U

University of Southern California

Research university in Los Angeles, CA

Registered Nurse - 8W ICU

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
$45.76 - $98.80/hr
Junior
Bachelor's
Los Angeles, CA, USA
In Person
Medical, Clinical & VeterinaryNursing & Frontline Patient Care

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor’s degree in Nursing (BSN) is required, except for employees grandfathered from the BSN requirement if hired before December 2019.
  • At least one year of acute inpatient hospital experience as a registered nurse is required.
  • Excellent communication skills, including the ability to speak, read, and write English proficiently, are required.
  • Knowledge of medical procedures and conditions, and the ability to understand, follow, and successfully perform duties—including whole blood collection and apheresis procedures—in accordance with administrative and clinical policies, regulations, and procedures, are required.
  • The candidate must be committed to excellence in patient care and customer service.
  • The candidate must be able to work independently with minimal direction and supervision.
  • A California Board of Registered Nursing Registered Nurse license is required.
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider certification from the American Heart Association is required.
  • Fire Life Safety Training (Los Angeles City) is required for roles in Los Angeles City; if not held upon hire, it must be obtained within 30 days and maintained through renewal before expiration.
  • Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Healthcare Provider certification from the American Heart Association is required for Intensive Care, Step-down, and Telemetry departments. Registered nurses without prior telemetry or critical care experience must obtain ACLS within 180 days or by the end of orientation, whichever is sooner.
Responsibilities
  • Provide therapeutic patient care using the nursing process as part of the interdisciplinary team, and coordinate patient care and education for patients and families in accordance with standards, policies, and practices.
  • Follow policies and procedures, demonstrate the ability to access online manuals, and apply learned scientific knowledge through the nursing process.
  • Complete nursing assessments on admission, each shift, and when a patient’s condition changes; complete patient acuity by 0200/1400 daily.
  • Interpret assessment information and formulate nursing diagnoses.
  • Develop individualized plans of care, document expected or projected outcomes, and review, revise, and update care plans daily based on evaluation and interpretation of patient outcomes.
  • Administer medications and intravenous therapy at prescribed intervals and perform patient-care procedures according to policy and schedule.
  • Delegate tasks according to others’ scope of practice and competency; advocate for patients.
  • Manage restraint use according to policy, attempt alternative non-restraint measures first, ensure complete physician orders and required assessments and monitoring, and complete the restraint audit form each shift.
  • Complete accurate documentation on required flow sheets and chart forms, including admission, pain, restraint, diabetes, education, daily, transfer, and belongings records; complete risk assessments and reassessments; transcribe and sign off orders before the end of the shift; and complete 12-hour/24-hour chart checks.
  • Educate patients and families as needed, provide room and unit orientation and plan-of-care information, identify knowledge deficits related to diagnoses and care, and use and provide Micromedex information.
  • Collaborate with the case manager and/or physician on discharge planning, complete transfer paperwork, and ensure patient belongings accompany the patient.
  • Use patient-care equipment safely and appropriately according to manufacturer guidelines, including intravenous, feeding, patient-controlled analgesia, and epidural pumps; sequential compression devices; wound vacuum equipment; and heating pads or pumps.
  • Communicate effectively with the healthcare team, patients, and families through shift reports, physician rounds, patient and family interactions, multidisciplinary rounds, handoffs, facility email, and interactions with students and new or contract employees.
  • Manage time, organize and prioritize responsibilities, take meal breaks without incurring overtime, and complete shifts on time.
  • Follow regulatory agency requirements, including National Patient Safety Goals, patient identifiers, approved abbreviations, Universal Protocol, handoffs, medication reconciliation, clinical alarms, hazardous-waste and biohazard procedures, medication and sharps safety, HIPAA, OSHA requirements, and continuous survey readiness.
  • Handle critical values and telephone orders appropriately, including writing down, reading back, and following up critical values, and ensuring orders are appropriate, documented, signed, timed, dated, stamped, entered, and logged as required.
  • Maintain a safe work environment through correct body mechanics, electrical safety, infection-control procedures, and hand washing.
  • Manage medical-surgical patients, including those with total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, and spinal surgery; cystic fibrosis requiring isolation, respiratory, and nutrition care; abdominal organ transplants requiring medication management and protective isolation; and hepatic encephalopathy requiring safety precautions and skin care.
  • Manage complex critically ill intensive-care patients, including neurosurgery, thoracic foregut, gastric bypass, orthopedic, liver/kidney/pancreas transplant, hepatobiliary, open-heart, and heart or lung transplant patients; use advanced therapeutic modalities including hemodynamic monitoring, continuous renal replacement therapy, continuous venovenous hemodialysis, ventriculostomy, intracranial pressure monitoring, ventricular assist devices, and balloon pumps.
  • Manage high-acuity step-down and telemetry patients requiring specialized monitoring and care, including patients following open-heart surgery, heart or lung transplant, liver or kidney transplant, orthopedic, hepatobiliary, general surgery, thoracic foregut, gastric bypass, neurology, and neurosurgery procedures; use advanced modalities including ventilator care, arterial and central venous pressure lines, ventricular assist devices, and lumbar drains.
  • Initiate, perform, and terminate dialysis treatments according to policy and standards of care; review orders and laboratory results before treatment; inform patients of treatment plans; complete dialysis treatment records; perform pre-treatment safety checks and machine maintenance; check for dialysis orders before arriving with equipment; contact physicians early when orders are incomplete; and complete medical-surgical dialysis treatments on 3S when more than two such patients are scheduled.
  • Engage psychiatric patients in therapeutic interactions and maintain a therapeutic milieu; assess and monitor safety, including contraband checks; initiate and participate in treatment planning; monitor unit doors and visitors; track patient legal status and communicate with the Department of Mental Health and other agencies as required; administer psychotropic medication only with proper consent and documentation; and submit firearm reporting forms.
  • Use de-escalation techniques to prevent behavioral restraint or seclusion when possible; apply restraint or seclusion when appropriate; monitor patient safety continuously or delegate monitoring appropriately; ensure physician assessment within one hour of application and at least every eight hours thereafter; obtain physician orders; notify the manager of behavioral-restraint incidents; contact significant others as permitted; and complete post-incident debriefing with the patient when appropriate.
  • Identify patients meeting core-measure criteria, complete core-measure documentation, and identify and participate in data collection and process improvements related to nurse-sensitive quality indicators.
  • Participate in professional hospital and nursing activities, including serving as relief charge nurse, participating in nursing committees or councils, hospital teams, unit-based projects, and research, and producing a published peer-reviewed article when applicable.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.
Desired Qualifications
  • Specialty certification is preferred.

About the company

U

University of Southern California

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The University of Southern California is a private research university with academic programs across the arts, sciences, business, engineering, law, health, and other professional fields.

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