RN- VAD COORDINATOR (0.875 FTE D/E)

The Pediatric VAD Coordinator is a specialized nurse who manages the care of children with mechanical circulatory support devices and serves as the primary liaison between patients, families, and the multidisciplinary team. This role ensures safe, effective, and family-centered care across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a cutting-edge pediatric heart program, directly impacting the lives of children and families while advancing the field of mechanical circulatory support.

The Pediatric VAD Coordinator is a specialized nurse who manages the care of children with mechanical circulatory support devices and serves as the primary liaison between patients, families, and the multidisciplinary team. This role ensures safe, effective, and family-centered care across inpatient, outpatient, and community settings.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a cutting-edge pediatric heart program, directly impacting the lives of children and families while advancing the field of mechanical circulatory support.

Key Responsibilities
• Coordination of patient care: Organizes all aspects of pediatric VAD therapy from evaluation through implantation, recovery, and discharge.
• Clinical monitoring: Assesses patient status, troubleshoots device issues, and collaborates with members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Technical expertise: Possesses knowledge of VAD mechanics, troubleshooting alarms, driveline care, and anticoagulation management.
• Continuity of care: Ensures seamless transitions between OR, ICU, intermediate care, acute care, and outpatient follow-up.
• Procedural support: Coordinates perioperative workflows, ensuring anesthesia, surgical, and inpatient teams are aligned when a patient with a VAD undergoes procedures.
• Patient and caregiver training: Provides structured education on device operation, troubleshooting, lifestyle adjustments, emergency response, and home care.
• Staff training: Educates nursing staff and allied health professionals on pediatric VAD care.
• Program development: Supports VAD program growth, policy creation, and compliance with national standards.
• Quality improvement: Collects data, tracks outcomes, and participates in research initiatives.
• Inventory maintenance: Ensures all critical supplies and devices are available and functional.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of cardiac nursing experience caring for VAD patients, heart failure patients, and post-cardiac surgical patients  (CICU, intermediate care, acute care)
• Previous VAD Coordinator experience (pediatric or adult)
• VAD-C Certification

Preferred Skills
• Experience with ventricular assist devices (Berlin Heart, HeartMate, CentriMag, Impella) in pediatric populations.
• Research participation in heart failure or mechanical circulatory support.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration with surgeons, cardiologists, and allied health teams.
• Organizational skills for managing complex schedules and follow-ups.

 

As an integral member of the Health Care Team, the RN functions within the Scope of Practice as defined by the State, the ANA Scope and Standards for Pediatric Nursing Practice, and adheres to Seattle Children's policies/procedures and guidelines of care. Responsible for providing safe, family centered patient care. Using the Nursing Care Process, the RN is responsible for assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating patient care in a collaborative method with the patient and patient's family, significant others, and members of the health care team. May be required to provide supervision and delegation of tasks to Nurse Technicians, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Medical Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, and others as defined by the State Administrative Code. Assists in meeting Seattle Children's strategic goals by incorporating the initiatives to support the strategic plans into the daily work, i.e., Continuous Performance Improvement (CPI), Value Based Behaviors, Error Prevention, Patient Safety, Community and Connection etc.

  

Required Education and Experience
Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
Prior experience in a pediatric related health care setting, or a specific area of nursing, may be required for specific departments.

Required Credentials
Current Washington State RN License, or other current state license that the RN is required to work in.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers is required for all positions at time of hire unless the incumbent possesses a current appropriate Life Support Education required for their practice area (refer to requirements per practice area below.) BLS must be maintained in current status until the incumbent obtains the appropriate Life Support Life Support Education required for their practice area (refer to requirements per practice area below) NOTE: Pediatric Emergency Assessment, Recognition and Stabilization (PEARS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) will be accepted in lieu of BLS for Healthcare Providers. ACLS will not be accepted as a substitute to the requirements listed above. Employees are responsible for any costs (including time away from work) associated with obtaining PALS or PEARS certification if it is not a requirement of the position.
As per the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for nurses performing moderately complex point of care testing, a copy of a diploma or transcript of the highest level of academic achievement to be on record with Human Resources upon hire. For personnel trained outside of the U.S., records of diploma/transcript must provide documented equivalency evaluation by a foreign credentialing agency. Apheresis Services, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Cath Lab & Special Procedures, Critical Care Float, Emergency Room, Endocrinology/Diabetes Clinic, Home Care Services, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Transport Control, Radiology (including Interventional and Administration

Preferred
Bachelor’s degree in Nursing.
Pediatric health care nursing experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of cardiac nursing experience caring for VAD patients, heart failure patients, and post-cardiac surgical patients  (CICU, intermediate care, acute care)
• Previous VAD Coordinator experience (pediatric or adult)
• VAD-C Certification

 
Preferred Skills

• Experience with ventricular assist devices (Berlin Heart, HeartMate, CentriMag, Impella) in pediatric populations.
• Research participation in heart failure or mechanical circulatory support.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration with surgeons, cardiologists, and allied health teams.
• Organizational skills for managing complex schedules and follow-ups.

  

Compensation Range

$51.60 - $91.30 per hour

Salary Information

This compensation range was calculated based on full-time employment (2080 hours worked per calendar year). Offers are determined by multiple factors including equity, skills, experience, and expertise, and may vary within the range provided.