Registered Nurse - Critical Care

Location:Travis AFB

Position Title: Registered Nurse - Critical Care

Specific Department - Critical Care

Schedule: Monday – Sunday, shifts may include days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. 14/12-hour shifts per 28 days. 0645-1915 (day shift) or 1845-0715 (night shift)

Holidays: Required

On-Call: Required
Benefits: Vested vacation, sick leave, holiday leave, Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Short Term Disability
Optional Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(K) matching with employee participation

• Coordinate patient care in collaboration with a wide array of healthcare professionals. Facilitate the achievement of optimal outcomes in relation to clinical care, quality and cost effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with standards of care and practice in accordance with all established policies, procedures, and guidelines used in the MTF.
• Perform physical exam and health histories.
• Provide health promotions, counseling, and education.
• Administer medications, wound care, and numerous other personalized interventions.
• Clinically direct and supervise care provide by other healthcare professionals.
• Accountable for making patient care assignments based on the scope of practice and skill level of assigned personnel.
• Recognize adverse signs and symptoms and quickly react in emergency situations.
• Communicate and collaborate with a diverse group of people for the purpose of informing the healthcare team of plans/actions, for teaching/education to benefit the patient/family and organization.
• Make referral appointments and arrange specialty care as appropriate.
• Perform nursing services identified in the TO.
• Conduct research in support of improved practice and patient outcomes.
• Ability to react with alertness and skill in any emergency situation, (e.g., cardiac or respiratory arrest, hemorrhage,shock, severe physical trauma and psychiatric reaction). Serves as member of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) and Code Blue resuscitation/response team.
• Knowledge of interpersonal relationships and the ability to maintain composure and react appropriately while relating to patients, families, physicians, coworkers and ancillary staff; manage distraught, irritable, unreasonable or angry individuals; and maintain positive rapport with all individuals involved in patient care.
• Knowledge of a wide range of medical disorders and conditions as appropriate and seen in critically ill patients(e.g., Ventilator Associated pneumonia and the VAP bundle, Sepsis, and ARDS).
• Knowledge of professional care theories, principles, practices, and procedures to perform nursing assignments of critically ill patients. Demonstrates knowledge of growth and development, and pathophysiology of diseaseprocesses specific to the critical care unit population to include all ages from adult to geriatrics.
• Assess patients' conditions for potential or life-threatening crises. Distinguish between normal and abnormal physical findings (from physical assessment and vital sign assessment). Plan appropriate nursing care. Notify physician if needed and carry out appropriate interventions as ordered.
  Identify impending or existing emotional or psychiatric crisis and provide appropriate intervention.
• Reassess patient's condition and revise plan of care based on identified nursing problems.
• Assess patient/family knowledge level, implement plan of instructions and record patient/family demonstratedlevel of understanding.
• Implement the Nursing process (assessment, planning, diagnosis, intervention and evaluation) to include holistic approach.
• Effectively communicates and collaborates with a diverse group of people for the purpose of informing the healthcare team of plans/actions, for teaching/education to benefit the patient/family and organization. Effectively uses appropriate communication format in addressing professional issues.
• Obtain patient history, pertinent family history, and document in patient’s medical record.
• Utilize appropriate nursing personnel to assist in delivery of care when indicated (LPN's/paraprofessionals).
• Transcribe or verify transcription of physician orders.
• Carry out prescribed physician orders and document in patient medical record.
• Communicate pertinent patient data to charge nurse and/or physician as appropriate.
• Reassess patient's condition and revise plan of care based on identified nursing problems.
• Possess knowledge of a variety of pharmacological agents used in treatment of critically ill patients, the desired effects, side effects, complications and usual dosage of their use as well as the accurate administration of the pharmacologic agent, including dosage calculations as required.
• Administer prescribed critical care medications to include multiple critical care medication drips and intravenous push drugs (e.g., sedatives, narcotics, vasoactive medications, neuromuscular blockades, antidysrhythmics,antihypertensives, thrombolytics, and emergency drugs). Administration consideration based on protocols, policyand recommendations by medical references.
• Assess and document patient response to medications administered and intervene if desired response is not achieved.
• Instruct patient/family regarding prescribed medications/therapies and surgical/diagnostic procedures that must be accomplished.
• Administer inhalation therapy treatments, with knowledge of medications utilized in this treatment and reactions.
• Properly apply cardiac monitor leads and 12 lead EKG machine, analyze rhythm strips and notify Physician of any abnormal results (e.g., dysrhythmias for patient situation). Be able to interpret cardiac rhythms and theirimplications, intervene on emergent changes.
• Assess patient/family knowledge level, implement plan of instructions and record patient/family demonstratedlevel of understanding.
• Care for patients with a variety of hemodynamic monitors to include pressure lines/transducers, Swan-Ganz catheters, and arterial lines. Obtain hemodynamic parameters and interpret results. Notify physician of any parameters outside of expected results.
• Participate in Discharge Planning as appropriate.
• Demonstrate use and operation of defibrillator to include emergency defibrillator.
• Obtain Arterial Blood Gas by drawing from arterial line. Interpret results, notify physician of abnormal results and anticipate intervention as appropriate.
• Perform the Postoperative Recovery and discharge within established criteria.
• Draw blood from invasive monitoring lines, lab value interpretation and intervene as appropriate (follow hospital protocols when applicable and/or notify physician).
• Care of patients on ventilators to include knowledge of the modes of ventilation, Ventilator Associated Pneumonia Bundle.
• Be able to initiate life saving measures in the absence of a physician.
• Operate infusion pumps, enteral feeding pumps, and Patient Controlled Analgesia pumps, epidural pumps,electronic thermometers, wound vacs, and CRRT equipment.
• Administration of Blood products.
• Preceptor to new nurses if requested. Consists of overseeing new nurse’s orientation to patient care during a 12 hour shift. Includes teaching/orienting to use of electronic charting system, location of supplies, and reporting new nurse progress to critical care unit leadership.

Degree/Education: Associates Degree of Nursing.

Certifications in addition to Basic Life Support:Certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)is required for the Critical Care Unit. Candidate must possess pediatric advance life support (PALS). Completion of critical care training course or completion of an equitable platform (i.e., Essentials of Critical Care Orientation[ECCO], online course from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses preferred, but not required.

Experience: HCW shall have a minimum of two years’ experience with at least one year in a critical care area of four or more beds. One year of experience must have occurred within the last 24 months.

Licensure/Registration: Current, full, active, and unrestricted license to practice as a Registered Nurse.

AKAHI ASSOCIATES LLC

AKAHI Associates is a premier provider of healthcare workers to various military treatment facilities across the United States. With a corporate office in Honolulu, Hawaii and recruiting office in San Antonio, Texas we specialize in providing skilled, trained and highly successful healthcare workers, including RNs, CRNAs, Physicians, LPN/LVN, Licensed Social Workers, and many more.

We have a strong focus on providing our government customers with quality and superior service.

Akahi Associates is an equal opportunity employer and Minorities, Females, Veterans, and Disabled persons are encouraged to apply. For further information, please click the link below to view the EEO Is The Law poster.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Only qualified individuals who are being considered will be contacted for an interview.