Palliative Care Registered Nurse
Columbus, Ohio
Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital

Registered Nurse – Palliative Care (Travel/Contract)

Location: Columbus, Ohio
Contract Length: 16 weeks

Job Overview

• Work on a new palliative care unit focused on symptom management for patients undergoing treatment for serious illnesses (e.g., uncontrolled pain, severe nausea/vomiting, fatigue).
• Opportunity to enhance palliative care skills and gain experience in high acuity medical-surgical units through floating assignments.
• New unit opens 7/8; travelers starting before this date will float to inpatient units during training.
• Shift options include 12-hour day or night shifts, rotating as needed based on staffing priorities.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Ohio.
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
• Minimum 1 year of telemetry experience within the last year.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification issued by the American Heart Association.
• Experience with Epic electronic health record system.

Certifications & Competencies

• BLS (AHA Instructor/Provider or RQI acceptable; letter of completion not accepted).
• Unit-specific competency exams required.
• Medication/Pharmacology competency exam required prior to start.
• Dysrhythmia/EKG competency exam required within 1 year of start and updated annually (exceptions apply based on unit).

Health & Background Requirements

• 7-year criminal background check including SS trace, counties lived/worked, nationwide check, sex offender registry, and motor vehicle record if applicable. FBI and BCI fingerprinting required within 1 year of start.
• Education verification from an accredited nursing program (CCNE, ACEN, or NLN CNEA).
• Physical exam within 1 year confirming good health and free of contagious disease.
• Negative TB test or chest x-ray within 1 year; TB questionnaire required annually.
• Required immunizations or proof of immunity:

  • Tdap (adult dose after age 11/12)
  • 2 MMR vaccines or positive titers for measles, mumps, and rubella
  • Hepatitis B titer or 3-vaccine series (declination acceptable)
  • Varicella vaccines or positive titer (medical exemptions require documentation)
  • Seasonal flu vaccine or declination during flu season (10/1–3/31)
• Negative 10-panel drug screen within 3 months of start (new travelers cannot start with pending drug screen).

Additional Requirements

• Two professional references required; at least one must be from a manager, director, or formal leadership role.
• Employment application and skills checklist must be completed.
• Annual review and acknowledgment of dress code, hand hygiene, ethics, compliance, and fraud/waste/abuse policies.
• Completion of fraud, waste, and abuse training certificate prior to start and updated annually.

Work Schedule

• 12-hour shifts, 3 days per week (36 hours/week).
• Day shift: 7:00 AM – 7:30 PM
• Night shift: 7:00 PM – 7:30 AM
• Shift assignments reviewed every 4 weeks; changes based on staffing needs and not guaranteed.

This position offers a valuable opportunity for RNs interested in palliative care and high acuity medical-surgical nursing within a travel contract setting.