Emergency Department Charge Nurse
Bakersfield, California
Mercy Hospital Downtown

Job Opportunity: ER Nurse (RN) - Travel Contract

Location: Bakersfield, California
Specialty: Emergency Room (ER)
Job Title: Registered Nurse (RN)

Contract Length

• 13 weeks

Required Experience

• Minimum 2 years of ER nursing experience
• Strong Charge RN or Nurse Shift Manager (NSM) experience required

Required Certifications & Licenses

• Active California RN License
• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
• NIHSS (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale)

Prior Travel Experience

• Not explicitly required

Job Description & Responsibilities

• Serve as Nurse Shift Manager (NSM) with direct patient care responsibilities when needed
• Manage the ER department and fulfill Charge Nurse duties
• Assist with triaging ambulance patients, starting IVs, administering medications, and other patient care tasks
• Provide support wherever required within the ER department
• Handle typical ER patients and occasional MedSurg Tele holds in the ER
• Work night shifts, every other weekend (EOW), with a schedule that includes 4 weekend shifts in a 4-week period
• Participate in floating between two nearby facilities (6.5 miles apart) with advance notice
• Respond to call/standby within 30 minutes if required

Work Environment & Additional Details

• 21-bed fast track staffed with midlevels and LVNs
• Nurse-to-patient ratio: 1:4 (1:2 for ICU patients)
• Use of Cerner EMR system
• 12-hour shifts with self-scheduling, finalized by management
• Weekend shifts: Fri/Sat nights and Sat/Sun days
• Holiday shifts: 1 major and 1 minor holiday required
• Scrub color: Navy blue (including jackets and undershirts in navy, white, or black)
• Telemetry monitoring with Phillips equipment
• Ventilator patients present
• Hospitalist or Intensivist coverage in-house; only MDs work in the ER
• Respiratory Therapy available 24/7
• Pharmacy services available 24/7 with Omnicell system
• Floor-specific orientation: 2 shifts at primary campus, 1 shift at secondary campus
• Primary Stroke Center designation
• Rarely hold psychiatric patients longer than 12 hours
• Utilizes Mobile Evaluation Team (MET)
• Patient volume can vary significantly day-to-day (e.g., 115 to 175 patients)
• Must be highly teamwork-oriented and committed to the ER as the primary job

Summary

This is a travel contract opportunity for an experienced ER RN with strong leadership skills as a Nurse Shift Manager. The role requires managing the ER department while providing direct patient care, working 12-hour shifts with weekend and holiday requirements, and supporting a fast-paced, variable patient volume environment in a Primary Stroke Center. Candidates must hold all required certifications and an active California RN license.