efforts to meet and sustain the regulatory compliance efforts of the department and hospital. Monitors and complies with safety and departmental policies and procedures. Ensures individual certifications and Safety College requirements are fulfilled in a timely basis. Is mindful of CCHMCs processes and compliance with CMS standards and freely communicates safety and compliance concerns to leadership team members.
• Clinical judgment when performing caring practices - Collects clinical data; follow algorithms, decision trees, and protocols. Matches formal knowledge with clinical events to make appropriate decisions; uses available resources as needed. Documents plan of care, care delivered, and patient and family outcomes. Focuses on the usual and customary needs of the patient and family; anticipates future needs; bases care on standards and protocols; maintains a safe physical environment; acknowledges death as a potential outcome. Consistently integrates age specific concepts into patient care, taking into consideration both the patient's chronological age and developmental functioning. Using self-management support, develops care goals and actions through partnerships with patients and families. Facilitates patient and family learning by providing structured education based on the plan of care goals, and the needs of the patient and family; uses teach back to evaluate effectiveness.
• Clinical inquiry & performance review to improve practice - Follows standards and guidelines; implements clinical changes and research-based practices developed by others; recognizes the need for further learning to improve patient care; recognizes routine or obvious changing patient situation (e.g., deterioration, crisis); in unusual care situations, seeks help when needed to identify patient problem. Uses self-appraisal performance review and peer review, including annual goal setting, for assurance of competence and professional development to promote safe and ethical practice using the nursing process. Demonstrates openness to coaching and mentoring from others. Facilitates learning by assisting with peer and student learning experiences. Works with department managers, nurse council and magnet representatives to identify, share, implement and evaluate safety best practices.
• Collaborates with team using shared decision making - Is receptive to the contributions of the interdisciplinary team in team meetings and discussion regarding patient issues. Participates in shared governance at the point-of-care as a member of unit-based councils or by demonstrating awareness and contributing to shared decision making (reading minutes, giving feedback and implementing council decisions).
• Interprofessional Practice - Demonstrates consistent integration of the Interprofessional Practice Model (IPM) in all aspects of practice.
• Exhibits advocacy, moral agency and response to inclusion - Works on behalf of patient and family; assesses personal values; aware of ethical conflicts/issues that may surface in clinical setting; makes ethical/moral decisions based on rules; represents patient when patient cannot represent self; aware of patients' rights. Assesses cultural inclusion. Recognizes the potential impact of culture on the patient/family experience, and incorporates culturally inclusive concepts into patient care.
• Patient Care - Age Specific and Culturally Inclusive - Consistently integrates age specific and culturally inclusive concepts into patient care, taking into consideration both the patient's chronological age and developmental functioning.
  
  

Job Qualifications

• Associate/Diploma prepared RNs from ACEN, CCNE or NLN CNEA accredited institution requires 2 years of experience. If hired without a BSN or MSN, must enroll in a BSN or MSN program within 1 year of hire date/RN job date and complete program within 5 years of hire/RN job date.
• Preferred: BSN from ACEN, CCNE or NLN CNEA accredited institution or MSN.
• Active Ohio RN License. May be required to obtain other state licensure.
• Foreign graduates must have license validated through TruMeritTM per Ohio Board of Nursing code for Foreign Graduates.
  
  

Primary Location

Location G

Schedule

Full time

Shift

Rotating (United States of America)

Department

CICU

Employee Status

Regular

FTE

0.9

Weekly Hours

36

Market Leading Benefits Including*: 

• Medical coverage starting day one of employment. View employee benefits here.
• Competitive retirement plans 
• Tuition reimbursement for continuing education 
• Expansive employee discount programs through our many community partners 
• Shift Differential, Weekend Differential, and Weekend Option Pay Programs for qualified positions
• Support through Employee Resource Groups such as African American Professionals Advisory Council, Asian Cultural and Professional Group, EQUAL - LGBTQA Resource Group, Juntos - Hispanic/Latin Resource Group, Veterans and Military Family Advocacy Network, and Young Professionals (YP) Resource Group 
• Physical and mental health wellness programs 
• Relocation assistance available for qualified positions
• Benefits may vary based on FTE Status and Position Type
  
  

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s.

 Cincinnati Children's Is

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10  best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding
• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers  (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025)
• One of the nation's America’s Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune
• Consistently certified as great place to work
• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability
• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  
  

 We Embrace Innovation—Together. We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us.

Comprehensive Job Description Provided Upon Request.

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability