Emergency Room Nurse

Job Description

Job Profile Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled, resilient, and compassionate Registered Nurse to join our Emergency Department team. This role is pivotal in providing rapid assessment, stabilization, and comprehensive patient care in a fast-paced, high-acuity environment. The ED RN utilizes the nursing process, evidence-based practice, critical thinking, and advanced clinical skills to deliver safe, therapeutic, and patient-centered care, ensuring the best possible patient outcomes in emergent situations.

Major Responsibilities:

Rapid Assessment and Triage: Quickly assess and triage incoming patients based on the severity of their illness or injury, prioritizing care according to acuity levels (e.g., ESI scoring).

Emergency Intervention & Stabilization: Provide immediate, life-saving interventions, including administering medications, starting IVs, performing wound care, assisting with intubations, and managing critical conditions like cardiac arrests and traumas.

Patient Care Coordination: Plan, implement, and evaluate individualized plans of care, collaborating closely with emergency physicians, specialists, paramedics, and other healthcare team members to coordinate diagnostic tests, treatments, and facilitate patient disposition or admission.

Monitoring and Documentation: Continuously monitor patient vital signs and conditions, meticulously documenting all assessments, interventions, and patient responses in electronic health records (EHRs).

Patient and Family Education/Support: Educate patients and their families on medical conditions, treatment plans, and post-discharge care, offering emotional support during stressful and often chaotic situations.

Safety and Quality: Implement strategies to reduce patient risk, uphold a culture of safety, report patient safety events, and actively participate in quality/process improvement initiatives specific to the Emergency Department.

Professional Practice: Apply ethical decision-making, demonstrate respect for all team members, and engage in professional development, including maintaining certifications and staying updated on emergency nursing best practices.

Licensure, Registration, and/or Certification Required:

• Registered Nurse license issued by the state in which the team member practices.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers certification issued by the American Heart Association (AHA).
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification may be required or preferred.
• Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) or Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) certification highly advantageous or required for certain positions.
• Maintenance of annual educational requirements for hospital-based certifications (e.g., DNV, CARF or others).

Education Required:

Completion of an accredited or approved program in Nursing (Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited nursing program preferred).

Experience Required:

Typically requires 1 year of experience in clinical nursing, with preference for experience in an emergency or critical care setting.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Required:

• Expert knowledge of emergency medicine and proficiency in emergency procedures and protocols.
• Strong critical thinking and rapid decision-making abilities in high-pressure, unpredictable environments.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), listening, and interpersonal skills for effective interaction with patients, families, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to handle high-stress situations with composure and adapt quickly to changing patient needs and caseloads.
• Proficient computer skills, including the use of electronic mail and electronic medical records systems.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively make critical, independent decisions.
• Excellent organization, prioritization, and time management skills, particularly in an environment with frequent interruptions.
• Collaboration, delegation, and team-building skills.