Professional Staff Nurse, BSN - 8 South

Join our dedicated team at UPMC Hamot as a Full-Time Professional Staff Nurse on the 8 South unit!

8 East is a 23-bed medical-surgical unit that provides care to medical patients and postoperative care for colon-rectal, general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, and ENT patients. The unit is a great fit for graduate nurses and nurses who are seeking to build a solid foundation in med/surg or are seeking to expand knowledge from a diverse patient population. 8 East is a team driven unit providing patient-centered care to patients requiring TPN, wound vac management and ostomies with support from our skilled wound ostomy nurses. Nurses are trained in foley insertions requiring further intervention and provide support to other departments in managing patients that are difficult to catheterize.

Position Summary: The Professional Staff Nurse is a Registered Nurse and an integral member of the care delivery team. This role sets the standards for the level and quality of nursing care, taking responsibility, authority, and accountability for patient care. The Professional Staff Nurse manages patient care activities for a designated group of patients and their families, utilizing independent judgment and fostering communication and collaboration with all team members. This role encompasses leadership, partnership, collaboration, and supervision, while establishing and maintaining relationships with physicians, other healthcare providers, patients, and families to achieve optimal patient outcomes throughout the continuum of care. The Professional Staff Nurse is committed to the community and the nursing profession.

Title and salary will be determined based upon education and experience.

UPMC is committed to investing in nurses like you – financially, personally, and professionally – starting on day one of your career. From tackling student loans to advancing your career later in life, UPMC is the partner you need to succeed and thrive in your nursing career.

Here’s how we support our nurses:

• Generous Sign-On Bonus for experienced nurses of up to $20,000 (Amount and eligibility based on type of nursing role and candidate experience)
• $15,000 Sign-On Bonus available for full-time and flex full-time graduate nurses entering their first GN/RN role
• UPMC’s Monthly Loan Repayment program, exclusively for 2025-2026 nursing graduates, offering $20,000* in loan repayment paid over three years
• Up to five and a half weeks of Paid Time Off annually, plus seven paid holidays each year
• Dedicated career ladders allowing you to achieve your highest potential while rewarding you for your experience and advanced education
• Tuition reimbursement of up to $6,000 per academic year at any accredited institution, available to employees and their dependents (plus discounts for UPMC employees including no cost RN-BSN/MSN options!)

Responsibilities:

• Relationship Building: Develop and maintain productive working relationships internally and externally, demonstrating accountability, enthusiasm, and commitment to patients and colleagues. Recognize cultural differences and promote healthy relationships while maintaining a balance between work and personal life. Communicate safety hazards identified in the workplace to peers and management.

• Patient Education: Demonstrate knowledge of adult learning principles (and/or teaching children when applicable) to effectively teach patients, families, students, and new staff. Provide comprehensive education to guide patients and families through their care episodes and transitions to other levels of care or home. Support the development of students and new staff, serving as a preceptor and fostering an environment of open dialogue and continuous improvement through feedback.

• Nursing Process Application: Utilize the nursing process within the framework of Relationship-Based Care to create a healing environment. Formulate daily goals and care plans that involve the patient as a partner, considering their holistic needs. Employ critical thinking to identify and address clinical, social, safety, psychological, and spiritual issues. Communicate effectively with other care providers, articulating the patient’s condition and recommending changes in care as needed. Ensure comprehensive documentation that promotes effective communication among caregivers.

• Professional Development: Take accountability for personal and professional development, actively participating in unit-based shared governance and goal-setting initiatives. Support quality improvement efforts to enhance patient care and the practice environment. Collaborate as a full partner on the care team, responding to team members’ needs for assistance.

• Quality Improvement: Engage in department or unit-specific quality improvement initiatives. Identify opportunities for improvement and take personal responsibility for enhancing patient satisfaction with care and service. Utilize research and evidence-based practices to support clinical care improvements, discussing findings during multidisciplinary rounds and influencing patients’ care plans.

• Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and interact appropriately with patients of varying ages as assigned.
• Understand principles of growth and development across the life span. Assess and interpret patient data to identify age-specific needs.
• Provide care according to departmental policies and procedures.
• Zero to two years of experience required. BSN required.
• Ability to build and maintain positive, caring relationships with executives, managers, physicians, non-physician providers, ancillary/support staff, other departments, and patients/families.
• Capable of working effectively in a complex environment with multiple and changing priorities. Able to operate specialized equipment.
• Strong clinical judgment, critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills related to patient care.
• Critical thinking skills to apply and lead others in the nursing process.
• Mobility and visual/manual dexterity required. Physical stamina for frequent walking, standing, lifting, and positioning of patients.
• UPMC offers flexible scheduling options including night and weekend shift programs with premium pay. Employees in special shift programs must have at least 6 months of nursing experience. Orientation for these programs may occur during regular business hours. Interested candidates should inform their recruiter during the interview process.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) within one year of hire or transfer.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) OR Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) required based on AHA standards that include both a didactic and skills demonstration component within 30 days of hire.
• NIH Stroke Scale (NIH) within 6 months of hire or transfer.
• Registered Nurse (RN) OR Temporary Practice Permit (TPP)
• Graduate nurses must complete licensure examination within six months of hire or within one year of graduation, whichever comes first. Though temporary permits are valid for one year from the date of graduation, not one year from issue of permit (or until the results of the examination are known at which time it becomes null and void), UPMC requires that GNs take the licensure examination within 6 months of their start date or they will be terminated or demoted from the GN position, at the discretion of the BU.
• Act 34
• UPMC approved national certification preferred.

*Current licensure either in the state where the facility is located or, if the facility is in a state covered by the multistate Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) agreement, a multistate license issued by a participating NLC state. Hires and current employees working on an out-of-state NLC license who later change their residency to the state where the facility is also located will have 60 days upon changing their residency to apply for licensure within that state.

UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran