Travel Nurse RN - Stepdown
Bismarck, ND
First Connect Health
3x12 hrs, Nights
Referral Bonus

Med/Tele RN – PCU/Stepdown

Position: Med/Telemetry Registered Nurse (RN)
Department: Med/Tele – PCU Level Care
Beds: 32
EMR: Epic preferred
Shifts: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM / 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM
Weekend: Every Other Weekend
Holidays: Every Other Holiday
Orientation: Two 12-hour shifts
Radius Rule: 50 miles

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Med/Telemetry RN with PCU experience to join a 32-bed medical/telemetry unit providing care to adult and geriatric patients with a strong focus on cardiac and progressive care needs.

This is primarily a telemetry/cardiac unit, and candidates must have previous PCU experience and be comfortable independently reading and interpreting cardiac rhythms.

Profile review and manager interview are required.

Required Qualifications

• BLS – Required
• ACLS – Required
• Previous PCU experience – Required
• Strong Telemetry/Cardiac nursing experience
• Ability to read and interpret telemetry strips independently – Required
• Experience managing cardiac patients and telemetry monitoring
• Epic experience preferred
• First-time travelers are welcome if they meet the required clinical experience

Unit Details

• 32-bed unit
• Primary patient population: Adults and geriatrics
• Nurse-to-patient ratio:
  • Typically 1:4–5
  • Occasional 1:5–6 on nights
  • PCU-level overflow may be 1:3
• Charge Nurse available on both shifts
• Charge Nurse may occasionally take a lighter assignment of approximately 2–3 patients
• Nurse aides/PCTs available with a target ratio of approximately 1:10

Common Patient Population & Diagnoses

The unit manages a broad range of medical, cardiac, and progressive-care patients, including:

• Cardiac patients
• Patients with cardiac history
• Cardiac catheterization patients
• EP studies
• Pacemaker patients
• Acute-on-chronic conditions
• Pneumonia
• COVID-19
• COVID patients requiring BiPAP
• Sepsis
• Influenza
• ETOH/substance-related conditions
• Occasional general surgical patients with cardiac history

Telemetry & Cardiac Monitoring

Telemetry is a major component of the unit.

• Portable telemetry monitors available
• Bedside monitors in patient rooms
• Central monitor/telemetry technician at the nurses' station
• RNs are responsible for reading and interpreting their own telemetry strips
• Strong cardiac rhythm recognition skills are required

IV Drips

RNs are required to manage and titrate appropriate drips.

Common drips include:

• Amiodarone (Amio)
• Cardizem
• Heparin
• Nitro
• Nipride
• Lasix
• Low-dose Dopamine

Levophed (Levo) is not used on this unit.

Respiratory Support

Patients may require:

• BiPAP
• Trach care
• Airvo/high-flow respiratory support

RNs should be comfortable managing these therapies and providing appropriate troubleshooting/support within their scope.

Floating Requirements

Travelers may be required to float based on operational needs.

Possible assignments include:

• PCU: Full PCU patient assignment
• Med/Surg: Full Med/Surg patient assignment
• ER Holds/Boarding: Care for boarded patients
• Other areas as helping hands when needed

Schedule

Day Shift: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Night Shift: 7:00 PM – 7:00 AM

• Every other weekend
• Every other holiday
• No call/standby requirement
• Manager creates the schedule based on unit needs
• Block scheduling may be considered based on unit requirements
• If rotating between shifts, a 7a–7p / 7p–7a rotation will not occur more than once per week

Orientation

2 × 12-hour unit-specific orientation shifts

• Friday and Saturday during the first week of orientation
• Expected to be working independently by the following Sunday

Dress Code

• Any color scrubs

Assignment Requirements & Important Notes

• 50-mile radius rule applies.
• Candidates living within 50 miles of the facility are subject to the applicable local policy/rate.
• Candidates may not be full-time, part-time, or PRN employees with any facility associated with CommonSpirit, CHI, or Dignity.
• RTO must be submitted upfront.
• Maximum of 7 days RTO per 13-week contract.
• Additional RTO will not be approved after submission, so all requested time off must be provided at the time of submission.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strong Telemetry/Cardiac RN with PCU experience who is comfortable caring for higher-acuity cardiac and medical patients, interpreting telemetry independently, managing cardiac drips, and floating to PCU, Med/Surg, or ER holds when required.