Position Details:
- Shift Schedule: Rotating 12-hour shifts, including both days and nights.
- On-Call Requirements: Approximately 32 hours of on-call duty per 4-week schedule.
- Weekend Schedule: 2 weekends per 4-week schedule.
- Holiday Schedule: Typically, every other holiday worked.
- Preferred Experience: Labor, Delivery, Recovery, and Postpartum (LDR/PP) experience preferred.
Purpose:
The
Professional Staff Nurse is a Registered Nurse and an integral member of the care delivery team. This role is responsible for setting the standards for the level and quality of care, holding responsibility, authority, and accountability for the provision of nursing care. The Professional Staff Nurse manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through independent judgment, communication, and collaboration with all team members. This role encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration, and supervision, establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with physicians, other healthcare providers, patients, and their families to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Professional Staff Nurse demonstrates a commitment to the community and the nursing profession.
Responsibilities:
- Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by demonstrating accountability for actions, enthusiasm, motivation, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Understands cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships. Maintains a conscious balance between work and personal life, modeling safe work hours, time management, and a healthy lifestyle. Communicates with peers and management about any safety hazards identified in the workplace.
- Demonstrates knowledge of adult learning principles (and/or teaching children if applicable) and applies this in teaching patients, families, students, and new staff. Provides detailed and appropriate teaching to patients and families to effectively guide them through the episode of care and transition to another level of care or home. Supports the development of students, new staff, and colleagues, and may serve as a preceptor. Creates an environment of open dialogue, inquiry, and continuous development by asking for feedback and improving practice.
- Applies the nursing process within the framework of Relationship-Based Care to create a healing environment. Formulates daily goals and a plan of care for patients that involve the patient as a partner and consider the individual needs of the patient in a holistic manner. Demonstrates critical thinking in identifying clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues for patient care within an episode of care. Practices solid communication skills, articulating and translating the patient's condition to other care providers, negotiating, and making recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices. Ensures comprehensive patient documentation that promotes communication between caregivers. Incorporates national professional organization goals as well as business unit and health system goals to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction. Creates a caring and compassionate patient-focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.
- Demonstrates accountability for professional development that improves the quality of professional practice and patient care. Actively participates in unit-based shared governance, goal setting, and supports the change and transition process to improve the quality of care and the practice environment. Serves as a highly engaged and full partner on the care team, responding willingly to care team member needs for assistance and partnership. Participates in work that improves patient care and the professional practice environment. Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility with the change process.
- Actively participates in department or unit-specific quality improvement efforts. Identifies opportunities for quality improvement to colleagues and management. Takes personal responsibility for improving patient satisfaction with the quality of care and service. Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support improvement in clinical care: identifies research issues or articles related to clinical specialty or areas of interest, discusses opportunities for quality improvement at multidisciplinary rounds, and influences patients' plans of care.
The individual must demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and interact appropriately with patients of all ages served by their assigned unit. They must also understand the principles of growth and development over the lifespan and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status. This includes interpreting the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to their age-specific needs and providing the care as described in department policies and procedures.
- Experience: 0-2 years of experience. BSN preferred.
- Interpersonal Skills: Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families.
- Work Environment: Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities, and specialized equipment.
- Clinical Judgment: Good clinical judgment with critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities required for various aspects of patient care. Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and lead others in the application of the nursing process.
- Physical Requirements: Mobility and visual manual dexterity. Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.
UPMC offers a variety of flexible options: In addition to traditional rotating/flexible shifts, special programs exist to work primarily night shifts or weekend shifts with a premium pay differential. Employees hired as or who choose to transition into one of these programs at a later time must have at least 6 months of nursing experience to qualify and may be required to complete any necessary orientation during regular business hours. If you are interested in these programs, please alert your recruiter when you are contacted for an interview.
Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:
- UPMC Approved National Certification: Preferred.
- Registered Professional Nurse Licensure: Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located.
- CPR Certification: Required based on AHA standards, including both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
- Graduate Nurses: Must complete licensure examination within six months of hire or within one year of graduation, whichever comes first. Temporary permits are valid for one year from the date of graduation, not from the issue of the permit (or until the results of the examination are known, at which time it becomes null and void). UPMC requires that GNs take the licensure examination within six months of their start date or they will be terminated or demoted from the GN position, at the discretion of the BU.
- NRP Certification: Required within one year of hire/transfer.
Required Certifications:
- Basic Life Support (BLS) or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
- Registered Nurse (RN) or Temporary Practice Permit (TPP)
- Act 33
- Act 34
- Act 73 FBI Clearance
Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.
UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran
Annual
