Per Diem Clinical Nurse - Emergency Department

Under general supervision, incumbents provide care to patients in a structured environment. Per Diem Clinical Nurse initiate and perform established nursing interventions utilizing current clinical knowledge.

Per Diem Clinical Nurse would acquire the qualifications listed for this position by possessing a valid California Registered Nurse license and at least 1 year of recent acute care experience. Specialty skills required to work in specialty areas. 

Positions available in units at each hospital include:

O'Connor Hospital - Emergency Department

Regional Medical Center - Emergency Department

St. Louise Regional Hospital - Emergency Department

Valley Medical Center - Emergency Department

Valley Medical Center - Express Care

Per Diem Clinical Nurse are appointments to non-permanent positions established to meet peak load or other unusual work situations. 

Per Diem Clinical Nurses are required to be available to work at least six (6) 8 hours shifts a month, two of which are weekend shifts (if applicable). PD nurses hired into shifts longer than eight (8) hours are required to be available to work at least four (4) shifts a month, two of which shall be weekend shifts (if applicable). Four (4) weekend shifts per month may be approved as an alternate schedule to the eight shifts per month work requirement.

Per Diem Clinical Nurses must be available to work one of the 3 major Winter holidays. When assigned and worked, Per Diem nurses shall be paid at time and one half for all hours worked on two of the three major holidays as note above.

The Power of WE: Together, we can make a greater impact. Bringing better care and expanding healthcare services across the community. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60+ specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County. 

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes three acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60+ specialty and sub-specialty services. Our mission is to provide high-quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County.

 Because we serve patients throughout multiple hospitals and clinics, you may have to work at different sites. We will meet any obligations we may have when this occurs.

 Santa Clara Valley Medical Center - SCVMC is a full-service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.

 O'Connor Hospital - O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.

 St. Louise Regional Hospital - Since 1989, St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises. 

Regional Medical Center – Regional Medical Center (RMC) is a 265-bed hospital that is the main emergency healthcare provider for East San José, treating a wide range of critical and life-threatening conditions for more than 60 years. Since the SCVH integration of RMC effective 4/1/25, RMC has expanded the critical services including Level II trauma, Thrombectomy capable Stroke Center and STEMI care, and has been seeing an increased number of emergency visits and inpatient volume. 

Learn more about Santa Clara Valley Healthcare: https://www.scvh.org/home and follow us on: LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/county-of-santa-clara/

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The following are the duties performed by employees in this classification. However, employees may perform other related duties at an equivalent level. Each individual in the classification does not necessarily perform all duties listed.

Assessment

• Interviews patient and/or family to obtain data for nursing assessment; records and reports data;

• Utilizes assessment data to formulate nursing diagnosis;

• Applies knowledge of normal parameters; identifies deviation from normal, obvious patient problems, symptoms, and/or behavioral changes; reports these to the appropriate authority;

• Makes observations about physical, psycho-social, cultural, learning needs, and response of patient and families; documents in a clear, concise manner.

Planning 

• Identifies patient care problems and establishes priorities for care based on nursing and medical diagnosis;

• Understands goals and plans of care for the typical patient population;

• Initiates a patient care plan and collaborates when appropriate;

• Contributes to the revision of the initial patient care plan dependent upon the changing needs of the patient;

• Contributes to the development of unit standards of care;

• Plans patient teaching activities.

Implementation 

• Establishes priorities and gives nursing care based on the patient care plan;

• Implements the patient care plan;

• Seeks supervision and guidance in further developing nursing skills, in performing procedures not yet mastered, and/or in functioning in unfamiliar situations;

• Accepts accountability for all nursing care provided;

• Monitors compliance with safety standards and care protocols for self and others;

• Records nursing care given and patient's response to care;

• Assists in coordinating the activities needed to implement the patient care plan;

• Participates in implementation of patient discharge plan;

• Teaches patient and families;

• Complies with external and internal regulations pertaining to nursing practice; recognizes legal and ethical duties and responsibilities of registered nurses;

• May participate in research projects.

Evaluation 

• Evaluates the patient's response to care provided;

• Communicates evaluation outcomes;

• Evaluates teaching provided by self and others;

• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker (DSW), as required*;

• Performs other related duties, as required.

Sufficient education, training, and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform the above tasks, plus the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:

Training and Experience Note: The required knowledge and abilities are attained through possession of an active California Registered Nurse (RN) license without restrictions;

and

One (1) year, within the last three (3) years, of full-time Registered Nurse (RN) experience in an accredited hospital, clinic, or healthcare setting.

and

One (1) year, within the last three (3) years, of full-time RN experience in a nursing specialty area. A nursing specialty is a field of nursing that focuses on either a particular patient population or a health condition. 

Possession of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is preferred.

Special Requirements

• Must possess and maintain the following certification(s) during employment:

o     Basic Life Saving Certification (BLS)

• For clinical specialty areas, must possess and maintain the following certification(s) during employment: 

o     Advance Cardiovascular Life Saving Certification (ACLS) 

o     Other identified specialty area certification(s) for specialty patient populations at appointment, as required.

• Ability to travel to alternate locations in the course of work. If driving, possession of a valid California driver’s license prior to appointment and the ability to qualify for and maintain a County driver authorization.

• *As a condition of employment, pursuant to California Government Code Sections 3100-3109 and Local Ordinance, all County of Santa Clara employees are designated Disaster Service Workers (DSWs), including extra help. A DSW is required to complete all assigned DSW-related training, and in the event of an emergency, return to work as ordered.

Knowledge of:

• California Nurse Practice Act;

• American Nursing Association Code of Ethics;

• Nursing Professional Practice Model;

• Federal and State healthcare laws and regulations appropriate to the operation of California hospitals;

• Current nursing and related medical theory necessary to administer nursing care within assigned clinical setting;

• Principles, practices, and methods of acute and primary care clinical nursing, including community aspects and continuity of patient care;

• Diagnosis and treatment of common medical problems as related to a clinical specialty area;

• Clinical systems, supplies, and equipment;

• Safety and Infection Control practices;

• Sciences basic to nursing (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, microbiology);

• English usage, style, grammar, punctuation, and spelling;

• Common computer systems and charting applications.

Ability to:

• Adapt approach readily and consistently when patient/family displays unexpected response; 

• Monitor patient satisfaction and take action to improve care;

• Use creative strategies to ensure patient/family possess understanding of the plan;

• Provide guidance to new staff;

• Serve as coach or preceptor to evaluate and validate a colleague’s clinical judgment;

• Identify changes that require actions other than those anticipated or planned;

• Utilize critical thinking skills to interpret complex data;

• Foster an environment that promotes mutual respect and professional growth;

• Balance competing demands;

• Plan and coordinate multiple patient needs and reshuffle their priorities in the midst of constant patient changes;

• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures; 

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, at all levels, including colleagues, the public, and representatives of other agencies.

The physical requirement may include: 

• Ability to work alternate work schedules, weekends, and holidays as necessary;

• Ability to perform physical skills required to deliver patient care;

• Bend, stoop, reach, perform fine motor movements, see, hear, and touch;

• Strength to lift, move, and transfer most patients; to restrain and carry children; to move and carry equipment; and to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which requires sufficient body weight and adequate lung expansion;

• Mobility: bend, stoop, get down on the floor; combination of strength, dexterity, mobility, and coordination to assist patients; ability to move around physically and adequately in confined spaces (patient rooms, bathrooms, treatment settings, around patient equipment, etc.); 

• Fine Motor Movements: manipulate syringes and IVs; assist patients with feeding and hygiene; write appropriate notations; document in health record; and perform sterile procedures and other skilled procedures;

• Vision: Visualize patients in order to assess and observe their health status, skin tone, color changes, dermatological conditions, non-verbal behaviors, changes in signs and symptoms of illness, health improvement or deterioration, etc.;

• Hearing: Hear and see patients, monitor signs and symptoms, hear alarms, patient voices, call lights, and assess patient conditions, non-verbal behaviors, changes in signs and symptoms of illness, health improvement or deterioration, hear through the stethoscope to discriminate sounds, and accurately hear on the telephone;

• Touch: Ability to palpate both superficially and deeply and to discriminate tactile sensations.