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. VUMC is a community where expertise is valued, knowledge is expanded, and abilities are challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and uniqueness is celebrated. Employees take pride in being part of something bigger than themselves, contributing to advancing health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

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 full-time, night shift (7p–7a) position is in the high-acuity, fast-paced Cardiac Stepdown Unit (7 Medical Center East), 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” of 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.

The responsibilities listed are a general overview of the position and 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): Possesses fundamental proficiency to assess and evaluate patients in practical applications of moderate difficulty. Conducts primary care patient interviews and physical examinations, recognizes problems, and contacts healthcare team members as needed.
• Evidence-Based Practice (Novice): Possesses fundamental proficiency to search for evidence to answer clinical questions. Generally works under the direction of others while accomplishing assignments.

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: Has 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 develop concrete solutions.
  • 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 and performs routine safety checks to prevent hazards.
• 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 information/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, tools, and procedures.
  • Adapts to Change: Views difficult situations/problems as opportunities for improvement and embraces change.

Requirements

• Graduate of an approved discipline-specific program (Nursing).
• Active Registered Nurse (RN) licensure.
• 1 year of relevant work experience.
• Preferred experience: Inpatient cardiology, stepdown, or ICU; adult acute care experience strongly preferred.

Benefits

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