RN - Cardiology (Pasadena)

The clinical nurse III in the non-invasive Cardiodiagnostics department provides direct care to patients undergoing outpatient cardiac procedures and cardiac evaluation.Receives
direct supervision from the practice Manager, Director and Medical Director,
but is expected to work independently and interdependently to provide care to
the patients served. CN III
will perform Cardiac stress tests with other qualified personnel under
standardized procedure within the site. These
tests to includeEcho Stress Treadmill,
Stress Echo with Contrast and Stress Routine Treadmill. Incumbents will utilize specialized knowledge
and skills for patient care, supervision, evaluation, and teaching; may act as
a resource person within the Cardiac Stress lab. The incumbent will utilize experience,
in-depth knowledge and an intuitive grasp of the patient's condition to
efficiently focus on the most significant patient problems. The incumbent will also utilize experience,
in-depth knowledge and an intuitive grasp of the patient's condition to
identify and document subtle changes in the patient's condition. Utilizes experience and in-depth knowledge to
effectively modify and document changes in nursing care and/or the plan of care
to address complex patient care problems. The incumbent will collaborate with
medical staff in managing pre-emergent and emergent patient care situations
such as terminating a stress test when patient is in distress.

Nurse may provide coverage at other UCLA cardiac stress labs.

Salary Range: $70.59 - $106.80 hourly

Requirements:

• CA RN license
• BSN/MSN degree
• BLS and ACLS certificates
• 2 years or more in an acute care unit with at least 6 months cardiology experience
• Ability to perform patient care in an appropriate fashion, depicting all protocols consistent with appropriate diagnostic requirements.
• Ability to provide timely information to the physicians (both referring and reading).
• Ability to depict lethal diagnostic information that should be considered emergent and communicate with the appropriate entities.
• Ability to push heavy equipment to do portable studies.
• Ability to adhere to infection control initiatives as they pertain to the use of all equipment.
• Ability to adhere to policies and standardized procedures that govern practice.
• Ability to utilize computer applications to review information consistent and necessary for providing continuity of care (Epic, Syngo).
• Ability to work under considerable pressure and in the modification of ongoing patient care assignment.
• Ability to work as a team, taking and giving direction to other team members as appropriate.

• Knowledge of consent process

• Knowledge of various exercise protocols and indications for
  each

• Knowledge to promptly recognize and treat complications of
  exercise testing Competence in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and successful
  completion of an AHA- sponsored course in advanced cardiovascular life support
  and renewal on a regular basis

• Knowledge of appropriate contraindications, risks, and risk
  assessment of testing

• Knowledge of alternative physiological cardiovascular tests

• Knowledge of appropriate indications for exercise testing

• Identify high-risk patients and alert the supervising
  physician

• Initiate and direct interventions in accordance with ACLS
  guidelines for patients with or without physician present under the following
  circumstances: life threatening or symptomatic dysrhythmias, symptomatic
  hypotension, and acute chest pain and provide preliminary test results

• Supervise and perform exercise and cardiac stress testing
  in the absence of a physician.

• Knowledge of basic cardiovascular and exercise physiology,
  including hemodynamic response

• Knowledge of cardiovascular drugs and how they can affect
  exercise performance, hemodynamics, and the ECG

• Knowledge of cardiac arrhythmias and the ability to
  recognize

• Knowledge of alternative or supplementary diagnostic procedures to exercise testing and when they should be used responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of this equipment and for ensuring that all devices are properly calibrated to be able to collect valid and reliable data.

• Knowledge of conditions and circumstances that can cause false-positive, indeterminate, or false-negative test results

• Knowledge of principles and details of exercise testing,
  including proper lead placement and skin preparation

• Knowledge of
  electrocardiography and changes in the ECG that may result from exercise,
  hyperventilation, ischemia, hypertrophy, conduction disorders, electrolyte
  disturbances, and drugs