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Kaweah Health

Non-profit hospital system delivering trauma care

Registered Nurse Acute Rehab

Full-TimePosted on 10/23/2026
$48.30 - $72.45
Mid
Bachelor's, Master's
Visalia, CA, USA
In Person
Medical, Clinical & VeterinaryNursing & Frontline Patient Care

About the job

Requirements
  • A California registered nurse license is required.
  • Basic Life Support certification is required.
  • A Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Master of Science in Nursing, or current enrollment in an RN-to-BSN program is preferred.
  • Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and services appropriate to the patient population served on the assigned unit or work area.
  • Understand growth and development considerations for patient and family cultural, linguistic, spiritual, gender, and age-specific needs, and communicate and provide care as reflected in the Plan for Provision of Care.
Responsibilities
  • Protect and promote health, prevent illness and injury, and alleviate suffering through nursing diagnosis and treatment.
  • Provide leadership in the professional practice setting by overseeing the interdisciplinary health care team to provide holistic care and advocate for patients and families.
  • Follow the Code of Ethics and professional standards in interactions with coworkers, and treat everyone respectfully.
  • Identify high-risk patients and initiate intervention by ancillary departments.
  • Make decisions and take actions on behalf of patients in an ethical manner.
  • Maintain patient confidentiality within legal and regulatory parameters.
  • Act as a patient advocate and help patients develop skills to advocate for themselves.
  • Deliver care in a nonjudgmental and nondiscriminatory manner that preserves patient autonomy, dignity, and rights.
  • Use the nursing process, including assessment, diagnosis, planning, outcome identification, implementation, and evaluation; complete physical assessment validation.
  • Use quality-of-care and performance-improvement results to initiate changes in nursing practice.
  • Collect clinical data to monitor the quality and effectiveness of nursing care, identify aspects of care for quality monitoring, and recommend improvements to nursing practice or patient outcomes.
  • Assist in developing and implementing policies, procedures, and practice guidelines to improve quality of care and nursing practice.
  • Participate in interdisciplinary teams evaluating clinical practice or health services related to patient care.
  • Participate in quality-improvement studies and task forces or committees; implement improvements based on unit study results, identify problem areas, recommend solutions, share study and audit findings, and independently seek improvement.
  • Collaborate and communicate with patients, families, and other health care providers; use peer review and observation; and monitor documentation for appropriate referrals.
  • Develop plans of care with patient involvement and make referrals, including arrangements for continuity of care, as needed.
  • Serve as a primary clinical resource and role model for staff on the assigned unit, mentor staff, and represent the Nurse Manager when absent.
  • Provide staff leadership and support through problem-solving and decision-making; support nurse preceptors and new employees during orientation; provide input on employee evaluations; and orient float staff to the unit.
  • Make and adjust staff assignments according to staff abilities and patient needs; assign admissions and coordinate transfers with the Nurse Manager, House Supervisor, or Bed Coordinator.
  • Ensure shift reports begin on time, monitor breaks to maintain adequate staffing, and communicate next-shift staffing needs to the Staff Facilitator or Nursing Supervisor.
  • Assign staff to complete equipment checks, including PCX controls, crash carts, refrigerator temperatures, red books, and narcotic counts.
  • Coordinate care during high-risk or emergent situations and keep the Nurse Manager, Director, or Nursing Supervisor informed of critical patients and unit issues.
  • Ensure collaboration among staff, physicians, other providers, and departments involved in patient care, and maintain open communication.
  • Ensure patient-care issues are documented and reported, and ensure the appropriate nurse completes a Statement of Concern.
  • Understand and use the Medical Staff and Kaweah Health chain of command; provide employee guidance and alert the Nurse Manager to counseling needs.
  • Provide patient care as needed and make fiscally responsible decisions regarding staffing and patient supplies.
  • When assigned to the Infusion Center, assign patients to infusion chairs and initiate nursing intake; educate patients about upcoming medications and therapies; start peripheral IVs or access central venous access device lines, including PICC and Port-a-Cath, and administer infusions per physician orders.
  • When assigned to the Infusion Center, monitor vital signs and patient status, perform medication reconciliation and obtain patient history, administer medications by IV, IM, subcutaneous, or oral routes, provide IV hydration and blood transfusions, and perform dressing changes.
  • When assigned to the Infusion Center, complete infusion documentation, discontinue IVs, provide discharge instructions, and maintain competency in IV therapy, infusion pumps, and emergency response procedures.
  • When assigned to the Infusion Center, provide telephone triage and patient education about side effects, symptom management, and available resources.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, collaborate with physicians, inpatient and outpatient nurses, and Wound Center staff to coordinate care.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, manage assigned cases by planning, implementing, and evaluating care for Wound Center patients.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, ensure patients and families receive education about wound management and underlying health conditions.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, work with appropriate autonomy in the wound center and hyperbaric setting and serve as a nursing-practice resource to staff, management, and other health team members.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, facilitate staff development and education, and assist in developing and maintaining Wound Center policies and procedures.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, complete required continuing education, participate in hyperbaric-related organizations, and complete required Healogics training, competency assessments, and ongoing education approved by Kaweah Health leadership.
  • When assigned to the Wound Center, follow clinical protocols, operational procedures, documentation standards, and workflows in the Healogics Clinical Policies and Procedures, and meet the wound care program's performance, quality, and operational expectations.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

About the company

Kaweah Health is a public, not-for-profit health system based in Visalia, California, serving the Central Valley since 1963. It operates a 581-bed medical center, a large outpatient clinic, and several facilities, offering emergency care, cancer treatment, cardiovascular services, rehabilitation, and other medical services. It is the largest hospital system in Tulare County and a certified trauma center. As a not-for-profit, it reinvests earnings back into the community to fund new services, facilities, and programs, with a strategic focus on accessible, high-quality healthcare. The organization has launched an financial recovery plan, “Operation Back in Black,” to improve finances through revenue enhancement and cost reduction, and partners with Medline to enhance supply chain and operational efficiency. Its goal is to provide broad, high-quality healthcare to its community while strengthening financial sustainability and expanding services as needed.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$8.7M

Headquarters

Visalia, California

Founded

1963

Get referred to Kaweah Health

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Kaweah reported $1.1 million profit for fiscal 2026's first six months.
  • Vacant-position cuts, not layoffs, helped offset projected $25 million Medicaid pressure.
  • Akers Clinic, Tulare therapy, and lab consolidation expand outpatient capacity in 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Gary Herbst retires June 30, 2026, forcing a nationwide CEO search during recovery.
  • Burger wrongful-death litigation and RN licensing actions spotlight emergency-department failures in 2025.
  • One budget shock or payer-rate cut could revive 2023 default fears and closure talk.

What makes Kaweah Health unique

  • Visalia's only trauma center and largest Tulare County hospital anchors regional care.
  • 2026 youth mental-health expansion adds 22 beds and admits children as young as 12.
  • Kaweah's residency, nursing, and clinic pipeline deepens local training and physician recruitment.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
The Valley Voice, LLC
Mar 6th, 2026
Kaweah Health board appoints Jonna Schengel as Zone 2 representative.

Kaweah Health board appoints Jonna Schengel as Zone 2 representative. The Kaweah Health Board of Directors has appointed Jonna Schengel, PT, MA, Ed.D., to serve as the Zone 2 representative, filling the seat vacated by the retirement of Lynn Havard Mirviss, RN, Ed.D. Schengel will serve out the remainder of the term through Dec. 4, 2026. Schengel is currently the Dean of Career Technical Education (CTE) and Workforce Development, Industry and Technology, Manufacturing, Nursing and Allied Health at College of the Sequoias (COS). Selected from a pool of highly qualified candidates, she brings extensive expertise in healthcare education and workforce development to the board. A Visalia resident since 1991, Schengel has deep roots in the local healthcare community. She worked as a physical therapist and founded Central California Physical Therapy Specialists before selling the practice in 2011. At COS, she developed the physical therapist assistant program and significantly expanded the nursing program, further demonstrating her commitment to building the regional healthcare workforce. "I understand how important Kaweah Health is to the vitality of the Central Valley, not just for the employees who work here, but also for the patients," Schengel said. "Ultimately, I want Kaweah Health to be the premier provider of healthcare in the Central Valley." With her strong background in health sciences and educational leadership, Schengel looks forward to contributing her experience, perspective, and commitment to supporting the mission and future of Kaweah Health. Kaweah Health is the community name for the Kaweah Delta Health Care District, a public hospital district serving the greater Visalia area. The district covers 183 square miles, encompassing all of Visalia and Goshen and parts of Ivanhoe and Farmersville. The district is divided into five equally populated zones, each represented on the board by a locally elected member. Board members serve four-year terms and may run for re-election without limit.

KVPR
Jan 29th, 2026
Kaweah Health graduates nursing staff as shortage plagues county

Kaweah Health graduates nursing staff as shortage plagues county. VISALIA, Calif. - Kaweah Health has graduated an inaugural class of nurses under a new partnership that seeks to address a shortage in Tulare County. In 2020, the hospital partnered with Unitek College, an institution that offers higher education in medicine and nursing throughout the country. It has physical campuses in California, Nevada, and New Mexico. Thirteen graduates received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees this month. The new nurses come at an opportune time, as there has been a decline in the number of people working in hospitals across the nation and the Central Valley. The COVID-19 pandemic left significant impacts in the medical field - like stress and excessive workloads - which made the nursing shortage worsen... Kaweah Health officials say the hospital faced a 25% nursing shortage in 2021. That figure sparked the urge to close the gap and improve nurse capacity in the county. The college proposed creating a program within Kaweah Health for prospective nurses who are interested in studying and working at the same time. Dianne Cox, chief human resources officer at Kaweah Health, says the nursing shortage at its hospital is now 7%. "We have 70 vacancies of registered nurses and about 1000 direct patient care registered nurses positions available. We're doing very well with recruitment and retention," Cox said. "We really believe that we will have solved our nursing shortage in Visalia and Tulare County." The program is primarily available to hospital employees, though there are some exceptions. To apply, employees must go through a testing process and provide references. Currently, 160 employees are enrolled. After the 13 graduates who completed the program this month, the hospital expects roughly 50 participants will graduate each year after. Interim Chief Nursing Officer Scott Baker says this program has great potential, especially since it could help fill vacancies by nursing staff who will soon retire. "As we grow this program, and as we hire more of these nurses, this is going to feed the hospital," Baker said. "Having this pool of nurses to pull in will refresh that, and as we grow them into clinical experts, it really balances out what we're going to be losing." Kaweah Health has also partnered in recent years with Porterville College and San Joaquin Valley College's radiologic technology program to boost training and medical staffing.

YourCentralValley.com
Feb 27th, 2025
WATCH: Kaweah Health and Award Winning Spine Surgery in the Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KGPE) - Kaweah Health was recently recognized as being a top 100 hospital in the nation for spine surgery by Healthgrades.

The Valley Voice, LLC
Oct 6th, 2023
Kaweah Health named in employment discrimination case

Kaweah Health named in employment discrimination case.

Exeter Chamber
Sep 25th, 2023
Kaweah Health's Open House Journey to Care

You'll learn first-hand why so many have picked Kaweah Health to pursue their career in healthcare, and why Kaweah Health was named Healthgrades® America's 100 Best Hospitals™ for 2023.