CVICU Registered Nurse
San Diego, California
UC San Diego Float Pool

Job Opportunity: CVICU Registered Nurse

Location: San Diego, California
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Description

• Must have experience in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) with the following equipment:

  • Intra Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)
  • Swan Ganz catheter
  • Epicardial Pacing Wire
• Float pool assignment covering three locations; flexibility to work at multiple sites including emergency department inpatient overflow.
• Patient populations include Cardiac, Neuro, General, Stroke, Medical, Surgical, Kidney, Liver solid organ transplant, and Trauma.
• Night shift schedule: 3 shifts per week, 12 hours each (7:00 PM to 7:30 AM).
• Schedule provided two weeks in advance; no self-scheduling or blocked shifts. Facility assignment communicated 2 hours before shift start.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in California.
• Minimum 2 years of Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) nursing experience, with at least some experience within the last year.
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
• Current ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification.
• Current BLS (Basic Life Support) certification issued by the American Heart Association.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with pulmonary artery lines and intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.

Required Certifications & Competencies

• ACLS and BLS certifications must be current and from approved providers (AHA, Military Training Network, etc.).
• NIH Stroke Certification required for ICU float pool nurses.
• Medication/Pharmacology competency exam with a passing score of 80% or higher.
• Color blindness testing (online acceptable).
• Competency exams relevant to clinical position.

Licensure

• Must hold an active Registered Nurse (RN) license valid in California.

Background and Compliance Requirements

• Background checks must be current within 6 months and include:

  • Full SSN trace with all aliases.
  • County, national criminal, sexual offender, and DMV checks (if driving is required).
• Drug screening: 9-panel drug test within 30 days of start.
• Physical exam within 1 year of start; must be updated if break in service exceeds 30 days.
• Immunizations and health screenings required:

  • Tetanus/Diphtheria/Tdap (within 10 years or titer with declination).
  • Negative TB test or chest X-ray within 3 months of start.
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella: positive titer or vaccination series.
  • Hepatitis B vaccination or titer with declination if applicable.
  • Seasonal flu vaccine strongly preferred during flu season (Nov 1 – Mar 31).
  • COVID-19 vaccine current as of March 13, 2025, or signed declination.
• Fit mask test (N95 or equivalent) required and must be updated annually.

References

• Two professional references required from leadership roles within the past 2 years.
• For travel/per diem: at least one reference from a manager/supervisor/director and one from a charge nurse who directly supervised the candidate.

Additional Notes

• RN must be willing and able to float between multiple hospital locations during the contract.
• No self-scheduling; shift assignments communicated shortly before shift start.
• Compliance with all facility-specific orientation and training modules is mandatory.
• Candidates must meet all health, background, and competency requirements prior to start.

This position is ideal for experienced CVICU RNs seeking a travel contract with diverse patient populations and multi-site float pool assignments on night shifts.