Charge Nurse - CICU NIGHTS

Charge nurse is a member of the unit leadership: supervises staff and is accountable for daily shift operations.

"Practice of professional nursing" means the performance of those acts requiring substantial specialized knowledge, judgment, and nursing skill based upon applied principles of psychological, biological, physical, and social sciences which shall include, but not be limited to:
(a) The observation, assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, intervention, and evaluation of care; health teaching and counseling of the ill, injured, or infirm; and the promotion of wellness, maintenance of health, and prevention of illness of others.
(b) The administration of medications and treatments as prescribed or authorized by a duly licensed practitioner authorized by the laws of this state to prescribe such medications and treatments.
(c) The supervision and teaching of other personnel in the theory and performance of any of the acts.

Nurse Practice Act. The 2016 Florida Statues, Title XXXII, Regulation of Professions and Occupations. Retrieved from

Position Responsibilities:

The Charge Nurse implements the patient care delivery model for the patient and their family.

Clinical Judgment

• Utilize and ensure compliance with policies, procedures, guidelines, and reliable methods to make clinical practice decisions.
• Recognize and respond to the dynamic situation while sorting out extraneous detail and exercises clinical judgment based on an immediate grasp of the whole picture for the patient population of the assigned clinical area.
• Independently develop, implement, evaluate, and modify clinical practice matching formal knowledge with critical thinking and nursing skills.
• Collect and interpret complex patient data with clinical events to make clinical decisions to meet individual patient and family needs.
• Engage in multidisciplinary collaboration, proactively seek expert consultation, and delegate to other clinicians, as appropriate, while using evidence-based guidelines.

Clinical Inquiry

• Demonstrate knowledge seeking behaviors and identify clinical questions. Seek/provide advice, resources, and/or education opportunities to improve patient care.
• Participate in the research process and implement changes in practice based upon the evidence.
• Caring Practices
• Create a safe, compassionate, supportive, and therapeutic environment for patients, family, and Associates.
• Promote comfort and healing and prevent unnecessary suffering with vigilance, engagement, and responsiveness.
• Develop professional and trusting relationships that facilitate patient/family coping while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

Response to Diversity

• Recognize, appreciate, and incorporate differences into the provision of patient and family centered care, including cultural, spiritual, gender/gender identity, lifestyle, race, ethnicity, linguistic, socioeconomic status, age, developmental, and values.
• Demonstrate effective methods of communication as required to meet the patient and family health care literacy needs.
• Preserve and protect the confidentiality, autonomy, dignity, and rights of patient and families.
• Acknowledge and adapt to the organizational culture and healthcare environment.

Advocacy/ Moral Agency

• Serve as a moral agent in identifying and help to resolve ethical and clinical concerns within and outside the clinical setting.
• Advocate on behalf of patients, families, and Associates while promoting adherence to the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses.
• Act as resource for patients and families working towards resolution of ethical and moral issues. Initiate ethics consult when appropriate.

Collaboration

• Effectively communicate and collaborate with nursing leaders and the inter-professionals within the hospital system.
• Work with patients, families, and Associates in a way that respectfully promotes each person's contributions toward developing and achieving optimal patient and family goals across the continuum.
• Participate in team meetings and discussions regarding patient care and/or practice issues.
• Involve intra- and inter-professional work with colleagues and community.
• Participate in nursing/hospital governance, councils, committees, ad hoc teams and/or initiatives to improve clinical practice and patient care outcomes.

Systems Thinking

• Facilitate timeliness of patient admissions, transfers, and discharges.
• Use the daily management systems and escalation through the chain of command.
• Utilize appropriate resources to plan and provide nursing services that are safe, effective, and financially responsible.
• Develop, integrate, and apply strategies across the continuum of care that are driven by the unique needs and strengths of the patient and family.
• Contribute to the development and revision of standards of care policies and procedures.

Facilitation of Learning

• Serve as a clinical resource, mentor, coach, preceptor, based upon unit needs and individual preferences and/or abilities.
• Identify areas of educational needs and facilitate formal and informal learning for patients, families, Associates, and the community.
• Assess patients and family's readiness to learn.
• Utilize patient teaching plans that incorporate evidence based practice and evaluate effectiveness.
• Seek out a mentor to facilitate individual professional growth.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing or higher nursing degree, required (from an accredited nursing program)***
• Active Florida or multi-state RN license, required
• National certification in area of clinical specialty (preferred)
• Minimum of one year RN experience required, 3 years of pediatric experience in specialty area, preferred

Course Completions - American Heart Association course completion required on hire:

• BLS Health Care Provider
• PALS

***INTERNAL CANDIDATES: ASN required; If RN does not have a bachelor's or higher graduate degree in nursing, the RN is required to make steady progress to achieving a BSN or graduate degree in nursing (Progress is defined as enrolled in an accredited BSN program or graduate degree in nursing program and completing courses each year).