Sr. Professional Staff Nurse - 8 East

About the role

Join our dedicated team at UPMC Hamot as a Full-Time Professional Staff Nurse on the 8 East unit. 8 East is a 23-bed medical-surgical unit providing care to medical patients and postoperative care for colon-rectal, general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, and ENT patients. The unit is a great fit for graduate nurses and nurses seeking to build a solid foundation in med/surg or expand knowledge from a diverse patient population. 8 East is a team-driven unit providing patient-centered care to patients requiring TPN, wound vac management, and ostomies with support from skilled wound ostomy nurses. Nurses are trained in foley insertions requiring further intervention and provide support to other departments in managing patients that are difficult to catheterize.

Purpose

The Senior Professional Staff Nurse is a Registered Nurse and a member of the care delivery team. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse is responsible to set the standards for the level and quality of care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse has responsibility, authority, and accountability for the provision of nursing care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse manages and provides patient care activities for a group of patients and their families through the application of independent judgment, communication, and collaboration with all team members. The role of the Senior Professional Staff Nurse encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration, and supervision. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with physicians, other health care providers, patients, and their families to achieve desired patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Senior Professional Staff Nurse demonstrates a commitment to the community and to the nursing profession.

Responsibilities

• Relationship Building: Develop and maintain productive working relationships internally and externally, demonstrating accountability, enthusiasm, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Recognize cultural differences and promote healthy relationships while maintaining a balance between work and personal life. Communicate safety hazards identified in the workplace to peers and management.
• Patient Education: Demonstrate knowledge of adult learning principles (and/or teaching children when applicable) to effectively teach patients, families, students, and new staff. Provide comprehensive education to guide patients and families through their care episodes and transitions to other levels of care or home. Support the development of students and new staff, serving as a preceptor and fostering an environment of open dialogue and continuous improvement through feedback.
• Nursing Process Application: Utilize the nursing process within the framework of Relationship-Based Care to create a healing environment. Formulate daily goals and care plans that involve the patient as a partner, considering their holistic needs. Employ critical thinking to identify and address clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues. Communicate effectively with other care providers, articulating the patient’s condition and recommending changes in care as needed. Ensure comprehensive documentation that promotes effective communication among caregivers.
• Professional Development: Take accountability for personal and professional development, actively participating in unit-based shared governance and goal-setting initiatives. Support quality improvement efforts to enhance patient care and the practice environment. Collaborate as a full partner on the care team, responding to team members’ needs for assistance.
• Quality Improvement: Engage in department or unit-specific quality improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities for improvement and take personal responsibility for enhancing patient satisfaction with care and service. Utilize research and evidence-based practices to support clinical care improvements, discussing findings during multidisciplinary rounds and influencing patients’ care plans.
• Identify opportunities for clinical quality as well as workplace improvement.
• Apply evidence-based practice as a regular aspect of professional practice.
• Serve on or lead teams that launch innovations in patient care or support a healthy workforce.
• Serve as a role model of professional nursing practice by serving as a recognized unit leader in one or more of the following areas: clinical expertise, teacher, specialized resource nurse, and/or evidence-based practice.
• Consistently give appropriate feedback to all members of the health care team and participate in the nursing peer review process.
• Promote change that enhances the quality of patient care and the unit environment.
• Serve on teams and lead successful teams as a part of daily practice.
• Demonstrate highly developed clinical assessment and analytical skills within the context of Relationship-Based Care.
• Actively participate in shared governance at the unit level and serve on hospital-wide councils.
• Demonstrate a passion for developing others, enthusiastically and expertly precepting students, graduate nurses, and new hires.
• Analyze clinical and behavioral situations, identifying learning opportunities to improve patient care practices.
• Regularly seek feedback on performance and apply continuous professional improvement.
• Support continuous learning in the clinical area by sharing research, materials from professional organizations, presenting on the unit, supporting journal clubs, etc.
• Apply the nursing process within the framework of Relationship-Based Care to create a healing environment.
• Formulate daily goals and a plan of care for patients that involves the patient as partner and considers the individual needs of the patient in a holistic manner.
• Practice solid communication skills and articulate and translate the patient's condition to other care providers and negotiate and make recommendations for changes in patient care and unit practices.
• Patient documentation is comprehensive and promotes communication between caregivers.
• Demonstrate critical thinking in the identification of clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues for the patient care within an episode of care.
• Incorporate national professional organization as well as business unit and health system's goals to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction of the patient experience in daily work.
• Create a caring and compassionate patient-focused experience by building healing relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.
• Build and mend relationships among colleagues within the framework of a healthy workplace.
• Role model keen cultural awareness including preventing and addressing horizontal violence and impairment.
• Maintain a conscious balance between work and personal life through prioritization and delegation of responsibilities.

Requirements

• Minimum 2 years’ experience.
• BSN preferred.
• Must obtain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on a Professional Staff Nurse Performance Evaluation to be promoted to this level.
• Must maintain a Solid/Strong/Good or higher on annual performance evaluation to maintain status.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary and support staff, other departments, and patients/families.
• Ability to work productively and effectively within a complex environment, handle multiple/changing priorities, and specialized equipment.
• Exemplary clinical judgment with critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities required as related to various aspects of patient care.
• Critical thinking skills necessary to exercise and to lead others in application of the nursing process.
• Mobility and visual manual dexterity.
• Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.
• Annual completion of a professional contribution selected from department, hospital, or system goals, and approved by Unit Director OR UPMC approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained OR Certification not required if Master's in nursing or DNP is held. If a BSN is held, a Master's degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances

• Current licensure as a Registered Professional Nurse either in the state where the facility is located or in a state covered by a licensure compact agreement with the state where the facility is located.
• UPMC approved nursing certification preferred.
• Annual completion of a professional contributions selected from department, hospital, or system goals, and approved by Unit Director OR UPMC approved nursing certification required within 1 year of hire/transfer and must be maintained. OR Certification not required if Master's in nursing or DNP is held. If a BSN is held, a Master's degree in a related field may be substituted in lieu of Certification.
• CPR required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• NIH within 6 months of hire or transfer into department.
• ACLS within 1 year of hire or transfer into department.
• Act 34.
• Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.

Benefits

• Sign-On Bonus amount and eligibility based on type of nursing role and candidate experience.
• Up to five and a half weeks of Paid Time Off annually, plus seven paid holidays each year.
• Dedicated career ladders allowing you to achieve your highest potential while rewarding you for your experience and advanced education.
• Tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 per academic year at any accredited institution, available to employees and their dependents (plus discounts for UPMC employees including no cost RN-BSN/MSN options!).