Job Description

Kern Medical has been a community cornerstone since its founding in 1867. Today, we are an acute care teaching center with 222 beds, offering the only advanced trauma care between Fresno and Los Angeles. Kern Medical offers a range of primary, specialty, and multi-specialty services including high-risk pregnancy care, inpatient psychiatric services integrated with county mental health programs, and a growing network of outpatient clinics providing personalized patient-centered wellness care. Kern Medical cares for 15,500 inpatients and 125,000 clinic patients a year.

Career Opportunities within Kern Medical include many benefits such as:

• New Hire Bonus: $6,000.00
• New Hire Premium: +6% of base rate of pay, matched up to 6% if contributed to Deferred Compensation Plan.
• Shift Differential Pay: P.M. shift (7:00 PM - 7:30 AM) = 10% of base pay.
• A Comprehensive Benefits Package: includes Holidays, Paid Time Off, Retirement, Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.

Position: Nursing Shift Manager - Nursing Administration - Full time

Definition:

Under general administrative direction, assumes responsibility for the supervision of nursing practices at Kern Medical during an assigned shift.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Incumbents in this classification serve as manager and resource person for the Nursing and other hospital departments during an assigned shift, providing clinical and administrative leadership to nursing staff. This is an entry-level management position. Assigned shifts could include evening, night and/or weekend shifts.

Essential Functions:

• Interprets hospital policies and procedures for staff and monitors compliance; ensures that nursing units operate in a manner consistent with policies of the Nursing Department and Kern Medical.
• Serves as a resource for hospital staff and as a clinical resource for Nursing staff in providing nursing care to patients; advises Nursing Unit Managers on significant issues, concerns and occurrences on the unit.
• Works closely with members of the medical staff to facilitate inter-departmental communication and problem-solving.
• Evaluates staffing needs each shift on each unit and adjusts staff assignments hospital-wide as required to meet changing need; assists in evaluation of staff and may recommend disciplinary action.
• Performs patient care in emergency situations as required.
• Serves as Kern Medical’s representative with visitors, other providers, media representatives and the general public.
• Manages and provides oversight of all incoming transfer requests from outlying facilities – providing framework, coordination, and monitoring of incoming transfers and direct admissions into Kern Medical in a timely manner.
• Performs telephonic patient triage, prioritizes patient information, and communicates clinical presentation of the patient to the accepting physicians at Kern Medical.
• Ensures accepted transfer patients receive bed assignments and priority placement.
• Ensures insurance preauthorization for non-emergent inpatient to inpatient transfers.
• Ensures signed Take Back Agreements (TBA’s) for inpatient to inpatient transfers.
• Follows the transfer center guidelines and documents all transfers appropriately utilizing the Transfer Log, Admissions and Transfers Log and Transfer Center Intake Form.
• Uses the on-call physician list via Tiger Connect to contact appropriate service for transfer.

Other Functions:

• Performs other job-related duties as required.

Employment Standards:

Registration: Current California license as a Registered Nurse.

AND

Completion of a Bachelor's degree in Nursing, Business or Health care administration or other related field from an accredited college or university. AND Three (3) years of paid full-time hospital experience as a Registered Nurse. Qualifying experience must be attained within the past five (5) years.

OR

Five (5) years of hospital experience as a Registered Nurse, including one (1) year in a charge nurse or leadership role for a specific function, e.g., education, safety, quality management, research and/or policy development. Qualifying experience must be attained within the past seven (7) years.

Depending on assignment incumbents may be required to possess and maintain specific certificates of competency as a condition of employment.

Must maintain the American Heart Association Provider Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification. As a continued condition of employment, employee must maintain RQI Provider certification and competency.

Knowledge of:

The principles, practices and methods of patient care delivery systems; principles of effective personnel management; principles of in-service training for professional and allied nursing personnel; development, application and uses of nursing records, reports and statistics; modern hospital organization, practices, supplies and equipment.

Ability to:

Plan, organize, coordinate and assist in directing nursing services for a large general hospital; analyze and respond to crisis situations, decide effective courses of action and work calmly and effectively with individuals and surrounding circumstances in each situation encountered; evaluate and assess professional and allied nursing personnel; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Supplemental:

A background check may be required for this classification.

All Kern Medical employees are designated “Disaster Service Workers”. In the event of a disaster or civil disorder, all Kern Medical employees are to remain at work or to report to work in a safe and practicable manner.

If position responsibilities require driving a personal vehicle, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s License and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.

If position responsibilities require driving a vehicle owned, leased or rented by Kern Medical, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s license, a signed authorization for Release of Drivers Record Information and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.