Registered Nurse II Outpatient Services

At Houston Methodist, the Registered Nurse (RN) II position is a licensed staff nurse, an experienced clinician, functioning at the Competent to Proficient stage of Benner’s model of clinical practice. The RN II provides professional nursing care to a diverse patient population, conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, delivers patient education, and maintains medical records. The RN II delivers direct patient care effectively and efficiently, including patients with varied and complex needs.

This position communicates and collaborates with physicians and the interprofessional health‐care team to facilitate, coordinate, and maintain compassionate, efficient, high‑quality care and achieve desired treatment outcomes. The RN II demonstrates clinical competence when providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures, and managing emergencies, acting as a patient and family advocate to monitor and maintain patient rights. The RN II assumes leadership roles with progressive responsibility, including but not limited to participating in or leading unit and shared governance initiatives, serving as charge nurse or preceptor to students or new employees, and possibly contributing to service line or hospital‑wide initiatives in partnership with management.

• Uses therapeutic communication, which includes active listening and teaching, to establish a relationship with patients, families and interprofessional health‑care team to collaborate on the plan of care.

• Contributes to teamwork by awareness of overall unit acuity, consistently offering assistance, and responding positively to requests for assistance. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment. Seeks guidance from and offers guidance to interprofessional health‑care team, when appropriate, and applies feedback to improve patient outcomes.

• Implements staff education specific to patient populations and unit processes; coaches and mentors other staff and students. May include preceptorship. Uses peer‑to‑peer accountability toward improvement of department score for turnover/retention/employee engagement on unit‑based scorecard.

• Follows the patient and family‑centered care standards, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Conducts nursing assessments, assists with exams and treatment, and maintains medical records.

• Develops, updates and communicates plan of care, including discharge, in partnership with the patient, family and interprofessional health‑care team, using the nursing process. Prioritizes care based on the patient’s needs, abilities and preferences. Advocates on patient/family’s behalf to identify and resolve clinical and ethical concerns, utilizing appropriate resources.

• Provides patient teaching based on learning needs, uses appropriate resources, incorporating planning for care after discharge. Consistently evaluates the patient’s comprehension and adapts teaching methods accordingly.

• Helps drive improvement of department score for patient satisfaction on unit‑based scorecard, through peer‑to‑peer accountability to service standards.

• Follows the standards of care related to the nursing process, as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document.

• Follows the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Identifies areas of practice improvements with research‑based evidence to achieve core measure and patient safety outcomes, supported by accurate documentation.

• Provides and modifies care to complex patients and coordinates care with the interprofessional team based on evaluation of the patient’s condition, supported by accurate documentation. Utilizes clinical judgement, using an evidence‑based analytical approach.

• Improves quality and safety scores on the unit‑based scorecard, through peer‑to‑peer accountability, reporting near misses, and collaborating with the interprofessional health‑care team.