Clinician - Neuro ICU - Altoona

Are you a highly motivated Registered Nurse interested in advancing your career and gaining leadership experience?  UPMC Altoona is hiring a Clinician or Clinician Fellow to help support our Neuro ICU  This role will also be required to support our other ICUs as needed (see below ...

Job description

Are you a highly motivated Registered Nurse interested in advancing your career and gaining leadership experience?  UPMC Altoona is hiring a Clinician or Clinician Fellow to help support our Neuro ICU  This role will also be required to support our other ICUs as needed (see below regarding ICU Divisional Clinician role).

This position is eligible for a generous sign-on bonus  External candidates are eligible for $15,000 in exchange for a 2-year work commitment

The qualified candidate will be placed into the appropriate job title (Clinician or Clinician Fellow) and salary grade based on years of experience and/or education.

The goal of the ICU Divisional Clinician role has been designed to significantly impact the quality of care and operational efficiency in the ICUs. It will enhance patient care, improve communication, and ensure quality standards are met consistently. When not in the divisional role, Clinician will work on their home unit to provide support and work on any duties assigned within their role or they make take a patient assignment if needed.

• Staffing and Scheduling: Clinicians will work a mix of 12-hour and 8-hour shifts. Shifts will be designated as on unit or in divisional role.
• Coordination and Communication: Regular meetings with CCM and rounding with charge nurses in all four ICUs.
• Enhanced Patient Care and Monitoring: Carrying condition beepers, focused rounding with nurses, and following up on patient engagement concerns.
• Quality and Compliance: Conducting spot audits for quality measures and developing processes to improve specific ICU measures for quality compliance.
• Support and Leadership: Reviewing unit dashboards and leadership updates with teams and providing NIR coverage assistance as an additional layer of support.

Purpose & Responsibilities:

• Building Relationships:  Foster teamwork by building and maintaining strong relationships with colleagues and external partners. Mentor and coach peers on cultural diversity and address workplace issues. Promote well-being by modeling healthy work habits and time management, encouraging a balanced lifestyle for yourself and your team.
• Improving Care:  Enhance quality by using performance improvement tools to boost care quality and work environment. Share insights and successful practices across units. Advance knowledge by staying updated with research and best practices, and share new knowledge through presentations, posters, and publications.
• Mentoring and Education:  Support development by mentoring and educating staff, including student nurses and new hires. Help develop new preceptors and share your expertise with the broader healthcare team. Lead learning by actively participating in training and educational activities and promoting continuous learning within the team.
• Patient Care Excellence:  Deliver compassionate care by applying nursing knowledge to address patients' clinical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. Communicate effectively with patients and other caregivers. Ensure thorough documentation to support effective care coordination.
• Leadership and Improvement:  Lead change by identifying opportunities for improvement and guiding changes in clinical practice. Support staff through transitions and lead quality improvement initiatives. Participate in leadership roles at the unit or system level and assist with performance evaluations for your team.

Clinician Fellow Requirements:

• Minimum 2 years' experience. 
• If BSN is not at the time of hire must be enrolled in a program within one year of hire/transfer date and completed within three years of enrollment (i.e. public health, informational technology, administration, etc.).

Clinician Requirements:

• Minimum 3 years of nursing experience
• Master's degree preferred. BS/BSN required.
• If a BS degree is not in nursing, a Master's or higher degree in Nursing is required.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated competence as a Professional Staff Nurse.
• Knowledge and skills to provide age-appropriate care and interact with patients.
• Understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan.
• Ability to assess patient data and identify age-specific needs.
• Positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, staff, and patients/families.
• Productive and effective work in a complex environment with changing priorities and specialized equipment.
• Exemplary clinical judgment, critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Leadership in applying the nursing process.
• Mobility, visual manual dexterity, and physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire
• Emergency Neurological Life Support
• National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Certification
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Act 34

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran