Med Surg Telemetry RN
Bakersfield, California
Mercy Hospital Downtown

Telemetry RN

Location: Bakersfield, California Contract Length: 13 weeks Shift: Days, 12-hour shifts (36 hours per week) Beds: 32 beds, all private

Required Qualifications

• Certifications: ACLS, BLS (AHA), NIHSS (AHA or APEX)
• Experience: At least 2 years of experience
• Must be able to read and interpret all cardiac rhythms

Patient Population

• Acute and chronic medical conditions
• Cardiac telemetry patients
• Stroke patients
• Non-titratable drips
• COVID patients
• Forensic patients
• Potential post-op patients

Staffing and Clinical Environment

• Nurse-to-patient ratios: 1:4 for telemetry patients and 1:5 for Med-Surg patients. For a mixed Med-Surg and telemetry assignment, the ratio is 1:4.
• Titration: RNs do not titrate drips.
• Set-rate drips: Cardizem, Amiodarone, and Heparin
• Monitors: GE monitors
• Respiratory equipment: CPAP or BiPAP per RT and MD order. No ventilators.
• Nurse aides: CNAs based on census
• Charge coverage: A house supervisor is in house 24/7, and a Nurse Manager is available during normal business hours. Each shift has Nurse Shift Managers plus a Charge Nurse or Break Nurse. If there is no Nurse Shift Manager, there is a Charge Nurse and a Break Nurse.

Schedule and Call

• Shift times: 7a-7:30p and 7p-7:30a
• Shift huddles: 0700 and 1900
• Weekends: 4 weekend shifts in a 4-week schedule. Weekends are Fri/Sat for nights and Sat/Sun for days.
• Holidays: Minimum of 1 major and 1 minor holiday
• Call: No call, but may be placed on standby for low census. If called in from standby, the response time is 30 minutes.

Floating

• Travelers are the first to float.
• May float to any Med-Surg (MS/MST) unit.
• May float to ICU for MST patients and to the ER for MST holds.
• May float to another facility in the system approximately 6.5 miles away.

Dress Code

• Navy blue scrubs
• Undershirts must be navy, white, or black.
• Scrub jackets must be navy.
• No hoodies, sweatshirts, or sweat jackets.

Orientation

• 1 to 2 shifts with a preceptor

Unit Culture and Expectations

• Staff are described as warm and welcoming.
• Evidence-based practices are required: bedside shift report, intentional hourly rounding, and medication teaching including side effects.
• Fast-paced unit with many admissions and high acuity.
• Any issues that compromise patient safety will not be tolerated.
• Attendance is strictly enforced. Punctuality is required.
• Notes: Days, EOW, first to float