Magnet Designation
Learn More About Us:
We are located at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Hospital Hill, 2401 Gillham Road, Kansas City, Missouri.
Our staff includes:
|
Job Title |
# of Staff |
|
Nurse Manager |
1 |
|
Assistant Nurse Manager |
1 |
|
Charge Nurse |
6 |
|
Resource Nurse |
1 |
|
Staff Nurse |
40 |
|
Unit-Based Education Coordinator |
1 |
|
Equipment Tech |
1 |
|
Nurse Tech & Care Assistant |
13 |
|
Unit Secretary |
1 |
Our nursing units are supported by:
- a Child-Life Specialist assigned to our unit
- Respiratory Therapy support 24/7
- Pharmacy support 24/7
- Social Work support 24/7
- Chaplain support 24/7
- Nutrition support
Our unit is one of the smaller units in the hospital. We have a close staff that works well as a team. We believe in consistency in care givers, and we try to assign primary care givers to patients whenever possible.
We use the Care Manager Model: 1 RN (Care Manager) and 1 Care Assistant work together as a team to care for up to 4-5 patients. The RN delegates duties to the Care Assistant. If an RN is not assigned a Care Assistant for a shift, the RN will care for up to 3 patients. RNs alternate working by themselves and working as a Care Manager with a Care Assistant.
We have a Charge Nurse on each shift, who typically is not assigned a patient load. Our Charge Nurses are involved with managing the day-to-day operations of our units.
We generally have a “resource nurse” available Monday through Friday to assist others with procedures, transports, admissions, etc. The Resource Nurse does not usually take a patient assignment unless acuity is very high on the unit.
Full-time employees on our unit work 3 12-hour shifts each week:
- 7:00 am-7:30 pm
- 7:00 pm-7:30 am
We also have part-time, PRN, and Weekend Option positions.
Orientees train one-on-one with an assigned preceptor throughout the orientation process. Orientation is from 2 to 3 months, depending on the orientee’s past experience and knowledge.
Throughout the orientation period, the orientee works with the preceptor to learn skills and gradually work up to having full responsibility for patient care. Training also includes hands-on skills training and computer training.
Our Unit-Based Education Coordinator meets with the orientee and the preceptor weekly to evaluate the orientee’s progress and make adjustments to the orientation schedule, as necessary.
Nurses receive ongoing training and learning opportunities, which includes:
- Quarterly unit updates
- Nurses attend these education days to earn CEUs and learn new information and skills directly related to doing their job. Speakers teach the latest information and changes in the medical/nursing field, as well as hospital policies and procedures.
- Annual competency day. Instructors work with staff to update:
- BLS
- Central Line Care
- Tracheostomy Care
- Point of Care Testing
- And more!
Paid training is available to become a preceptor, improve leadership skills, obtain PALS certification, and more!
We hire Graduate Nurses. Graduate Nurses work with a preceptor for up to 12 weeks before working independently. Refer to Orientation and Ongoing Training Opportunities for details.
Advancement from Graduate Nurse to Staff Nurse occurs after completing orientation, most competencies, and passing NCLEX.
