Senior Staff Registered Nurse- Cardiovascular Surgery (Cypress) (Hiring Immediately)

At Houston Methodist, the Sr Staff Registered Nurse (RN) position is
responsible for functioning as an advanced clinician at the Proficient level
according to Benners model of clinical practice. The Sr Staff RN position
provides professional direct patient nursing care to a diverse patient
population, which may include patients with varied and complex needs, and is
considered an expert in a specialty. Besides conducting nursing assessments,
assisting with exams and treatment and maintenance of medical records, this
position assists in coaching and mentoring department staff in areas of
clinical and professional practice. Role modeling compassionate communication
with physicians and the interprofessional health care team, the Sr Staff RN
position assumes leadership responsibilities with high level contributions in
the department and across the institution. Responsibilities for this position
may include but are not limited to leading department clinical activities,
assessing department needs related to practice and improvement opportunities,
serving as a clinical resource for department staff and coordinating
department education in partnership with management.
**PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
* Identifies staff development opportunities for professional growth of colleagues, provides coaching to meet identified goals. Acts as a model and coaches staff in effective verbal, non-verbal and written communication, which includes active listening and teaching. Provides oversight for new employee preceptorships.
* Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment such as mitigation of conflict. Advocates for a balanced workload, promotes positive behaviors, and peer-to-peer accountability.
* Improves nurse satisfaction by serving as a role model and mentor, facilitating teamwork with RNs, non-licensed and interprofessional staff. Drives improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e., peer-to-peer accountability.
**SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
* Role models the patient and family-centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Mentors others regarding specialty populations. Audits plan of care. Practices in a manner that is congruent with cultural diversity and inclusion principles.
* Develops, updates, and communicates plan of care, including dischargedisposition, in partnership with the patient, family and interprofessional health care team, using the nursing process. Prioritizes care based on the patients needs, abilities, and preferences. Advocates on patientfamilys behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns. Develops appropriate resources and supports department practices and guidelines.
* Develops and implements effective patient teaching strategies based on learning needs; uses appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after dischargedisposition. Consistently evaluates the patients comprehension and adapts teaching methods accordingly.
* Drives department activities to improve department score for patient satisfaction, through peer-to-peer accountability to service standards.
**QUALITYSAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
* Models the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Provides care as the staff nurse leader to complex patients and leads the interprofessional health care team in implementing plan of care. Anticipatesprevents and recognizeresolves early declines in patient condition and emergent situations. Manages assignment of complex patients and other department demands. Identifies areas of practice improvements with research-based evidence to achieve quality measures and patient safety outcomes, supported by accurate documentation and patient teaching.
* Models the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Role models highly developed assessment, clinical documentation, leadership, and analytical skills; integrates and contributes to professional practice standards, policies, procedures, protocols and leads improvements in patient safety-related processes at department or service line level. Contributes to development of service line and clinical standards and guidelines.
* Partners on initiatives to improve quality and safety scores, through peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses and identifying solutions by collaborating with the interprofessional team. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.
**FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
* Models independent time management effectively and prioritization of daily tasks, minimizing incidental overtime. Actively participates in the stewardship and efficient utilization of resources and needs including capital and operational budget needs.
* Implements department strategies to achieve financial target and mentors others to do the same through timely documentation of care, optimizing efficiency, minimizing incidental overtime, and other areas according to department specifications.
**GROWTHINNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**
* Identifies opportunities for practice changes and performance improvement. Investigates and incorporates evidence-based practices which are presented to department and leadership. Supports change initiatives and adapts to unexpected changes.
* Champions new care pathways or service line implementations to improve care to the community. Identifies trends for improvement opportunities or practice changes and supports initiatives. Researches the change and presents options to appropriate clinical leadership.
* Expands individual nursing knowledge and coaches staff to grow in knowledge, abilities, skills, and attitudes. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Serves as the clinical resource. Develops and disseminates, as appropriate, informationaleducational resources and programs designed to improve quality and professional practice. Completes and updates My Development plan on an on-going basis.
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will
also perform other reasonably related businessjob duties as assigned. Houston
Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the
need arises.
**EDUCATION**
* Bachelors degree or higher from an accredited school of nursing OR Associates degree from an accredited school of nursing with an additional two years of nursing experience (in addition to the minimum experience requirements listed below)
**WORK EXPERIENCE**
* Three years of nursing experience
* One year in specialty preferred
**LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED**
* RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure andor Compact State Licensure within 60 days **OR**
* RN-Temp - Registered Nurse - Temporary State Licensure within 60 days **AND**
* BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA) **AND**
* Other credentials and certifications as defined by departmentservice line ****
**KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES**
* Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
* Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
* Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
* Strong assessment, organizational and problem-solving skills as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components
* Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team and patients and their families
* Acts as effective change agent
* Uses therapeutic communication to establish a relationship with patients, families and interprofessional team to collaborate on the plan of care
* Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgment to work autonomously as defined by the Nurse Practice Act
* Demonstrates proficient time management skills
* Working knowledge of Microsoft products including Outlook
**SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS**
**WORK ATTIRE**
* Uniform No
* Scrubs Yes
* Business professional No
* Other (department approved) No
**ON-CALL***
_*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie.
DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below._
* On Call* No
**TRAVEL****
_**Travel specifications may vary by department**_
* May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
* May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No
**Company Profile:**
Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group is an integral part of Houston
Methodist’s overall strategy to become one of the nation’s leading academic
medical centers. Established as a nonprofit corporation certified by the Texas
State Board of Medical Examiners, the Specialty Physician Group enables
physicians to maintain autonomy with respect to clinical practice while
growing their practice within an academic environment.
Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer inclusive of women,
minorities, disabled persons and veterans.
**Equal Employment Opportunity**
Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston
Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination
against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with
Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,