Med Surg / Telemetry RN
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Berkeley Medical Center

RN – Tele – 2 South (Nights)

Overview

• Role: Telemetry RN (Tele) on 2 South, 2nd floor
• Location: Martinsburg, West Virginia
• Contract length: 13 weeks
• Shift: Nights, 12-hour shifts (7a–7:30p or 7p–7:30a). RNs are hired for day or night shift.
• Hours: 12 hours per day, 36 hours per week

Required Qualifications

• BLS, ACLS, and NIHSS certifications
• Valid driver's license, required at submission
• At least 1 year of travel experience
• 5 years of experience as an RN

Preferred

• Fluency in EPIC (EHR system)

Submission Requirements

• Candidates can only be submitted to one position at a time across the system.
• Driver's license address must be more than 50 miles from the facility.
• Previous permanent candidates must have been gone for 2 years.
• Previous travelers who worked there for 1 full year must have been gone for 2 years.
• Travel teams must be submitted together in one email.
• Only 2 candidates may be submitted per opening. If the position is at maximum, submissions are held until a spot opens.
• Any license hits must be disclosed at the time of submission.

Unit Details

• Beds: 20 beds, all private rooms
• Currently telemetry only: Stepdown is not currently applicable, and no return date has been given.
• Nurse-to-patient ratio: 1:5 for telemetry patients
• Common diagnoses/patient types: Highly variable, including telemetry, post-catheterization, medical/surgical with telemetry monitoring needs, and respiratory difficulty
• Daily volume: Highly variable, from 1–2 discharges and admissions to 10
• Cardiac monitoring: 10 rooms have hardwired monitors, and the rest are portable telemetry monitor capable. Monitor techs are on the 6th floor and call the assigned nurse about issues. Nurses are expected to understand basic dysrhythmias and verify telemetry strip interpretation.
• Charge nurse: A designated charge nurse is assigned. With full staffing, the charge nurse is free to support the unit.
• Aides: 2 PCTs for 20 beds. Responsibilities include ambulation, fingerstick blood sugars, vital signs, bathing, I&O documentation, feeding, and turning. Shared q2h rounding with nurses.

Clinical Practice

• Point-of-care testing: Blood sugar via AccuChek glucometer. Competency is completed through the unit managers. Staff badge and patient armband are used for barcode scanning.
• Pharmacy: Unit-based pharmacist 7a–3p, 5 days a week. Main pharmacy covers 24/7. Nurses reconstitute antibiotics. Telemetry patients may require heparin titration. Omnicell access is set up by pharmacy and requires fingerprint enrollment.
• Respiratory: RT is in the building 24/7. Nurses may give nebulizers and breathing treatments, but RT is nearly always available. No ventilators are on the unit.
• Venous access: Nurses place IVs. Labs are drawn from central lines only when ordered. No other IV requirements.
• Provider coverage: At least one covering hospitalist 24/7.
• On-call: None.

Orientation

• Day 1: Required education modules and shadowing. The RN goes to the corporate center for a badge and parking pass, then reports to the main campus 2nd floor.
• Day 2: Orientation shift
• Day 3: Independent shift

Scheduling and Coverage

• Weekends: Every other weekend required. Day shift works Saturday/Sunday; night shift works Friday/Saturday.
• Holidays: Every other holiday is required: Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's.
• Block scheduling: Available based on unit needs.
• Self-scheduling: Available for travelers.
• Additional shifts: RNs may pick up extra shifts outside their normal shift but will not be required to work a different shift.
• Floating: To a comparable or lower-level unit (telemetry or med/surg). Occasionally staff are pulled to help with admitted boarded patients in the ED or floor/telemetry patients housed in the ICU.
• Call-offs: Through the hospital supervisor, at least 2 hours before shift start.

Other

• Dress code: Nurses provide their own navy blue scrubs.
• Precepting or charge: Travelers may be asked to precept or charge when needs cannot otherwise be covered. This is discussed first, and the traveler's comfort level is respected.