Registered Nurse, Transplant/VAD Cardiac Stepdown, Night Shift - VUH

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) operates at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care. We are a community of individuals who come to work each day with the aim of changing the world through expertise, knowledge expansion, and challenging work. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where uniqueness is celebrated.

About the Role

Applies the nursing process to plan and implement the care of patients, including patient and family education and continuum of care planning. Effectively communicates pertinent patient/family information to the health care team. Collaborates in establishing patient goals and evaluates progress to ensure effective outcomes. Furthers professional growth by engaging in learning activities according to the Board of Nursing standards.

This is a full-time, night shift position (7p–7a) on the Cardiac Stepdown Unit (7 Medical Center East), a high-acuity, fast-paced team specializing in advanced heart failure, LVAD, and heart/lung transplant populations. The unit serves as a bridge between ICU and progressive care, caring for adult patients with complex cardiac and post-surgical needs.

Patient Population

• LVAD (Ventricular Assist Device) patients
• Heart & lung transplant (primary heart, secondary lung)
• End-stage heart failure
• Post-cardiac surgery
• Intermittent acute cardiac stepdown & progressive care
• General cardiology “melting pot” (wide variety of diagnoses)

Why Join This Unit?

• High-Acuity Cardiology Exposure: ICU-adjacent level of care on a stepdown unit
• Team-Centered Culture: All-hands-on-deck, collaborative, and supportive environment
• Growth & Development: Opportunities for committees, leadership pathways, and specialty training
• Meaningful Work: Long-term patient relationships and complex care coordination

Preferred Experience

• Inpatient cardiology, stepdown, or ICU experience
• Adult acute care experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Collaborates in establishing the plan of care, coordinates and implements care delivery while anticipating patient care needs across the continuum.
• Analyzes comprehensive information pertinent to the patient's care and management to determine nursing diagnosis.
• Continually utilizes the nursing process to evaluate patient's progress towards goals and applies appropriate interventions to ensure effective outcomes.
• Employs strategies to promote health and a safe and healthy environment.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Technical Capabilities

• Care Planning (Novice): Demonstrates ability to anticipate resource needs, identify distinct tasks, set priorities, schedule activities, meet deadlines, and organize work within areas of direct responsibility. Handles multiple assignments by prioritizing work into manageable units and adapts to changes with minimal disruption.
• Nursing Patient Education (Novice): Possesses fundamental proficiency in providing patient education in practical applications of moderate difficulty.
• Nursing Patient Assessment & Evaluation (Novice): Demonstrates fundamental proficiency in assessing and evaluating patients. Conducts primary care patient interviews and physical examinations, gathers pertinent clinical data, and recognizes problems to contact healthcare team members.
• Evidence-Based Practice (Novice): Possesses fundamental proficiency to successfully search for evidence to answer clinical questions, generally working under the direction of others.

Our Nursing Philosophy

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education, and research. Nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families, and communities reach excellent health and well-being.

Benefits

• Affordable, high-quality health plan options
• Dental and/or vision plans
• 403(b) retirement plan
• Paid Time Off (flex PTO)
• Tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)
• Short- and long-term disability
• Subsidized backup childcare
• Inpatient nursing supplemental pay program

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with understanding of how output impacts other areas related to own job area/team.
• Problem Solving/Complexity of Work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area.
• Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.

Core Capabilities

Supporting Colleagues

• Develops Self and Others: Invests time and energy in developing self/others to improve performance and gain knowledge.
• Builds and Maintains Relationships: Maintains regular contact with key colleagues and stakeholders to expand and strengthen relationships.
• Communicates Effectively: Recognizes group interactions and modifies communication style to suit different situations and audiences.

Delivering Excellent Services

• Serves Others with Compassion: Seeks to understand current and future needs of stakeholders and customizes services accordingly.
• Solves Complex Problems: Approaches problems from different angles and identifies new possibilities to interpret opportunities.
• Offers Meaningful Advice and Support: Provides ongoing support and coaching to increase employees' effectiveness.

Ensuring High Quality

• Performs Excellent Work: Engages in dialogue about quality and addresses issues promptly.
• Ensures Continuous Improvement: Applies learning experiences to uncover underlying causes of problems and identify solutions.
• Fulfills Safety and Regulatory Requirements: Understands all aspects of providing a safe environment and performs routine safety checks.

Managing Resources Effectively

• Demonstrates Accountability: Focuses on and drives critical issues to closure.
• Stewards Organizational Resources: Applies understanding of departmental work to manage resources effectively.
• Makes Data-Driven Decisions: Demonstrates understanding of data to identify and elevate opportunities.

Fostering Innovation

• Generates New Ideas: Proactively identifies new ideas/opportunities to improve processes.
• Applies Technology: Demonstrates enthusiasm for learning new technologies and tools.
• Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations/problems as opportunities for improvement.

Requirements

• Graduate of an approved discipline-specific program (Nursing).
• Active Registered Nurse license.
• 1 year of relevant work experience.