Registered Nurse (RN) II - Cardiac Surgery Stepdown

Houston Methodist; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston Methodist is looking for a Registered Nurse (RN) II to deliver professional nursing care to patients. In this role, you will perform nursing assessments, assist in exams and treatments, and maintain medical records while collaborating with the healthcare team to ensure quality care.

The ideal candidate will have a graduate nursing degree, at least a year of RN experience, and must possess a Texas RN license, BLS, and ACLS certifications. This position is pivotal in caring for patients with complex needs.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an education program approved by the Texas Board of Nursing.
• Twelve months registered nurse experience in a healthcare environment.
• Must obtain RN license and certifications like BLS and ACLS.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional nursing care to diverse patients.
• Assist with exams and treatments, maintaining records.
• Collaborate with physicians for quality patient outcomes.

Skills

Therapeutic communication

Assessment skills

Organizational skills

Critical thinking

Time management

Collaboration

Education

Graduate of an approved nursing program

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

Position Summary

At Houston Methodist, the Registered Nurse (RN) II position is a licensed staff nurse, an experienced clinician, functioning at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benner’s model of clinical practice. The RN II provides professional nursing care to a diverse patient population, conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, patient education, and maintenance of medical records. The RN II delivers direct patient care effectively and efficiently, including patients with varied and complex needs. This role communicates and collaborates with physicians and the interprofessional health care team to facilitate, coordinate, and maintain compassionate, efficient, quality care and achievement of desired treatment outcomes.

FLSA Status

Non-exempt

Qualifications

Education

• Graduate of an education program approved by the credentialing body for the required credential(s) indicated below in the Certifications, Licenses and Registrations section.

Experience

• Twelve months registered nurse experience in a healthcare environment.

Licenses and Certifications

Required

• RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure - Texas Board of Nursing_PSV Compact Licensure – Must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days (if establishing Texas residency).
• BLS - Basic Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association.
• ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association within 4 months.

Preferred

• NIHSTROKE - National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Certification (AHA) if float to unit or taking care of patient requiring NIHSS within 4 months.
• Magnet - ANCC Recognized Certification.

Knowledge and Abilities

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations as defined in orientation checklist and annual departmental competency checklist.
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job.
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles.
• Strong assessment, organizational and problem solving skills as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components.
• Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team and patients and their families.
• Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act.
• Demonstrates proficient time management skills.
• Maintains level of professional contributions as defined in Clinical Career Path program guide.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft products including Outlook.

Essential Functions

People Essential Functions

• Uses therapeutic communication, which includes active listening and teaching, to establish a relationship with patients, families and interprofessional health care team to collaborate on the plan of care.
• Contributes to teamwork by awareness of overall unit acuity, consistently offering assistance, and responding positively to requests for assistance. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment. Seeks guidance from and offers guidance to interprofessional health care team, when appropriate, and applies feedback to improve patient outcomes.
• Implements staff education specific to patient populations and unit processes; coaches and mentors other staff and students. May include preceptorship. Uses peer‑to‑peer accountability towards improvement of department score for turnover/retention/employee engagement on unit‑based scorecard.

Service Essential Functions

• Follows the patient and family‑centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, and maintains medical records. Practices in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles.
• Develops, updates and communicates plan of care, including discharge, in partnership with the patient, family and interprofessional health care team, using the nursing process. Prioritizes care based on the patient’s needs, abilities and preferences. Advocates on patient/family’s behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns, utilizing appropriate resources.
• Provides patient teaching based on learning needs, uses appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after discharge. Consistently evaluates the patient’s comprehension and adapts teaching methods accordingly.
• Helps drive improvement of department score for patient satisfaction on unit‑based scorecard, through peer‑to‑peer accountability to service standards.

Quality/Safety Essential Functions

• Follows the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.
• Follows the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Identifies areas of practice improvements with research‑based evidence to achieve core measure and patient safety outcomes, supported by accurate documentation.
• Provides and modifies care to complex patients and coordinates care with the interprofessional team based on evaluation of the patient’s condition, supported by accurate documentation. Utilizes clinical judgement, using an evidence‑based analytical approach.
• Improves quality and safety scores on the unit‑based scorecard, through peer‑to‑peer accountability, reporting near misses, and collaborating with the interprofessional health care team.

Finance Essential Functions

• Displays self‑motivation to independently manage time effectively, document care promptly, minimize incidental overtime, and prioritize daily tasks. Provides input into the unit resource utilization including unit capital and operational budget needs.
• Contributes towards meeting department financial targets on unit‑based scorecard through decreasing length of stay, optimizing efficiency and other areas according to department specifications.

Growth/Innovation Essential Functions

• Identifies and presents areas for innovation, efficiency and improvement in patient care or unit operations using evidence‑based practice literature. Offers innovative solutions through evidence‑based practice/performance improvement projects and shared governance activities.
• Champions new care pathways or service line implementation to improve service to the community. Identifies trends for improvement opportunities or practice changes and supports initiatives. Researches the change and presents options to shared governance and leadership.

Supplemental Requirements

Work Attire

• Uniform: No
• Scrubs: Yes
• Business professional: No
• Other (department approved): No

On‑Call*

Note that employees may be required to be on‑call during emergencies (e.g., Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc.) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

Travel**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area: Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area: No