Cardiac Telemetry RN
Salisbury, North Carolina
Novant Health Rowan Medical Center

Registered Nurse – Cardiac Tele

Position Overview

• Location: Salisbury, North Carolina
• Employment type: Travel/Contract
• Contract length: 13 weeks (unit accepts 13–26 week contracts)
• Shift: Night, 12 hours (18:45–07:15), 3x12 schedule, 36 hours per week
• Hours can be offered: 36 hours
• Scheduling: Self-scheduling within guidelines, with leadership oversight. No block scheduling.

Unit and Patient Population

• Primary cardiac and stroke unit.
• Patients include stable pre- and post-care for pacemaker implantation, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, and cardiac catheterization (TR bands), and post-uncomplicated interventional peripheral vascular procedures or cardiac interventions without sheaths.
• Also includes unstable angina, low-risk chest pain evaluation, CHF, dysrhythmias, and all new CVA and TIA patients.
• Patients may be on multiple drips, such as Cardizem, dopamine, and amiodarone. Cardizem drip titration is expected.
• The unit currently houses COVID-positive patients on opti-flow and BiPAP. The 23-bed high side of the unit becomes a COVID unit that takes opti-flow and acute BiPAP patients during a COVID surge.

Workload

• Target ratio is 1:5–6, which may fluctuate with unit needs. Travelers must be comfortable taking 6 patients, including during surge.
• Fast-paced unit with about 78–90 patient turnovers per week. A nurse with a 6-patient assignment may turn over the entire assignment and start over.
• A team lead assists with admissions and discharges.

Requirements

• Valid RN license in North Carolina
• Minimum of 2 years of Med Surg / Telemetry experience, with similar experience in ratios and acuity
• Med Surg / Telemetry experience within the last year
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) issued by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• BLS issued by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• NIHSS (NIH Stroke Scale) certification, completed annually through an approved vendor, if required
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) / Associate Degree in Nursing
• Experience working with cardiac patients
• IV insertion skills
• Experience with cardiac or critical care drips
• PCI skills

Scheduling and Expectations

• Call requirement: Yes. Frequency depends on patient census.
• Float requirement: Yes.
• Weekends: Every other weekend, plus 2 Mondays and 2 Fridays within a 6-week period.
• RTO after booking is not allowed and cannot be worked out onsite. Call-offs or additional RTO on the unit could result in cancellation and DNR.
• Orientation: 36 hours. Travelers must be available every day of week one for hospital orientation.

Equipment and Systems

• Telemetry and pulse oximetry required. High-flow O2 is for stable patients only.
• Non-rebreather masks only for palliative patients. BiPAP only for chronic use. No new BiPAP starts.
• Not for unstable O2 with BiPAP, non-rebreather use, or respiratory rate above 35.
• Unit systems: Pyxis, EPIC, and SBAR.

Onboarding Requirements

• Background check: Within 90 days of start, including county, federal, and national criminal database checks, DOJ sex offender search, and education verification for the highest profession-specific degree.
• Drug screen: Negative 10-panel drug screen within 30 days of start.
• Health: Physical within 1 year of start. TB test (PPD, QuantiFERON, or T-spot) within 1 year of start. Positive TB results require additional documentation.
• Immunity: Titers or 2 vaccines for rubeola, mumps, rubella, varicella, and hepatitis B. Declinations are not accepted for measles, mumps, rubella, or varicella.
• Flu vaccine: Required for all candidates. Intranasal vaccine is acceptable. Medical or religious exemptions are reviewed case by case.
• Respiratory: Fit testing required. An N95 fit test within the past year or PAPR training is acceptable.
• Documents: Two professional references within 3 years, an employment application, and a performance evaluation if the candidate has worked through the agency for over a year.
• Facility modules: Facility-specific education, compliance, and medication safety modules, plus signed policy and confidentiality acknowledgments. Acute care candidates should expect about 8–10 hours of required modules.

Dress Code

• Navy blue or white scrubs, or a mix. Facility t-shirts allowed.
• Jackets must match uniform material (not fleece) and color.
• No crocs with holes.