Registered Nurse, Transplant/VAD Cardiac Stepdown, Day Shift - VUH

Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan options

Dental/vision plan

403(b) retirement plan

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Disability insurance

Backup childcare

Job summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is seeking an experienced nurse for a Full-Time Cardiac Stepdown Unit role in a high-acuity environment. The position focuses on heart failure, LVAD and transplant populations, bridging ICU and progressive care.

You will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to deliver advanced care. The unit emphasizes patient-family education, care planning, and continuous quality improvement.

Qualifications

• Active RN licensure in the United States.
• Experience in inpatient cardiology, stepdown, or ICU preferred.
• Adult acute care experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Collaborates in establishing the plan of care and coordinates care across the continuum.
• Analyzes patient information to determine nursing diagnoses and interventions.
• Evaluates progress and adjusts care to achieve outcomes.
• Promotes health and maintains a safe environment.

Skills

Care Planning

Nursing Patient Education

Nursing Patient Assessment & Evalu

Evidence-Based Practice

Education

Graduate of an approved discipline specific program

Job description

Discover Vanderbilt Health

With eight hospitals and over 180 clinics, we are the region’s largest comprehensive academic health system. Vanderbilt Health has a long tradition of providing world-class care to the people of the Mid-South, living out our mission of moving medicine forward through preeminent programs in patient care, education and research. Here you’ll find a spirit of collaboration and a supportive community where your expertise is valued, your knowledge expanded and your uniquenesscelebrated. We are committed to fostering an environment where talented, compassionate people are united in bringing the most advanced care to our neighbors throughout the region.

Organization

7MCE Cohort 40

Job Summary

Applies the nursing process to plan and implement the care of patients, including patient and family education and continuum of care planning. Effectively communicates pertinent patient/family information to the health care team. Collaborates in establishing patient goals and evaluates progress to ensure effective outcomes. Furthers professional growth by engaging in learning activities according to the Board of Nursing standards.

Job Description

Cardiac Stepdown Unit (7 Medical Center East)

Full-Time, Day Shift: 7a–7p

Join a high-acuity, fast-paced Cardiac Stepdown team specializing in advanced heart failure, LVAD, and heart/lung transplant populations. This unit serves as a bridge between ICU and progressive care, caring for adult patients with complex cardiac and post-surgical needs.

Patient Population Includes

• LVAD (Ventricular Assist Device) patients


• Heart & lung transplant (primary heart, secondary lung)


• End-stage heart failure


• Post-cardiac surgery


• Intermittent acute cardiac stepdown & progressive care


• General cardiology “melting pot” (wide variety of diagnoses)

Why Join This Unit

• High-Acuity Cardiology Exposure: ICU-adjacent level of care on a stepdown unit


• Team-Centered Culture: All-hands-on-deck, collaborative, and supportive environment


• Growth & Development: Opportunities for committees, leadership pathways, and specialty training


• Meaningful Work: Long-term patient relationships and complex care coordination

Preferred Experience

• Inpatient cardiology, stepdown, or ICU experience


• Adult acute care experience strongly preferred

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborates in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the continuum.


• Analyzes comprehensive information pertinent to the patient’s care and management to determine nursing diagnosis.


• Continually utilizes the nursing process to evaluate patient’s progress towards goals and applies appropriate interventions to ensure effective outcomes.


• Employs strategies to promote health and a safe and healthy environment.


• The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and additional duties may be assigned.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

• Care Planning (Novice): Demonstrates ability to anticipate resource needs, identify distinct tasks, set priorities, schedule activities, meet deadlines, and organize work within areas of direct responsibility. Competently handles multiple assignments often simultaneously by prioritizing work into manageable and measurable units. Ability to adapt to changes to patient care and area needs with minimal disruption and loss of productivity. Follows up to assure problems and issues are resolved.


• Nursing Patient Education (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency in providing patient education in practical applications of moderate difficulty.


• Nursing Patient Assessment & Evaluation (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully demonstrate the ability to assess and evaluate patients in practical applications of moderate difficulty. Conducts primary care patient interviews and physical examinations. Demonstrates sufficient acumen to recognize problems, ask questions and to contact the patient’s primary care provider and other members of the healthcare team. Has experience in gathering pertinent clinical data that aid in referral, treatment, or other primary care pathways.


• Evidence-Based Practice (Novice): Possesses sufficient fundamental proficiency to successfully search for evidence to answer clinical questions. Generally works under the direction of others while accomplishing assignments.

Our Nursing Philosophy:

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families and communities reach excellent health and well-being.

Employee Benefits

• Affordable High Quality Health Plan Options


• Dental and /or vision plan


• 403 (b) retirement plan


• Paid Time off (flex PTO)


• Tuition Reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)


• Short-Long term disability


• Subsidized backup childcare


• And many more… Ask us about our current inpatient nursing supplemental Pay Program!

Achieve the Remarkable:

Learn more about VUMC Nursing here.

Core Accountabilities:

Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with the understanding of how output would affect and impact other areas related to own job area/team with occasional guidance. Problem Solving/ Complexity of work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment. Breadth of Knowledge: Has expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area. Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities :

Supporting Colleagues:- Develops Self and Others: Invests time, energy, and enthusiasm in developing self/others to help improve performance e and gain knowledge in new areas.- Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders using formal and informal opportunities to expand and strengthen relationships.- Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies one’s own communication style to suit different situations and audiences. Delivering Excellent Services:- Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of relevant stakeholders and customizes services to better address them.- Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles; Identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities and develop concrete solutions.- Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching in a constructive manner to increase employees’ effectiveness. Ensuring High Quality: - Performs Excellent Work: Engages regularly in formal and informal dialogue about quality; directly addresses quality issues promptly.- Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies various learning experiences by looking beyond symptoms to uncover underlying causes of problems and identifies ways to resolve them. - Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks to prevent safety hazards from occurring. Managing Resources Effectively: - Demonstrates Accountability: Demonstrates a sense of ownership, focusing on and driving critical issues to closure.- Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of the departmental work to effectively manage resources for a department/area.- Makes Data Driven Decisions: Demonstrates strong understanding of the information or data to identify and elevate opportunities. Fostering Innovation:- Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities from multiple sources or methods to improve processes beyond conventional approaches.- Applies Technology: Demonstrates an enthusiasm for learning new technologies, tools, and procedures to address short-term challenges.- Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations and/or problems as opportunities for improvement; actively embraces change instead of emphasizing negative elements.

Position Qualifications:

Responsibilities:

Certifications:

LIC-Registered Nurse - Licensure-Others

Work Experience:

Relevant Work Experience

Experience Level:

Less than 1 year

Education:

Graduate of an approved discipline specific program

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within Vanderbilt Health, supported by a comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings to enhance your well-being and professional growth.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.