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Job Summary
The Intermediate Care Unit (IMC) Registered Nurse (RN) practices independently to deliver high-quality, comprehensive nursing care to patients requiring a higher level of monitoring and acuity than a standard medical-surgical floor, but who do not require full intensive care. Utilizing the nursing process, the IMC/PCU RN manages clinical situations, handles rapidly changing patient contingencies, sets long-range care goals, and appropriately delegates to and supervises other members of the healthcare team.
Key Responsibilities
- Progressive Care Delivery: Provides direct, high-acuity patient care utilizing the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation) consistent with the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice.
- Advanced Patient Assessment: Employs critical thinking to continuously assess the physical, psychosocial, and cultural needs of moderately unstable patients, communicating clinical updates rapidly to the healthcare team.
- Medication & Order Management: Processes, validates, and updates intricate medical orders. Administers medications and complex clinical treatments (including cardiac or high-acuity infusions) while strictly monitoring for efficacy and side effects.
- Patient Throughput Optimization: Anticipates and coordinates seamless patient flow, facilitating timely admissions, transfers to/from the ICU or Med-Surg floors, and comprehensive discharge planning.
- Clinical Documentation: Mainatins clear, real-time electronic health record (EHR) documentation of patient histories, active symptoms, vital signs, and responses to interventions.
- Education & Advocacy: Assesses the learning needs of complex patients and their families, providing essential education regarding disease management, treatments, and post-acute recovery.
- Shift Operations: Plans, directs, and evaluates overall nursing functions on the unit during assigned shifts, promoting strict stewardship of medical supplies, equipment, and departmental staffing resources.
Technical & Core Competencies
- Specialized Medical Equipment: Proficient in operating, inspecting, and troubleshooting standard cardiac monitoring, diagnostic tools, and unit-specific clinical equipment safely.
- Chart Interpretation & Order Tracking: Expertly reads and interprets patient charts, identifies unexpected data trends or clinical omissions, and validates standing or verbal orders for absolute accuracy.
- Proactive Patient Safety: Utilizes reporting systems to track near-misses; immediately investigates safety anomalies and acts decisively to manage physiological or psychological patient distress.
- Evidence-Based Practice: Incorporates modern nursing research and quality improvement initiatives into daily care workflows to ensure top-tier clinical outcomes.
Job Requirements & Qualifications
Education & Licensure
- Degree: Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) required; Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) strongly preferred.
- Licensure: Active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of Texas or an active multi-state Compact RN license.
Required Certifications (American Heart Association)
- BLS: Basic Life Support (Required)
- ACLS: Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (Required)
Experience
- Minimum Experience: 12 months of independent nursing experience in an acute care hospital environment.
- Preferred Specialty: Explicit background in an Intermediate Care Unit (IMC), Progressive Care Unit (PCU), Step-Down floor, or Telemetry unit handling high patient acuity.
Physical Requirements & Working Conditions
- Environment: Fast-paced, high-acuity inpatient acute care hospital setting. Strict adherence to hospital safety protocols, infection control guidelines, proper donning of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and the use of power-operated lifting devices is mandatory.
- Physical Demands: Active floor duties including prolonged standing/walking, reaching, bending, stooping, kneeling, squatting, pushing/pulling, and lifting/carrying patients or heavy medical equipment.
- Sensory Acuity: Requires visual acuity of at least 20/40, conversational hearing, color perception, and the ability to fluently speak and understand the English language.