Registered Nurse Observation Unit

Intermountain Health; United States; On-site; USD 78,000 - 94,000; Full time

Job summary

Intermountain Health is seeking a Registered Nurse for the Observation Unit at Lutheran Hospital. The unit provides short-term observation and rapid assessment for adult patients requiring monitoring, diagnostics, and care coordination.

The RN will perform assessments, planning, implementing, and evaluating care with an interdisciplinary team, ensuring patient safety, timely discharge, and adherence to professional standards.

Qualifications

• Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in state of practice.
• BSN required or willing to obtain within specified timeframe.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

Responsibilities

• Assess physical, social, and psychological status using the nursing process.
• Plan and customize care with patient, family, and interdisciplinary team.
• Coordinate and delegate to the care team to execute the plan of care.
• Evaluate outcomes and revise the plan as needed.
• Document accurately and timely; maintain licensure compliance.
• Promote professionalism and ethical practice.

Skills

Patient Care

Nursing Fundamentals

Interdisciplinary Teams

Documentation

Communication

Critical Thinking

Accountability

Patient Care Coordination

Education

BSN

Job description

Job Description:

The Registered Nurse (RN) is a professional caregiver who assumes responsibility and accountability for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating the care of patients. The staff RN utilizes the nursing process by use of technology, therapeutic intervention, evidence-based practice and coordination of care with other health team members.

The Observation Unit is a 16-bed, nurse-led department dedicated to providing high-quality, patient-centered care for adult patients requiring short-term observation, treatment, and ongoing assessment. The unit serves patients who are clinically stable but require additional monitoring, diagnostic testing, therapeutic interventions, or care coordination to determine the most appropriate next step in their care.

Our interdisciplinary team partners closely with physicians, advanced practice providers, case management, pharmacy, rehabilitation services, and ancillary departments to deliver efficient, evidence-based care with a focus on patient safety, quality outcomes, and timely disposition. Common patient populations include those requiring evaluation and treatment for chest pain, transient ischemic attack (TIA), dehydration, respiratory conditions, heart failure exacerbations, infections requiring short-term IV therapy, pain management, blood transfusions, and other conditions appropriate for observation-level care.

The Observation Unit emphasizes rapid assessment, frequent reassessment, patient education, and coordination of care to support safe discharge home or transition to a higher level of care when needed. Through collaborative teamwork and a commitment to clinical excellence, the unit promotes efficient throughput, enhances the patient experience, and supports optimal healthcare outcomes.

Position Details

• Benefits Eligible: Yes
• Shift Details: Full time, 36 hours/week, variable shifts
• Department: Observation Unit
• Primary Location: Lutheran Hospital

Essential Functions

Assess: Performs appropriate assessment of physical, social, and psychological status (including cognitive, communicative, and developmental skills as appropriate). Seeks and evaluates information acquired from other members of interdisciplinary team: patient, family, physician, non-nursing disciplines, support staff, others.

Plan: Uses assessment information and critical thinking skills to collaboratively develop individualized plan of care. Actively seeks patient, family, team, and physician involvement to develop plan of care including needed education. Collaboratively plans and prepares patients for further support needs once the current episode of care outcomes are met (i.e., teaching, referrals, and follow-up).

Implement: Directs the interdisciplinary care team via delegation, coordination, and collaboration as appropriate. Provides or delegates care consistent with plan of care, guidelines of care and professional licensure provisions. Demonstrates the ability to set priorities and to coordinate and organize patient care delivery through effectively managing time, supplies, and resources.

Evaluate: Evaluates patient response to interventions through review of achievement of goals, clinical outcomes, patient, and family satisfaction. Revises plan of care as indicated and reassesses changes as appropriate.

Professionalism: Promotes nursing profession and participate in development of others.

Integrates legal and ethical standards into practice, complies with regulatory standards, practices within scope of licensure, provides accurate & timely documentation, and understands legal implications of care delivery.

Skills

• Patient Care Delivery
• Nursing Fundamentals
• Interdisciplinary Teams
• Documentations
• Professional Etiquette
• Accountability
• Patient Care Coordination
• Communication
• Patient Evaluation
• Critical Thinking

Minimum Qualifications

• Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse in state of practice. Valid compact licenses must be transferred to the state of practice within 60 days of the start of employment.
• RNs with less than 12 months of experience must obtain their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) within four (4) years of their hire date.
• Basic Life Support Certification (BLS) for healthcare providers.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN). Education must be obtained from an accredited institution. Degree will be verified.

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is required as of the job description's last update on 4/27/2025. Employees hired or promoted prior to this date will be held to the minimum requirements that were in place at the time of their promotion or hire.

Physical Requirements

Ongoing need for employee to see and read information, labels, assess patient needs, operate monitors, identify equipment and supplies. Frequent interactions with patient care providers, patients, and visitors that require employee to verbally communicate as well as hear and understand spoken information, alarms, needs, and issues quickly a