Qualifications
- Education
- Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) required.
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred.
Licensure: Current Texas Registered Nurse license in good standing
Experience
Minimum of three years work experience as an Emergency Room nurse in an acute care hospital setting. – If the candidate/employee has less than 3 years of acute care hospital experience there will be an education plan in place required for the orientation period.
- Certifications
- Basic Life Support (BLS) – required.
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) – required.
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) – required within orientation period.
- TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course) preferred.
- ENPC (Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course) preferred.
- NIH Stroke Scale Certification required within orientation period.
Essential
Duties and Responsibilities
- Clinical Care
- Performs comprehensive nursing assessments and triage of patients presenting to the Emergency Department.
- Prioritizes patient care utilizing the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) or facility-approved triage system.
- Develops, implements, and evaluates individualized plans of care.
- Administers medications, blood products, IV therapies, and treatments safely and accurately.
- Monitors patient response to treatment and promptly communicates changes in condition to the provider.
- Provides care to patients across the lifespan, including pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations as applicable.
- Assists with emergency procedures including trauma resuscitation, stroke alerts, STEMI activations, code blue responses, rapid responses, and disaster management.
- Initiates and maintains IV access and assists with advanced airway management as needed.
- Performs and interprets patient monitoring including cardiac telemetry, pulse oximetry, capnography, and hemodynamic monitoring.
- Patient Throughput and Coordination
- Collaborates with physicians and multidisciplinary teams to facilitate timely patient evaluation, treatment, admission, transfer, or discharge.
- Coordinates patient care activities to support efficient patient flow and reduce length of stay.
- Ensures appropriate documentation and communication during patient handoffs.
- Participates in transfer processes and stabilization of patients requiring a higher level of care.
- Documentation
- Documents assessments, interventions, patient responses, and outcomes accurately and timely within the electronic medical record.
- Maintains compliance with regulatory, legal, and accreditation requirements.
- Completes required quality and safety documentation.
- Patient and Family Education
- Provides education regarding diagnoses, medications, procedures, discharge instructions, and follow-up care.
- Assesses patient understanding and readiness to learn.
- Promotes patient engagement and shared decision-making.
- Quality and Safety
- Adheres to infection prevention and control practices.
- Identifies and reports safety concerns, adverse events, and near misses.
- Participates in performance improvement, patient safety, and quality initiatives.
- Maintains compliance with hospital policies, CMS, Texas Department of State Health Services, and accreditation standards.
- Professional Practice
- Demonstrates professional communication and collaboration with patients, families, physicians, and staff.
- Serves as a patient advocate.
- Participates in departmental meetings, education, and competency validation.
- Maintains required certifications and licensure.
- Emergency Department Specific Responsibilities
- Rapid assessment and stabilization of critically ill or injured patients.
- Care of patients presenting with:
- Cardiac emergencies
- Stroke symptoms
- Trauma injuries
- Respiratory distress
- Sepsis
- Behavioral health emergencies
- Medical and surgical emergencies
- And any other patient condition presenting to the ED
- Participation in disaster preparedness and emergency management activities.
- Assists with procedural sedation and emergency procedures within scope of practice.
- Supports EMTALA compliance requirements.
- Responds to hospital emergency codes as assigned.
- Other responsibilities as directed by leadership.
- Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Strong critical thinking and clinical judgment skills.
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple patients simultaneously.
- Knowledge of emergency nursing principles and standards.
- Ability to recognize and respond to rapidly changing patient conditions.
- Effective communication and teamwork skills.
- Proficiency in electronic medical record documentation.
- Ability to maintain composure and effectiveness during high-stress situations.
- Physical Requirements
- Frequent standing, walking, bending, lifting, pushing, and pulling.
- Ability to lift and move patients and equipment with appropriate assistance.
- Ability to respond quickly to emergency situations.
- Performance Expectations
- Demonstrates commitment to patient safety, quality outcomes, customer service, and regulatory compliance.
- Maintains competency in emergency nursing skills and hospital-required competencies.
- Supports departmental goals related to patient satisfaction, throughput, quality metrics, and clinical outcomes.
- Visual and auditory acuity sufficient for patient assessment and monitoring.
- Core Values
- The Emergency Department RN is expected to uphold the hospital's mission, vision, and values while providing compassionate, safe, high-quality care to every patient, every time. #100
