Registered Nurse; RN) II - Pediatric Intensive Care Unit; PICU

111 Michigan Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20010 Kids Are Our Everything. Department 10307 Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Pay Range $39.20 - $60.18 Up to $20,000 Bonus Day Shift / Night Shift Rotation Weekend and Holiday Rotation

The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a 46-bed unit. We will be expanding to 60 beds in 2027! This unit serves as a regional referral center and is a designated Level I Trauma Center for comprehensive care to pediatric patients and their families. The PICU Patient Care Management Team coordinates interdisciplinary patient assessment and patient care and provided by pediatric intensivists and specialty nurses in conjunction with multiple specialty services within the Medical Center.

Patients are admitted to the PICU from the ED, Trauma Services, the Operating Room, and transfers from in-house units as well as transports from other institutions via the Pediatric Transport team. Trauma patients comprise about 10%-15% of patients in the PICU. These patients often have multiple injuries or severe head trauma. The PICU is also a Pediatric Burn Center and receives referrals from the region.

Other complex patients requiring general surgery, ENT, craniofacial, neurosurgical and other surgical subspecialties are also cared for in the PICU. Medical patients comprise 50%-60% of patients and include children with respiratory failure, meningitis or seizures, sepsis, multi-system organ failure and chronically ill children. Children with cancer also require PICU care for complications that develop as part of the underlying disease, chemotherapy or following bone marrow transplantation.

Services are provided daily, 24 hours per day. The Division of Critical Care Medicine (CCM) provides services and care to all patients admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Specifically, care is provided for all patients in the PICU, patients within the hospital by request, patients within the hospital as part of all emergencies and resuscitations, and patients in the ED for “medical alerts” and “trauma stats”.

The scope of services includes resuscitation, life support, monitoring and treatment for life threatening events and diagnostic issues related to these items. Patients may be admitted to and discharged from the PICU based on pre-established guidelines. See section on critical care units. The department utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to care, utilizing the services of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, social services and other support services necessary to provide quality care.

Attending physicians providing care are board eligible or certified in Pediatric Critical Care. The PICU provides CAT (Rapid Response Services) and Code Blue team leadership to support in house clinical emergencies. An attending or fellow along with an ICU nurse and Respiratory Therapist respond to assist in clinical rescues of in-house patients. This service can also be activated by a concerned parent.

A Registered Nurse (RN) in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) provides specialized, high-acuity care to critically ill and injured infants, children, and adolescents requiring continuous monitoring and advanced life support. Working within a 46-bed regional referral and Level I Trauma Center, the PICU RN collaborates closely with pediatric intensivists, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, and multidisciplinary specialty teams to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate patient care.

The RN manages complex medical and surgical patients, including those with respiratory failure, sepsis, multi-system organ failure, seizures, meningitis, severe trauma, burn injuries, cancer-related complications, and post-operative needs following neurosurgical, craniofacial, ENT, and other specialty procedures. Responsibilities include performing comprehensive patient assessments, monitoring hemodynamic status, administering medications and blood products, managing ventilators and invasive lines, responding to emergencies and resuscitations, and providing family-centered education and support.

The PICU RN also participates in rapid response…