Department/Unit: Cardiovascular/Thoracic Surgery (CTOR- G6)- three state-of-the-art operating rooms including three pre-op rooms as part of the CTOR Suite in the Heart Institute

A national leader in pediatric and congenital heart surgery and transplantation, we take on patients with complex conditions that other hospitals are unable to treat. Our Heart Surgery Program at Cincinnati Children’s, we treat congenital heart defects in patients from before birth through adulthood. Our surgeons have experience in the complex procedures that patients may have had in childhood, making them well equipped to operate on adults who are born with heart conditions. We perform an average of 600 cardiothoracic surgeries each year, including approximately 15-20 heart, lung, and multi-organ transplants per year. Patients have come from more than 48 states and 22 countries to see our Heart Institute experts.

Shift/Hours: 36 hours/week, 7am to 7:30pm or 9am to 9:30pm, with on-call

Job Responsibilities

• Clinical Inquiry - Follows professional practice standards and guidelines. Questions appropriateness of policies and guidelines; questions current practice; seeks advice, resources, or information to improve patient care; begins to compare and contrast possible alternatives. Assists with development of competence in peers; formally, by precepting new employees, and informally, by sharing knowledge at the point-of-care. Uses self-appraisal performance review and peer review, including annual goal setting, for assurance of competence and professional development to promote safe and ethical practice using the nursing process. Coaches and mentors others. Precepts nursing peers and students. Facilitates learning for members of the healthcare team. Actively works with department managers, nurse council and magnet representatives to identify, share, implement and evaluate safety best practices. Mitigate actual or potential risks to patient and staff safety. Utilize current research findings and other evidence to expand professional knowledge, enhance role performance, and increase knowledge of nursing professional issues. Support clinical nursing, health care, and health system research studies conducted by professional, credentialed researchers.
• Systems Thinking - Is able to recognize systems and processes within the healthcare environment that affect the patient experience; anticipates needs of patients and families as they move through the healthcare system; utilizes untapped and alternative resources as necessary.
• Inclusion - Considers patient values and incorporates in care, when differing from personal values; supports colleagues in ethical and clinical issues; moral decision-making can deviate from rules; engages the patient's family, encouraging them to speak/represent themselves; protects patient and family rights. Inquires about cultural differences and considers their impact on care accommodates personal and professional differences in the plan of care; helps patient/family understand the culture of the healthcare system.
• Clinical Judgment - Collects & interprets complex patient data; makes clinical judgments based on an immediate grasp of the whole picture; recognizes patterns & trends by focusing on key elements while eliminating extraneous details. Documents & teaches others to document the plan of care, care delivered, & patient/family outcomes. Responds to subtle patient/family changes; engages with each unique patient/family in a compassionate manner; tailors caring practices to the individuality of patient/family; recognizes the importance of a healing environment & tailors the environment to meet the needs of the patient/family; promotes safety throughout patient/family transitions along the healthcare continuum; recognizes that death may be an acceptable outcome. Proficiently integrates age specific concepts into patient care, taking into consideration both the patient's chronological age & developmental functioning. Using self-management support, develops care goals & actions through partnerships with patients. Uses teach back strategies to evaluate effectiveness. Coordinates education with other members of the health care team. Integrates strategies in the plan of care that support the patient/family adaptation to the home environment.
  
  

Compliance - Patient Services Staff - Sustain a working understanding of regulatory requirements and accreditation standards. Support leadership in Compliance efforts to meet and sustain the regulatory compliance efforts of the department and hospital. Be mindful and judicious in monitoring safety and departmental policies and procedures. Ensure all individual certifications and Safety College requirements are fulfilled in a timely basis. Work with department managers, nurse council and magnet representatives to identify and share safety best practices. Be mindful of CCHMCs processes and compliance with CMS standards and freely communicate safety and compliance concerns to leadership team members.

• Uses systems thinking - Sees the pieces or components; sees patient and family within the isolated environment of the unit; sees self as key resource to support the family through the healthcare experience through care coordination. Sustains a working understanding of regulatory requirements and accreditation standards. Supports leadership in efforts to meet and sustain the regulatory compliance efforts of the department and hospital. Monitors and complies with safety and departmental policies and procedures. Ensures individual certifications and Safety College requirements are fulfilled in a timely basis. Is mindful of CCHMCs processes and compliance with CMS standards and freely communicates safety and compliance concerns to leadership team members.
• Clinical judgment when performing caring practices - Collects clinical data; follow algorithms, decision trees, and protocols. Matches formal knowledge with clinical events to make appropriate decisions; uses available resources as needed. Documents plan of care, care delivered, and patient and family outcomes. Focuses on the usual and customary needs of the patient and family; anticipates future needs; bases care on standards and protocols; maintains a safe physical environment; acknowledges death as a potential outcome. Consistently integrates age specific concepts into patient care, taking into consideration both the patient's chronological age and developmental functioning. Using self-management support, develops care goals and actions through partnerships with patients and families. Facilitates patient and family learning by providing structured education based on the plan of care goals, and the needs of the patient and family; uses teach back to evaluate effectiveness.
• Clinical inquiry & performance review to improve practice - Follows standards and guidelines; implements clinical changes and research-based practices developed by others; recognizes the need for further learning to improve patient care; recognizes routine or obvious changing patient situation (e.g., deterioration, crisis); in unusual care situations, seeks help when needed to identify patient problem. Uses self-appraisal performance review and peer review, including annual goal setting, for assurance of competence and professional development to promote safe and ethical practice using the nursing process. Demonstrates openness to coaching and mentoring from others. Facilitates learning by assisting with peer and student learning experiences. Works with department managers, nurse council and magnet representatives to identify, share, implement and evaluate safety best practices.
• Collaborates with team using shared decision making - Is receptive to the contributions of the interdisciplinary team in team meetings and discussion regarding patient issues. Participates in shared governance at the point-of-care as a member of unit-based councils or by demonstrating awareness and contributing to shared decision making (reading minutes, giving feedback and implementing council decisions).
• Interprofessional Practice - Demonstrates consistent integration of the Interprofessional Practice Model (IPM) in all aspects of practice.
• Exhibits advocacy, moral agency and response to inclusion - Works on behalf of patient and family; assesses personal values; aware of ethical conflicts/issues that may surface in clinical setting; makes ethical/moral decisions based on rules; represents patient when patient cannot represent self; aware of patients' rights. Assesses cultural inclusion. Recognizes the potential impact of culture on the patient/family experience, and incorporates culturally inclusive concepts into patient care.
• Patient Care - Age Specific and Culturally Inclusive - Consistently integrates age specific and culturally inclusive concepts into patient care, taking into consideration both the patient's chronological age and developmental functioning.
  
  

Job Qualifications

• Associate/Diploma prepared RNs from ACEN, CCNE or NLN CNEA accredited institution requires 2+ years of experience. If hired without a BSN or MSN, must enroll in a BSN or MSN program within 1 year of hire date/RN job date and complete program within 5 years of hire/RN job date.
• Preferred: BSN from ACEN, CCNE or NLN CNEA accredited institution or MSN.
• Active Ohio RN License. May be required to obtain other state licensure.
  
  

Primary Location

Location G

Schedule

Full time

Shift

Day (United States of America)

Department

CTOR

Employee Status

Regular

FTE

1

Weekly Hours

40

About Us

At Cincinnati Children’s, we come to work with one goal: to make children’s health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children’s.

 Cincinnati Children's Is

• Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 10  best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years
• Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding
• Recognized as one of America’s Best Large Employers  (2025), America’s Best Employers for New Grads (2025)
• One of the nation's America’s Most Innovative Companies as noted by Fortune
• Consistently certified as great place to work
• A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability
• Magnet® designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  
  

 We Embrace Innovation—Together. We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That’s why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we’re creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future—for all of us.

Comprehensive Job Description Provided Upon Request.

Cincinnati Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability