Charge RN II - Operating Room

This position is a full-time day shift role and works three, 12-hr shifts on Tue, Wed, and Fri from 6:30am-7:00pm, plus call.

About the Role

At Houston Methodist, the Charge Nurse position is a licensed professional Registered Nurse (RN), who, as an experienced clinician, functions at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benner's model of clinical practice. This position creates an environment for the management and delivery of safe patient care. In addition to fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a clinical nurse, the Charge Nurse is a role model and coach to department personnel, assisting in developing their skills and knowledge. This position provides nursing care to a diverse patient population, conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, and maintains medical records. The Charge Nurse also coaches and mentors department staff in areas of clinical and professional practice, models compassionate communication with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, and assumes leadership responsibilities with high-level contributions at the bedside, unit, service line, and across the institution.

Responsibilities

• Lead unit and shared governance activities.
• Assess unit needs related to practice and improvement opportunities.
• Serve as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff.
• Coordinate unit and hospital-wide education in partnership with management.
• Foster staff engagement by demonstrating active listening, requesting and acknowledging feedback, and supporting organizational goals.
• Role model inter-professional communication, assist with staff stress management, and improve departmental scores for turnover/retention.
• Coach staff to use efficient and effective communication to establish and maintain a team environment.
• Provide input into staff performance reviews and function as a mentor/resource to unit staff.
• Lead patient and family-centered care standards and mentor others regarding specialty populations.
• Maintain ongoing interactions with patients, families, and staff to improve patient care through leader rounding.
• Ensure effective collaboration with other departments regarding patient process issues.
• Drive department service standards to improve patient satisfaction scores.
• Model the standards of care related to the nursing process and participate in improving nurse-sensitive quality indicators and patient safety goals.
• Coordinate nursing care considering patient acuity, staff skill level, and safety.
• Facilitate seamless patient flow and ensure the patient plan of care is accurate and timely.
• Work closely with operational assistants and bed management regarding timely patient placement.
• Respond to situations such as Rapid Response/CERTs and emergency codes.
• Implement department strategies to achieve financial targets through timely documentation, decreasing length of stay, and optimizing efficiency.
• Attend daily care coordination rounds to facilitate patient progression.
• Manage productivity in accordance with staffing grid and provide input into unit resource utilization.
• Foster identification and implementation of innovative solutions for practice changes to improve patient care or unit operations.
• Support change initiatives and expand individual nursing knowledge while coaching staff to grow in knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes.
• Serve as a clinical resource and develop/disseminate educational resources and programs.

Requirements

Education: Graduate of an education program approved by the credentialing body for the required credential(s).

Experience: Twenty-four months of clinical nursing experience with demonstration of progressive leadership skills.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (RN) - Texas State Licensure (must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days if establishing Texas residency).
• Basic Life Support (BLS) or Instructor (AHA) - American Heart Association.
• Preferred: Magnet - ANCC Recognized Certification.
• Preferred: Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) or Instructor (AHA).

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrates skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations.
• Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing the English language, especially regarding activities impacting patient or employee safety.
• Effectively communicates with patients, physicians, family members, and co-workers in a customer service-focused manner.
• Strong assessment, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the capacity to prioritize multiple tasks.
• Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with the interprofessional healthcare team and patients.
• Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act.
• Proficient time management skills and highly developed assessment skills.
• Contributes to policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Knowledge of Nursing Unit’s Dashboard and Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.
• Expertise in operating the electronic medical record.
• Maintains professional contributions as defined in the Clinical Career Path program guide.

Schedule

Full-time day shift, working three 12-hour shifts on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM, plus call.

Supplemental Requirements

• Work attire: Scrubs.
• On-call: Yes, required during emergencies (e.g., disaster, severe weather events).
• Travel: May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area.