Job Responsibilities: C.S.U. Open Heart Nurse
Clinical Care & Patient Management
- Delivers comprehensive nursing care to acute psychiatric and cardiovascular recovery patients in accordance with clinical needs, physician orders, and regulatory standards.
- Monitors hemodynamic status, interprets diagnostic results (e.g., EKGs, POC Troponin), and promptly communicates critical or abnormal findings to attending physicians.
- Conducts thorough initial and ongoing assessments—including psychosocial, emotional, and pain evaluations—to formulate, maintain, and prioritize goal-directed care plans.
- Assists physicians with bedside procedures, enforces time-out protocols, and conducts pain reassessments post-medication administration and prior to transfer or discharge.
- Initiates patient and family education and plans discharge transitions tailored to age-specific requirements.
Leadership & Team Coordination
- Serves in charge nurse and supervisory capacities as required, directing patient care team activities across unit operations and Surgical Services.
- Exercises independent judgment to assign, delegate, and adjust staffing coverage based on employee competencies, patient acuity, and unit demand.
- Fosters positive interdisciplinary relationships, mentors staff, assists with orientation, and resolves interpersonal and operational conflicts professionally through the chain of command.
- Collaborates with department directors on scheduling, interviewing candidates, and conducting performance evaluations and counseling.
Patient Safety & Documentation
- Consistently verifies patient identity using two identifiers and maintains complete, accurate, and timely nursing documentation in electronic health record systems (Medi-Tech).
- Adheres strictly to medication administration, reconciliation, Pyxis/narcotic accounting, and approved abbreviation standards, ensuring telephone read-back validation within required timeframes.
- Maintains emergency equipment readiness (e.g., crash cart and defibrillator checks) and adheres to safe patient handling techniques and equipment protocols.
Quality & Regulatory Compliance
- Upholds infection control protocols (OSHA bloodborne pathogens, CDC guidelines) and National Patient Safety Goals across all clinical tasks.
- Participates in data collection and continuous quality improvement initiatives, including departmental Core Measures implementation.
- Recognizes and reports mandatory indicators (e.g., signs of abuse) to appropriate regulatory bodies (Adult Protective Services) and adheres to hospital policies and labor standards.