3M-Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU): The CICU is a 26-bed unit. This unit provides for comprehensive cardiac care to pediatric patients and their families. The CICU Patient Care Management Team coordinates interdisciplinary patient assessment and patient care and provided by cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, and pediatric intensivists and nursing in conjunction with multiple specialty services within the Medical Center. Patients are admitted to the CICU from the ED, Cardiac Clinic, the Operating Room, and transfers from in-house units as well as transports from other institutions via the Pediatric Transport team. The CICU also provides for extracorporeal life support (ECMO) and rapid deployment ECMO. Twenty to twenty-five percent of the intensive care patients are cardiovascular surgery or cardiac patients. Children requiring repair of congenital heart defects from the simple to the complex, including heart transplants receive care in the CICU.
All nursing practice is based on the legal scope of practice, national and specialty nursing standards, Children's National Policies and Procedures, and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Professional Model of Care requires registered professional nurses to be responsible and accountable for their own practice. Children's National supports the development of RN relationships within the community; specifically those relationships associated with the health and well being of the community at large.
Minimum Education
BSN preferred
Minimum Work Experience
New Graduate Nurse
Required Skills/Knowledge
The licensed Registered Nurse will successfully complete the hospital and nursing orientation at Children’s National.
Identify resources and know when to ask for assistance.
Demonstrated leadership and management skills.
Identify self learning needs and seek resources to meet those needs.
Required Licenses and Certifications
Registered Nurse in District of Columbia
Functional Accountabilities
Transformational Leadership
1. Contribute to MagnetTM re-designation as evidenced by timely annual completion of professional profile and participation in relevant councils, committees, task forces and/or community outreach.
2. Demonstrate critical thinking skills as evidenced by successful completion of change project.
3. Recognize need to escalate patient care issues via chain of command.
4. Utilize the currently identified process to ensure accurate hand off.
5. Demonstrate ability to work cohesively with ancillary staff to meet patient care needs.
6. Cooperate in the implementation of change and support management decisions.
7. Demonstrate empathy , concern and a desire to be helpful to others.
Structural Empowerment
1. Complete all mandatory education and regulatory requirements and participates in professional activities to enhance nursing practice.
2. Participate in performance appraisal and peer review.
3. Support department goals for formal education, national certification, national safety standards and service excellence.
4. Work in a collaborative manner with all members of the healthcare team and is viewed positively by coworkers.
Exemplary Professional Practice
1. Gather physical and psychosocial data on patient and family and complete accurate and timely patient assessment.
2. Demonstrate clinical skills necessary to care for assigned patients.
3. Develop assessment, organizational and prioritization skills necessary to care for patients whose clinical needs change throughout the shift.
4. Complete documentation in accordance with policies and procedures.
5. Continually assess and plan proactively for educational needs throughout hospital/clinic stay and before time of discharge.
6. Organize care to complete assignment on time.
7. Demonstrate caring in all encounters with patient and family as evidenced by feedback from parents and an increase in patient satisfaction scores.
Safety
1. Speak up when team members appear to exhibit unsafe behavior or performance
2. Continuously validate and verify information needed for decision making or documentation
3. Stop in the face of uncertainty and takes time to resolve the situation
4. Demonstrate accurate, clear and timely verbal and written communication
5. Actively promote safety for patients, families, visitors and co-workers
6. Attend carefully to important details - practicing Stop, Think, Act and Review in order to self-check behavior and performanc
Organizational Accountabilities
New Knowledge, Innovations, and Improvements
1. Participate in efforts to optimize unit and hospital operations through quality improvement (rounding, handwashing etc.).
2. Maintain awareness of changes or new information related to specialty area.
Organizational Commitment/Identification
1. Partner in the mission and upholds the core principles of the organization
2. Committed to diversity and recognizes value of cultural ethnic differences
3. Demonstrate personal and professional integrity
4. Maintain confidentiality at all times
Customer Service
1. Anticipate and responds to customer needs; follows up until needs are met
Teamwork/Communication
1. Demonstrate collaborative and respectful behavior
2. Partner with all team members to achieve goals
3. Receptive to others’ ideas and opinions
Performance Improvement/Problem-solving
1. Contribute to a positive work environment
2. Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to change
3. Identify opportunities to improve clinical and administrative processes
4. Make appropriate decisions, using sound judgment
Cost Management/Financial Responsibility
1. Use resources efficiently
2. Search for less costly ways of doing things
At Children's, we know what it takes to really connect with kids, we're looking for nurses who love a challenge.
Pediatric nurses have to be patient. They have to be understanding, yet able to communicate effectively and honestly with a child and their family about their illness and treatment. And every Children's nurse must have the confidence to take a patient's care into his or her own hands.
At Children's you'll work closely with each patient and their family across a continuum of care - beginning with admission, when you perform physical assessments and take a patient/family history that covers all the vitals.
You'll prepare and carry out a plan of patient care. You'll work with professionals from all Children's health care disciplines. Together you will ensure your patients' progress every step of the way. You will even make rounds with physicians, discussing your patients' conditions and needs.
Professionally, you'll grow like never before.
The nursing practice environment at Children's is ideal for developing your skills to the maximum, increasing your level of responsibility and entering new specialty areas.
Our versatile career ladder, the Program for Professional Advancement (PPA), enables you to move both vertically and laterally across a wide range of clinical, educational and management opportunities. Recently we restructured our nurses compensation package to include:
Our recent achievement of Magnet status reflects what we’ve known all along: That our nurses are something very special - that their vision, talents, dedication and leadership define a truly exceptional practice environment. We invite you to learn more about our Magnet environment, accomplished by approximately 6% of the nation’s hospitals, and even fewer pediatric centers.
We are also a Beacon Award winner, recognized for our outstanding CICU and PICU environments. In fact, our Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit is the first in the country to be designated a Beacon Award winner AND our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is the first in the Northeast region to receive the Beacon designation!