Registered Nurse (RN II) - Neurology IMU

At Houston Methodist Willowbrook Hospital, the Registered Nurse (RN) II position is a licensed staff nurse and experienced clinician who functions at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benner's model of clinical practice.

About the role

The RN II provides professional nursing care to a diverse patient population, conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, delivers patient education, and maintains medical records. This role involves direct patient care, often for individuals with varied and complex needs, and requires effective communication and collaboration with physicians and the interprofessional health care team to facilitate compassionate, efficient, and quality care while achieving desired treatment outcomes.

The RN II demonstrates clinical competence in care delivery, technology use, medication administration, procedures, and emergency management, acting as a patient and family advocate to monitor and maintain patient rights. This position includes progressive leadership responsibilities such as participating in or leading unit and shared governance initiatives, serving as charge nurse or preceptor to students or new employees, and contributing to service line or hospital-wide initiatives in partnership with management.

Responsibilities

• Uses therapeutic communication, including active listening and teaching, to establish relationships with patients, families, and the interprofessional health care team to collaborate on the plan of care.
• Contributes to teamwork by assessing unit acuity, offering assistance, and responding positively to requests for help.
• Collaborates to foster healthy work relationships, seeks and offers guidance, and applies feedback to improve patient outcomes.
• Implements staff education specific to patient populations and unit processes; coaches and mentors other staff and students, including preceptorship.
• Uses peer-to-peer accountability to improve department scores for turnover, retention, and employee engagement.
• Follows patient and family-centered care standards, conducting nursing assessments, assisting with exams and treatments, and maintaining medical records.
• Practices in a manner congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles.
• Develops, updates, and communicates the plan of care, including discharge, in partnership with the patient, family, and interprofessional team using the nursing process.
• Prioritizes care based on patient needs, abilities, and preferences.
• Advocates for patients and families to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns, utilizing appropriate resources.
• Provides patient teaching based on learning needs, evaluates comprehension, and adapts teaching methods accordingly.
• Drives improvement of department patient satisfaction scores through peer-to-peer accountability to service standards.
• Follows standards of care related to the nursing process and regulatory requirements as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.
• Identifies areas for practice improvement using research-based evidence to achieve core measures and patient safety outcomes, supported by accurate documentation.
• Provides and modifies care for complex patients and coordinates with the interprofessional team, supported by accurate documentation.
• Utilizes clinical judgment through an evidence-based analytical approach.
• Improves quality and safety scores on the unit-based scorecard through peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses, and collaborating with the interprofessional team.
• Manages time effectively, documents care timely, minimizes incidental overtime, and prioritizes daily tasks.
• Provides input into unit resource utilization, including capital and operational budget needs.
• Contributes to meeting department financial targets by decreasing length of stay and optimizing efficiency.
• Identifies and presents areas for innovation, efficiency, and improvement in patient care or unit operations using evidence-based practice literature.
• Offers innovative solutions through evidence-based practice and performance improvement projects, and shared governance activities.
• Champions new care pathways or service line implementation to improve community service.
• Identifies trends for improvement opportunities or practice changes and supports initiatives.
• Researches changes and presents options to shared governance and leadership.

Requirements

• Graduate of an education program approved by the credentialing body for registered nurse licensure.
• Twelve months of registered nurse experience in a healthcare environment.

Qualifications

• Texas State RN Licensure (Texas Board of Nursing) or Compact Licensure (must obtain permanent Texas license within 60 days if establishing Texas residency).
• Basic Life Support (BLS) or Instructor certification (American Heart Association).
• National Institute of Health Stroke Scale Certification (NIHSS) (American Heart Association).
• Preferred: ANCC-recognized Magnet certification.

Skills

• Demonstrates skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through ongoing skills and competency assessments.
• Proficient in speaking, reading, and writing English to perform essential job functions, particularly activities impacting patient or employee safety.
• Effectively communicates with patients, physicians, family members, and coworkers in a customer service-focused manner using positive language principles.
• Strong assessment, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and role components.
• Functions independently and exercises judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care teams, and patients/families.
• Uses critical thinking and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act.
• Proficient time management skills.
• Maintains professional contributions as defined in the Clinical Career Path program guide.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft products, including Outlook.

Schedule

Employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (e.g., disaster, severe weather events).

May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area.