Clinical Nurse, Outpatient - Med Onc - West Houston

UT MD Anderson is a leading institution focused on cancer care, research, education, and prevention. As an Outpatient Clinical Nurse, you will collaborate with expert inter-professional teams, advocate for patients and families, coordinate care delivery, and contribute to quality improvement initiatives that support exceptional outcomes. The Outpatient Clinical Nurse role combines direct patient care, leadership, innovation, and professional development in a world-renowned oncology environment.

The primary purpose of the Outpatient Clinical Nurse position is to coordinate and implement patient care across the continuum of care. The Outpatient Clinical Nurse is accountable and responsible for providing quality, evidence-based patient care through the appropriate use of resources in collaboration with the inter-professional team. Acts as a patient and family advocate to uphold patient rights. Organizes and prioritizes work of patient care team; trains, coaches and assists team members to ensure optimum patient care and efficient use of resources.

The ideal candidate will have at least one year of Nursing experience, preferably including experience working in Oncology.

Schedule:
Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Some flexibility may be required.

Hourly breakdown of salary range:
Minimum $32.69 - Midpoint $50.57 - Maximum $68.50

This position will be located at our West Houston location.

Why Us?
At UT MD Anderson, the Clinical Nurse directly supports the mission to end cancer by delivering compassionate, and evidence-based care. This role offers meaningful leadership growth, collaboration with expert multidisciplinary teams, and the opportunity to influence patient outcomes while maintaining a weekday-based schedule that supports work-life balance.
MD Anderson offers our nurses:

• Paid employee medical benefits (zero premium) starting on first day for employees who work 30 or more hours per week
• Group Dental, Vision, Life, AD&D and Disability coverage
• Paid time off (PTO) and Extended Illness Bank (EIB) paid leave accruals
• Paid institutional holidays, wellness leave, childcare leave, and other paid leave programs
• Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service
• Teachers Retirement System defined-benefit pension plan and two voluntary retirement plans
• Employer paid life, AD&D and an illness-related reduced salary pay program
• Health Savings Account and Dependent Care Reimbursement flexible spending accounts
• Fertility benefits
• State of Texas longevity pay
• Extensive wellness, recognition, fitness, employee health programs and employee resource groups.

MD Anderson is among 25 of hospitals in the world who have earned six consecutive Magnet Recognition Program® designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Our nursing community transforms nursing care through clinical practice, education, and research. Each day, more than 4,400 registered nurses deliver compassionate, evidence-based cancer care to patients and their families.

JOB SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

Transformational Leadership and New Knowledge, Innovation, and Improvement

Transformational Leadership: The Clinical Nurse is responsible for the provision of care to patients and families consistent with the unit's values, beliefs, and behaviors to meet the demands of the future.

• Participates in daily unit operations to achieve and maintain the financial goals by utilizing all resources effectively and efficiently
  • Provides quality and fiscally responsible patient care
  • Proactively anticipates patient and family needs in collaboration with the Charge Nurse, Clinical Nurse Leader, and Nurse Manager
  • Utilizes available material resources responsibly for direct patient care
• Practices autonomously within the scope of professional nursing practice - patient care competency
• Participates in change initiatives
  • Demonstrates loyalty and commitment to the unit's inter-professional team
  • Incorporates the process of change in daily practice
• Fosters peer relationships and participates in coaching and mentoring
  • Supports an environment that values and respects the staff and patients - patient care competency

New Knowledge, Innovation and Improvements: The Clinical Nurse is responsible and accountable for providing exemplary nursing practice and has an ethical and professional responsibility to contribute to innovation, improvement, and new knowledge.

• New Knowledge
  • Applies new and existing evidence in patient care standards, incorporating new knowledge, innovations, and improvements in clinical practice and the patient care delivery system - professionalism competency
  • Complies with regulatory standards
  • Fosters an environment that challenges the status quo, embraces and promotes change
• Innovation
  • Practices within the established patient care delivery system, consistent with the Professional Practice Model
    • Demonstrates proficiency in the application of technology in providing care to patients and families
• Improvement
  • Participates in assessing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating the delivery of safe and effective patient and family care utilizing evidence-based and empirical outcome measurements

Structural Empowerment The Clinical Nurse engages in problem solving in order to meet unit goals and achieve desired outcomes.

• Provides feedback to the Nurse Manager, Charge Nurse, and Clinical Nurse Leader through the evaluation of performance of clerical and clinical staff
  • Supervision: Fosters an environment conducive to Just Culture by holding self and staff members accountable
  • Evaluation: Participates in the evaluation of staff members' clinical performance through contributions to the annual evaluation and professional development processes
  • Productivity: Maximizes performance within the scope of practice to accomplish unit goals and achieve desired outcomes
• Demonstrates effective communication, collaboration, conflict management, and resolution - oral communication competency
• Contributes to an innovative environment where strong professional practice flourishes and positive patient and family outcomes are achieved
• Strengthens practice, builds strong relationships and develops partnerships to improve patient and family outcomes on the unit

Exemplary Professional Practice and Empirical Outcomes: The Clinical Nurse applies exceptional professional practice in relationship with patients, families, and the inter-professional team, and understands how new knowledge and evidence is applied.

• Practices evidence-based, quality clinical nursing consistent with current nursing research, the Professional Practice Model, the Nurse Practice Act of the State of Texas, institutional and national practice standards. Adheres to the use of unit's standard operating procedures
• Delivers care using a systematic approach to achieve measurable, outcome focused, patient care; identifies, implements, and evaluates opportunities for improvement
• Communicates and collaborates effectively with leaders, departments, other disciplines, staff members, patients, and families - professionalism competency
• Integrates ethical principles into clinical practice
• Maintains and integrates knowledge of current clinical practice and technological proficiency; provides clinically competent, compassionate, direct patient care consistent with the Professional Practice Model
• Seeks opportunities to broaden knowledge relevant to the Clinical Nurse role and healthcare through engagement in professional organizations and commitment to life-long learning

Empirical Outcomes: The Clinical Nurse is responsible for seeking out and maintaining knowledge regarding relevant empirical outcomes, including the impact of quality improvement initiatives and institutional best practices on the patient population, nursing workforce and institution, as reflected in unit and institutional metrics.

Patient Assessment and Care Planning

• Identifies self and nursing role to patient
• Checks patient identification
• Verifies that informed consent has been obtained
• Obtains nursing history and assessment Identifies patient's physical and psychosocial needs
• Assesses patient's literacy level and ability to learn
• Teaches patient and family about general and site-specific side effects and self-care measures
• Solicits questions to be sure patient and family understand teaching
• Reinforces discussion of appropriate clinical trials and assists in informed consent process
• Documents individualized plan of care
• Communicates plan of care to patient, family, and clinical team
• Assesses patient for general side effects of treatment (e.g., fatigue, skin changes, toxicities, etc)
• Assesses patient for acute site-specific or modality-specific side effects of treatment Initiates measures to manage general side effects Initiates measures to manage disease site-specific side effects
• Teaches self-care measures to manage side effects of treatment
• Alerts patient to report potentially dangerous or uncomfortable symptoms immediately to nurse of physician
• Monitors patient's psychological status and coping skills
• Explains procedures and answers patient's questions
• Documents patient's response to treatment and symptom management
• Checks appropriate laboratory data and communicates results to other member of healthcare team as needed
• Institutes appropriate safety precautions
• Consults and collaborates with other members of the healthcare team.
• Demonstrates effective communication skills
• Refers patient as needed to appropriate specialists (e.g., dietitian, pain management team, sexual counselor)
• Discusses discharge instructions with patient and family
• Assesses patient for late effects of treatment
• Assesses patient for symptoms of recurrent disease
• Monitors patient's psychological status and coping skills
• Consults and collaborates with other members of the healthcare team as needed
• Checks appropriate laboratory and diagnostic data Reinforces need for patient to continue to report potentially dangerous or uncomfortable symptoms immediately to nurse or physician Evaluates and documents long-term response to therapy and side effects Instructs patient in cancer prevention and early detection measures.
• May draw labs from central lines/PICCs/CVC

Other duties as assigned

EDUCATION

• Required: Graduation from an accredited school of professional nursing.
• Preferred: Bachelor's Degree Nursing.

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Required: None
• Preferred: One year of nursing experience.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Required: RN - Registered Nurse Current State of Texas Professional Nursing license. Upon Hire and
• Required: BLS - Basic Life Support Upon Hire or
• Required: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Upon Hire and
• Required: ACLS - Adv Cardiac Life Support If working in the following department: ASC Post Anesthesia (600761). Upon Hire or
• Required: PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support If working in the following departments: ASC Post Anesthesia (600761) or Pedi - Child & Adolescent Center (113200). Upon Hire
• Required: OCN - Oncology Nurse Certification Upon Hire

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: Other Requirements: All clinical nurses with less than one year of registered nurse (RN) work experience will be required to participate in the Clinical Nurse Residency Program.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

• Required: RN - Registered Nurse - State Licensure Current State of Texas Professional Nursing license. Upon Hire and
• Required: BLS - Basic Life Support Upon Hire or
• Required: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Upon Hire and
• Required: ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support If working in the following department: ASC Post Anesthesia (600761). Upon Hire or
• Required: PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support If working in the following departments: ASC Post Anesthesia (600761) or Pedi - Child & Adolescent Center (113200). Upon Hire
• Preferred: OCN - Oncology Nurse Certification Certification in specialty practice area. Upon Hire

OTHER REQUIREMENTS: All clinical nurses with less than one year of registered nurse (RN) work experience will be required to participate in the Clinical Nurse Residency Program.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits , including medical, dental, paid time off , retirement , tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.

This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.

It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state, or local laws unless such distinction is required by law.

Additional Information

• Requisition ID: 182329
• Employment Status: Full-Time
• Employee Status: Regular
• Work Week: Days
• Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 68,000
• Midpoint Salary: US Dollar (USD) 105,200
• Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 142,500
• FLSA: exempt and eligible for overtime, paid at a time and a half rate
• Fund Type: Hard
• Work Location: Onsite
• Pivotal Position: Yes
• Referral Bonus Available?: Yes
• Relocation Assistance Available?: Yes

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