Registered Nurse - Experienced, Operating Room Neurosurgery

Registered Nurse (Experienced) – Duke University Hospital – Neurosurgery Operating Room - Durham

Duke University Health System seeks to hire a Clinical Nurse II who will embrace our mission of Transforming Lives Transforming Care.

Preferred Qualifications: 1 Year Operating Room Experience

Duke’s multispecialty surgery teams use the most advanced techniques to reconstruct and repair every part of the body. As a Level 1 trauma center, our team works collaboratively to provide personalized, evidence-based care with a focus on patient outcomes and recovery. There’s no such thing as a typical day.  If you want to learn something new every single day and work with a team that does everything in their power to get patients through surgery, come meet our team!

Neurosurgery Operating Room (OR) Unit 

The Neurosurgery Operating Room at Duke University Hospital is a highly specialized unit focused on providing comprehensive surgical care for patients with disorders affecting the brain, spine, and peripheral nervous system. The unit is equipped with the latest neurosurgical technology, including intraoperative imaging, intraoperative MRI suites (iMRI), stereotactic systems, and advanced neuronavigation tools to ensure precision and safety during complex surgeries.

Common Procedures and Surgeries

· Craniotomy (for tumor resection, Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LiTT), aneurysm clipping, or hematoma evacuation)

· Spinal Fusion (Cervical, Thoracic, Lumbar)

· Laminectomy (for spinal stenosis)

· Microdiscectomy (for herniated discs)

· Endoscopic Pituitary Tumor Removal

· Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) (for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders)

· Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) Shunt Placement (for hydrocephalus)

· Aneurysm Clipping or Coiling

· Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) Resection

· Chiari Malformation Decompression

· Spinal Tumor Resection

· Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Surgery (Decompression and fracture repair)

· Peripheral Nerve Surgeries (e.g., brachial plexus repair, carpal tunnel release, nerve grafts)

· Epilepsy Surgery (including lobectomy and hemispherectomy)

· Trigeminal Neuralgia Surgery (Microvascular decompression)

The unit is staffed by a dedicated multidisciplinary team, including neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, perioperative nurses, surgical technologists, and neuro-monitoring specialists. Each team member plays a critical role in maintaining the highest standards of patient safety and surgical outcomes. The unit’s commitment to innovation and precise surgical interventions is enhanced by the use of minimally invasive techniques and robotic-assisted surgery when appropriate.

Our perioperative nurses possess advanced certification in neurosurgical procedures, ensuring expert care in both preoperative preparation and intraoperative support. Post-surgery, they assist in stabilizing patients and ensuring smooth transitions to neuro-critical care or recovery units.

The Neurosurgery OR closely collaborates with other departments, including neuro-oncology, radiology, intensive care, and rehabilitation, providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary care tailored to each patient’s unique needs. Duke University Hospital’s Neurosurgery department is renowned for its leadership in neurosurgical care, research, and patient outcomes, setting a national standard for excellence in the field.

Job Summary:

As a Clinical Nurse with Duke University Health System, you will make providing service your priority while caring for the whole person in a patient-centered atmosphere. The Clinical Nurse (RN) is responsible for providing and supervising direct and indirect total nursing care responsibilities. Utilizing the nursing process (assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating) in achieving the goals of the nursing department. Plan and provide advanced and/or specialized nursing care for patients in guided by DUHS Professional Practice model participate in the clinical ladder program, educational activities, departmental committees, research projects or other health related projects as assigned. Provide nursing services to patients and families in accordance with the scope of the RN as defined by the North Carolina Board of Nursing. Adheres to all rules and regulations of all applicable local, state and federal agencies and accrediting bodies. Actively participates in outstanding customer service and accepts responsibility in maintaining relationships that are equally respectful to all.

Required Qualifications at this Level

Education

Work requires graduation from an accredited BSN program.

Exception: Registered nurses hired between July 1, 2014 and April 11, 2021 without a Bachelor's degree in Nursing (or higher) are encouraged to enroll in an appropriate BSN program within two years of their start date but must complete the program within seven years of their start date. Registered nurses hired before July 1, 2014 are not required to enroll in a BSN program to remain in this job classification.

Experience

Twelve months of appropriate clinical experience is required.

Degrees, Licensure, and/or Certification

Must have current or compact RN licensure in the state of North Carolina. BLS required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Knowledge of scope of the registered nurse, licensed practical nurse and unlicensed staff

Knowledge of and appropriate application of the nursing process

Knowledge of professional theory, practice and procedure

Ability to assess nursing needs of acute and chronically ill patients and their families

Ability to independently seek out resources and work collaboratively

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships

Ability to communicate clearly with patients, families, visitors, healthcare team, physicians, administrators, leadership and others

Ability to teach patients and families in accordance with the nursing plan of care

Ability to use sensory and cognitive functions to process and prioritize information, treatment, and follow-up

Ability to use fine motor skills

Competent in BLS and/or other specialized life support requirements designated by work area

Ability to record activities, document assessments, plan of care, interventions, evaluation and re-evaluation of patient status

Ability to use computer and learn new software programs

Able to document and communicate pertinent information using computer and/or paper documentation tools

Ability to navigate the entity to provide clinical care for patients

Ability to withstand prolonged standing and walking.

Ability to remain focused and organized

Working knowledge of procedures and techniques involved in administering routine and special treatments to patients

Working knowledge of infection control procedures and safety precautions

Working knowledge and completion of appropriate The Joint Commission (TJC) and other regulatory requirements

Pre-employment Physical Capacity Testing Required