Job Title: Registered Nurse
Profession: Nursing
Specialty: Surgical Acute - Medical Surgical
Duration: 13 weeks
Shift: Nights
Hours per Shift: 12 hours
Experience: Minimum 1 year
License: Active Illinois license
Certifications: BLS
Must-Have:
- Post-operative care of patients
- Critical thinking skills
- Good bedside manner
- Team player
Description:
The unit has 63 beds, including private and observation beds.
Patient ratios are 4-5 per RN during days and 5-6 per RN during nights.
Ratios may increase to 1:6 on days and 1:7 on nights if necessary.
Common patient diagnoses include post-operative surgical care, trauma, and overflow medical cases.
The role involves dressing changes, wound care, IV therapy, pain management, managing drains, NG tubes, central lines, and TPN.
Registered Nurses are not required to titrate drips, except for heparin.
Charge Nurses are present on each shift and do not take patient assignments.
House supervisors are available 24/7.
Patient care techs assist with vital signs, activities of daily living, turning, and ambulation.
The ratios for techs are 7-10 patients during the day and 10-15 patients at night.
Registered Nurses are not responsible for managing vents, but do handle CPAP and high flow as respiratory therapy manages nebulizers.
Telemetry patients are monitored, and there are central station techs to read strips.
Shifts are typically from 0700-1930 for days and 1930-0730 for nights.
Weekend shifts require work every other weekend and holiday rotations are mandatory.
Travelers may be the first to float to other units with the same level of experience.
In the case of floating from ICU to a general unit, a team of three patients will be taken.
The dress code allows for any color scrubs.
Unit-specific orientation involves two shifts with a preceptor, plus additional professional orientation.