Are you a highly motivated Registered Nurse who is interested in advancing your career and gaining leadership experience? UPMC Altoona is hiring a Clinician or Clinician Fellow to help support our Surgical Progressive Care Unit! This is a night shift position, no weekends or holidays!

This position is also eligible for a generous Sign-On Bonus of $20,000 for a two-year work commitment to a med/surg unit within UPMC.

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

More about the unit:

• SPCU serves the adult population with a wide variety of medical diagnoses, surgical procedures, and trauma injuries. SPCU is the only critical care surgical trauma stepdown unit that specializes in chest tube management and assists with bedside procedures. We are experienced in all types of post-surgical patients with a specialty in cardiac, vascular, and thoracic surgeries. SPCU is skilled in complex diagnosis and respiratory compromised situations requiring Bipap/CPAP, high flow oxygenation, and continuous pulse oximetry. We are trained in caring for epidurals and PCA pumps as well as complex IV drips requiring telemetry monitoring.

What is a Clinician/Clinician Fellow?

• A highly developed role model of professional nursing practice with focused expertise and accountabilities in one or more of the following: expert clinical practice, teaching/development, and/or evidence-based practice. This role partners with management in the achievement of a culture of excellence in professional nursing practice and patient care.

• Under the direction of the Unit Director or Department Manager, assists in the completion of employee evaluations, selection and hiring of staff, and performance management. This role has the authority, responsibility, and shift accountability for the delivery of nursing care through the use of the nursing process.

• Applies superior clinical knowledge and skills to achieve quality patient care outcomes.

• Responsible for providing service-based education and clinical expertise for staff including orientation and training, consultation on practice issues, and general coordination of clinical activities on a shift basis.

• Must demonstrate the knowledge and skills to provide care that is relevant to patients under their care, as well as apply principles of growth and development over the life span.

• Must possess the ability to assess and interpret patient data needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his or her age-specific needs.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally by building teams and relationships through mentoring and modeling uplifting and positive communication. Coaches colleagues on cultural diversity and addresses workplace horizontal violence and impairment.

• Demonstrates accountability to self and others for safe work hours, time management, and healthy lifestyles.

• Demonstrates knowledge of performance improvement tools and techniques.

• Continuously improves the quality of care and the work environment of outcomes and the integration of research and best practices into daily work.

• Shares learning from improvements with other units and/or spreads across the business unit or system.

• Demonstrates interest in the development of others and positively impacts the lives of patients/families, peers, and members of the healthcare team through mentoring education, and knowledge sharing.

• Actively participates in the role of preceptor for student nurses, nurse interns, graduate, and experienced nurses and assists with the development of new preceptors in their role.

• Seeks opportunities to share expertise with other members of the healthcare team within and beyond the clinical unit/department.

• Incorporates national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction of the patient experience in daily work.

• Creates a caring and compassionate patient-focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families, and colleagues. Disseminates new knowledge and innovations through presentations, posters, and publications.

• Applies nursing knowledge and skills within the framework of Relationship Based Care, using the nursing process to meet the clinical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the patient and family.

• Demonstrates critical thinking in the analysis of clinical, social, safety, psychological and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care.

• Practices solid verbal and written communication skills and can articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices.

• Ensures patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.

• Assumes formal leadership responsibilities for one or more of the following: quality improvement, evidence-based practice, GN, or new hire onboarding.

• Completes and/or assists with staff performance evaluations for direct reports as applicable.

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.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Must obtain one of the eight certifications within two years of hire/transfer:

• Acute/Critical Care RN (CCRN) OR Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses OR Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) OR Certified Flight Nurse OR Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse OR Certified Progressive Care Nurse OR Emergency Nursing Pediatric OR Trauma Certified Registered Nurse

• Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse in practicing state.

• National Certification preferred.

• CPR is required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

• National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Certification

• Registered Nurse (RN)

• Act 34

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran