Professional Staff Nurse

Join our dedicated team at UPMC Hamot as a Full-Time Professional Staff Nurse on the 8 East unit.

Unit description: Colorectal and Urology Acute Care Unit (8 East): a 23-bed medical-surgical unit for medical patients and post-op care for colon-rectal, general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, and ENT patients. Ideal for graduate nurses, it offers a strong foundation in med/surg and diverse patient care. Nurses are trained in specialized foley insertions and support other departments with difficult catheterizations.

UPMC is committed to investing in nurses like you financially, personally, and professionally starting on day one of your career. From tackling student loans to advancing your career later in life, UPMC is the partner you need to succeed and thrive in your nursing career.

Here s how we support our nurses:

• Generous Sign-On Bonus for experienced nurses of up to $20,000 (Amount and eligibility based on type of nursing role and candidate experience)
• $15,000 Sign-On Bonus available for full-time and flex full-time graduate nurses entering their first GN/RN role
• UPMC s Monthly Loan Repayment program, exclusively for nursing graduates, offering $20,000 in loan repayment paid over three years
• 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.)

Title and Salary will be determined based upon education and experience.

Purpose: The Professional Staff Nurse, a Registered Nurse, is a key member of the care delivery team responsible for setting care standards and ensuring high-quality nursing care. They manage patient care activities, using independent judgment and collaborating with team members. Their role includes leadership, partnership, and supervision, and they maintain collaborative relationships with physicians, other healthcare providers, patients, and families to achieve desired outcomes. They also demonstrate a commitment to the community and the nursing profession.

Responsibilities:

• Develops and maintains productive working relationships internally and externally. Demonstrates accountability, enthusiasm, motivation, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Understands cultural differences and holds peers accountable for healthy relationships.
• Maintains a balance between work and personal life, modeling safe work hours and healthy lifestyle.
• Communicates safety hazards identified in the workplace to peers and management. Demonstrates knowledge of adult learning principles and applies them in teaching patients, families, students, and new staff.
• Provides detailed teaching to guide patients and families through care transitions. Supports the development of students, new staff, and colleagues, and may serve as a preceptor.
• Creates an environment of open dialogue and continuous development by seeking feedback. Applies the nursing process to create a healing environment and formulates daily goals and care plans with patients.
• Demonstrates critical thinking in identifying clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues. Practices solid communication skills, translating patient conditions to other care providers and recommending changes.
• Ensures comprehensive patient documentation to promote communication between caregivers. Incorporates goals from national professional organizations and health systems to improve patient safety, quality, and satisfaction.
• Builds healing relationships with patients, families, and colleagues to create a compassionate patient-focused experience. Demonstrates accountability for professional development to improve practice and patient care quality.
• Actively participates in unit-based shared governance, goal setting, and supports change processes. Serves as an engaged partner on the care team, responding to team member needs.
• Participates in work to improve patient care and the professional practice environment. Adapts to change and demonstrates flexibility.
• Actively participates in quality improvement efforts and identifies opportunities for improvement. Takes personal responsibility for improving patient satisfaction with care and service.
• Utilizes research and evidence-based practice to support clinical care improvements. Identifies research issues, discusses quality improvement opportunities, and influences patient care plans.

• Zero to two years of experience; BSN preferred.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills for age-specific patient care. Understand principles of growth and development over the lifespan.
• Assess and interpret patient data to identify age-specific needs. Provide care according to department policies and procedures.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, support staff, other departments, and patients/families. Work productively and effectively in a complex environment.
• Handle multiple/changing priorities and specialized equipment.
• Exhibit good clinical judgment, critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Lead others in applying the nursing process. Mobility and visual manual dexterity.
• Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.
• UPMC offers flexible options, including night shifts or weekend shifts with premium pay differential. Employees in these programs need at least 6 months of nursing experience and may require orientation during regular business hours. Interested candidates should inform their recruiter during the interview process.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) within one year of hire or transfer.
• Act 34
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• NIH Stroke Scale (NIH) within 6 months of hire or transfer.
• Registered Nurse (RN) OR Temporary Practice Permit (TPP)
• Graduate nurses must complete licensure examination within SIX MONTHS of hire or within one year of graduation, whichever comes first. Though temporary permits are valid for one year from the date of graduation, not one year from issue of permit (or until the results of the examination are known at which time it becomes null and void), UPMC requires that GNs take the licensure examination within 6 months of their start date or they will be terminated or demoted from the GN position, at the discretion of the BU.
• UPMC approved national certification preferred.

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.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran