JOB SUMMARY: Responsible for the delivery of patient care through the nursing process of assessment, diagnosing, planning, implementation and evaluation.  Responsible for directing and coordinating all nursing care based on established clinical nursing care for patients the medical surgical services based on established clinical nursing practice standards.  Collaborates with other professional disciplines to ensure effective and efficient patient care delivery and the achievement of desired patient outcomes.  Serves as the Resource nurse role when oriented and as directed.  Supports the organization vision and mission.  Utilizes knowledge of patient's age, developmental status, spiritual and cultural diversity into the provision of patient care.  Contributes to the provision of quality nursing care through performance improvement techniques that demonstrate positive outcomes in patient care.  

Critical Care Unit (CCU) Registered Nurse Responsibilities

• Assessment & Planning: Conduct rapid and continuous comprehensive hemodynamic and clinical assessments for critically ill CCU patients, developing and revising individualized nursing care plans within established hospital timeframes to maintain continuity of care.
• Clinical Intervention: Deliver advanced, evidence-based critical care nursing interventions—including continuous cardiac, hemodynamic, and ventilator monitoring—adjusting care dynamically based on subtle shifts in patient status, physician orders, and intensive care practice standards.
• Emergency Response & Management: Rapidly identify physiological decompensation or acute behavioral events in high-acuity cardiac and critical patients, leading or assisting in rapid response/code team actions and initiating life-saving interventions in accordance with ACLS protocols.
• Patient Advocacy & Family Education: Serve as a dedicated clinical advocate for critical care patients; provide empathetic, structured education to patients and their families regarding complex cardiac conditions, CCU procedures, and post-discharge recovery plans.
• Safety & Compliance: Uphold National Patient Safety Goals within the high-risk CCU environment, rigorous infection control measures, skin integrity and fall prevention protocols, and the safe monitoring and management of therapeutic restraints.

• CCU Resource Preparedness: Ensure unit emergency equipment (e.g., crash carts, defibrillators, IV pumps, monitors) and critical care medications are fully stocked, verified, and operational at the beginning of each shift.
• Documentation & EMR: Maintain meticulous, real-time, and legally sound documentation of all vital signs, dysrhythmia interpretations, intervention responses, and medication titrations in the patient’s medical record.
• Professional Conduct & Reliability: Comply with all hospital and departmental policies regarding attendance, punctuality, and professional appearance while efficiently prioritizing tasks in a fast-paced intensive care setting.
• Continuous Quality Improvement: Take initiative in unit-level quality improvement, accept constructive peer and leadership feedback, and readily adapt to evolving critical care protocols and clinical practices.

Service Excellence & Collaboration

• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Partner closely with cardiologists, intensivists, respiratory therapists, and multidisciplinary hospital teams to coordinate comprehensive care plans and make proactive clinical decisions.
• Patient & Family Centered Care: Treat critically ill patients and their families with compassion, dignity, and cultural sensitivity during high-stress critical care situations.
• Effective Communication & Hand-offs: Execute precise, structured shift hand-offs and inter-departmental reports, ensuring clear, timely communication with unit leadership and the healthcare team regarding critical status changes.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Academic Foundation: Must be a graduate from an accredited professional nursing program. Candidates must demonstrate proficiency in leadership, interdisciplinary teamwork, and professional communication strategies.
• Professional Licensure: Maintain a current and valid Registered Nurse license for the State of California.
• Clinical Certifications: Possess and uphold BCLS, ACLS (AHA required), Basic Dysrhythmia, and NIHS Stroke certifications at the time of hire and maintian current throughout employment.
• Communication Excellence: Demonstrate exceptional written and verbal communication skills to facilitate effective two-way interactions with the healthcare team.