The Registered Nurse, Surgical Stepdown will apply the nursing process to plan and implement the care of patients, including patient and family education and continuum of care planning. The RN effectively communicates pertinent patient/family information to the health care team. Collaborate in establishing patient goals and evaluates progress to ensure effective outcomes. Further your professional growth by engaging in learning activities according to the Board of Nursing standards.

The Surgical Stepdown unit (9 North) is a 27 bed progressive care inpatient adult unit. Our unit is a critical care unit that specializes in the care of the post-operative surgical patient including thoracic surgery, oncology-endocrine surgery, emergency general surgery, and head & neck surgery, among others. The patients admitted to the surgical step-down unit generally require cardiac monitoring, continuous pulse-oximetry, and more frequent assessments and interventions than can be provided in the general acute care setting. Our focus is to provide high quality intensive patient care to a diverse patient population with a wide variety of surgeries and diagnosis. Our nurses must be familiar with a range of treatments and types of care while also thinking critically to meet the needs of a more acute patient population. A typical shift includes frequent assessments and interventions for patients requiring cardiac and respiratory monitoring while also mobilizing patients to facilitate progress along their plan of care. Our unit provides our staff with the opportunity for professional and personal growth in a fast paced work environment. It is a great place to learn and grow clinically and prepares our nurses to face challenging situations and environments as they progress through their careers.

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, and operating at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery and patient care, VUMC is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your diversity — of culture, thinking, learning and leading — is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

We believe highly skilled and specialized nursing care is essential to Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s mission of quality in patient care, education and research. We believe nursing is an applied art and science focused on helping people, families, and communities reach excellent health and well-being.

As a Vanderbilt University Medical Center employee, you make a difference to our patients and their families by bringing compassion and care to those in need of hope and healing. Please see our current employee benefits offered:

• Affordable High Quality Health Plan Options
• Dental and /or vision plan
• 403 (b) retirement plan
• Paid Time off (flex PTO)
• Tuition Reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied)
• Short-Long term disability
• Subsidized backup childcare
• And many more... Ask us about our current inpatient nursing supplemental Pay Program!

Learn more about VUMC Nursing:

· Nursing Careers: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/index.html

· Benefits: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/benefits.html

· Our Nursing Philosophy: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/philosophy.html

· Our Nursing Leadership: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/leadership.html

· Shared Governance: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/shared-governance.html

· Education & Professional Development: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/professional-development.html

· Life In Nashville: http://www.vumcnursingcareers.com/nashville.html

· VUMC Nursing: http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/root/vumc.php?site=vanderbilt-nursing

· Graduate of an approved Nursing Program

· Active Tennessee RN license

· 6 months of RN experience

· BLS certification