Job Summary
We are seeking an experienced Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse (ICU RN) for a 13-week travel assignment in Carbondale, Illinois.
This role is ideal for a critical care nurse who is comfortable managing a broad range of high-acuity patients in a general ICU setting. The unit is a 21-bed ICU with a typical nurse-to-patient ratio of approximately 1:2.
Patients may include complex cardiac, neurological, neurosurgical, postoperative, trauma, and medical ICU cases. The successful candidate should have strong bedside critical-care skills and the ability to recognize and respond quickly to changes in patient condition.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide direct bedside nursing care to critically ill and high-acuity patients.
- Perform comprehensive head-to-toe assessments and ongoing reassessments.
- Monitor vital signs, cardiac rhythms, neurological status, respiratory status, and hemodynamic changes.
- Recognize clinical deterioration and initiate appropriate interventions.
- Manage multiple complex patients while maintaining patient safety and quality of care.
- Administer medications, IV therapies, blood products, and other treatments according to provider orders and facility protocols.
- Monitor patients receiving high-risk and vasoactive medications as appropriate.
- Provide care to patients requiring advanced respiratory support.
- Assist with emergency procedures and rapid-response situations.
- Collaborate closely with intensivists, physicians, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
- Participate in shift handoffs, multidisciplinary rounds, and care-planning discussions.
- Provide education and support to patients and families.
- Maintain accurate and timely nursing documentation.
- Follow infection-control, patient-safety, and critical-care standards.
- Respond appropriately during code situations and other clinical emergencies.
Patient Population
The ICU cares for a diverse population of critically ill patients, including:
- Cardiac patients
- Neurological patients
- Neurosurgical patients
- Post-cardiovascular surgery patients
- Post-general surgery patients
- Medical ICU patients
- Post-trauma patients
- Other medically complex or unstable patients requiring intensive monitoring
Required Qualifications
Candidates should have:
- Active Registered Nurse license meeting Illinois practice requirements
- Current BLS certification
- Recent ICU / critical-care nursing experience
- Experience managing high-acuity hospital patients
- Strong cardiac and neurological assessment skills
- Ability to work effectively with a typical 2:1 patient assignment
- Strong clinical judgment and critical-thinking ability
- Ability to recognize and respond rapidly to changes in patient condition
- Strong communication and interdisciplinary teamwork skills
Preferred Qualifications
Strong candidates may also have:
- ACLS certification
- Previous travel nursing experience
- Experience in a mixed medical/surgical ICU
- Cardiac ICU experience
- Neuro ICU experience
- Post-cardiovascular surgery experience
- Trauma ICU experience
- Mechanical ventilation experience
- Vasoactive medication experience
- Central line and arterial line management experience
- Experience caring for post-operative critical-care patients
Key Clinical Skills
Successful candidates should be comfortable with:
- Critical-care nursing
- Continuous cardiac monitoring
- Neurological assessments
- Respiratory assessment
- Mechanical ventilation support
- High-risk medication administration
- IV therapy
- Central line care
- Hemodynamic monitoring
- Postoperative ICU care
- Cardiac patient management
- Neuro and neurosurgical patient care
- Trauma patient care
- Code response
- Rapid clinical assessment
- Patient and family education
- Interdisciplinary communication
Schedule Requirements
- Night Shift
- 7:00 PM – 7:30 AM
- Three 12-hour shifts per week
- 36 hours per week
- Every other weekend is required
- No call requirement
Schedule may vary slightly based on unit and patient-care needs.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is an experienced ICU RN who is confident caring for complex and unstable patients across multiple critical-care specialties.
You should be comfortable managing a 2:1 patient assignment, making rapid clinical decisions, working collaboratively with intensivists and other healthcare professionals, and responding effectively during emergencies.
This opportunity may be a strong fit for professionals currently working as an:
- ICU RN
- Critical Care RN
- Travel ICU RN
- Medical ICU RN
- Surgical ICU RN
- Neuro ICU RN
- Cardiac ICU RN
- Trauma ICU RN
Equal Opportunity
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants based on experience, education, licensure, certifications, clinical skills, and the requirements of the position.
