Emergency Department RN
Bakersfield, California
Mercy Hospital Downtown

ER RN (Registered Nurse)

Overview

• Location: Bakersfield, California
• Specialty: ER
• Contract length: 13 weeks
• Shifts: Day and Evening, 12-hour shifts, 36 hours per week
• Schedule: 4-week schedules. Block scheduling is not allowed, and PRN schedules are not accommodated. Traveler must have open availability.
• Weekends: 4 weekend shifts in each 4-week schedule. Weekends are Friday and Saturday for nights and Saturday and Sunday for days.
• Holidays: 1 major and 1 minor

Required Qualifications

• 2 full years of experience as an ER nurse
• Active BLS, ACLS, PALS, and NIHSS certifications
• Active California RN license
• Must be very teamwork oriented

Unit and Staffing

• Beds: 21 (fast track staffed with midlevels and LVNs)
• Ratios: 1:4, or 1:2 when the patient is in ICU
• Charge nurse: Shift manager and a resource nurse
• ED techs: EMTs or aides from other units
• Hospitalist or intensivist: In house. Only MDs are used in the ER.
• Respiratory therapy: 24/7
• Pharmacy: 24/7
• IV team: Not available
• Ventilators: Yes

Patient Population

• Typical ER patients, plus Telemetry and MedSurg Telemetry holds that ER nurses are expected to take
• Primary Stroke Center
• Rarely holds 5150 psych holds longer than 12 hours
• Uses a MET (Mobile Eval Team)
• Daily volume varies, from about 115 patients one day to about 175 the next

Floating and Call

• Floating may occur between the 2 facilities, which are 6.5 miles apart.
• Pre-shift floats come with a 2-hour notice. Mid-shift floats can also happen.
• Floor-specific orientation: 2 shifts at the primary campus and 1 shift at the other campus
• If placed on standby or call, the traveler must report within 30 minutes.
• Mids shift: 1 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., EOW, first to float

Dress Code

• Navy blue scrubs
• Scrub jacket, if worn, must be navy
• Undershirt, if worn under scrub top, must be navy, white, or black