Med Surg / Telemetry RN
Bakersfield, California
Mercy Hospital Downtown

Telemetry RN (4W)

Overview

• Location: Bakersfield, California
• Unit: 4W Telemetry, 31 beds (11 private and 10 semi-private)
• Contract Length: 13 weeks
• Shift: Nights
• Hours: 12-hour shifts (7 - 7:30), 36 hours per week

Required Qualifications

• 2 full years of telemetry experience
• Active BLS, ACLS, and NIHSS certifications
• Active California license
• Must be able to read and interpret all cardiac rhythms

Schedule and Expectations

• Weekends: 4 shifts out of a 4-week schedule. Night weekend shifts are Fri/Sat, and day weekend shifts are Sat/Sun.
• Holidays: Travelers work into the permanent staff holiday rotation (1 major and 1 minor holiday).
• Call: Must report within 30 minutes if placed on standby or call.
• Scheduling: Block scheduling is allowed if unit needs are met, but it is not guaranteed.
• Orientation: Floor-specific orientation of 1-2 shifts with a preceptor.
• Scrubs: Navy blue. Scrub jackets must be navy. Undershirts must be navy, white, or black.

Unit and Staffing

• Ratio: 1:4
• Charge Nurse: Shift Manager and a Resource Nurse
• Nurse Aides: 2 on days, 1 on nights
• Support Services: Hospitalist or intensivist in house, on call after hours. Respiratory therapy 24/7. Pharmacy 24/7. No IV team.
• Ventilation: CPAP or BiPAP (per RT)

Float Scope

• Travelers are the first to float.
• May float between two units under the same license.
• May float to another med-surg unit (remote telemetry), a med-surg unit, ICU for telemetry med-surg hold, or ER holds.
• Floor-specific float scope is confirmed through the unit's orientation.

Patient Population

• Post pacer, hemodialysis, new-onset AFib, RVR, and CP sent out
• Step-down from ICU, surgical patients, urology patients (cystoscopy), and rare ortho patients
• Oncology patients transfer if they have cardiac problems requiring monitoring
• Federal correctional patients (not state), strokes, TBI, high acuity, heavy patients, and many patients with bedsores
• About 1/3 from nursing homes, peg tube patients, sepsis, and others