Surgical Services Clinical Nurse - OR Nurse Residency Program, Full-time, Rotating - Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is an academic medical center in the heart of downtown Chicago with physicians, surgeons and caregivers representing nearly every medical specialty. Northwestern Medicine is proud to have five hospitals ranked among "America’s Best" including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the No. 1 hospital in Illinois for 13 straight years (tie), by U.S. News & World Report, 2024 – 2025. Our clinical and administrative staff and medical and science faculty come together every day with a shared commitment to superior quality, academic excellence, scientific discovery and patient safety.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital enjoys a teaching and service partnership with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, an integration that provides patients access to leading-edge clinical trials and fosters an environment of world-class patient care, academic inquiry and innovative research. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has also received Magnet® recognition*, the gold-standard for nursing excellence, from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Upcoming OR Residency cohort start dates: November 13th and January 8th

Northwestern Memorial Hospital's OR Nurse Residency Program

Northwestern Memorial Hospital offers the culture, technology, training and support that nurses need to deliver excellent care in a state-of-the-art facility. Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s OR Nurse Residency Program is a customized and comprehensive program that teaches the novice nurse the fundamentals of intraoperative nursing. The program, taught by OR Educators, consists of a four-week classroom orientation, based on AORN’s Periop 101, in addition to surgical service line rotations through various specialties.

Nurses will be taught to both circulate and scrub in a variety of surgical cases. Our various surgical service lines perform more than 33,000 cases annually and include top talent. Our multidisciplinary teams work together to value each individual’s contribution to optimize positive patient outcomes. The program builds confidence and gives new nurses the foundation they need to excel in the OR environment.

Service lines include:

• Cardiac
• ENT
• General
• Gynecology
• Neurosurgery
• Ophthalmology
• Orthopedics
• Plastics
• Robotic surgery
• Spine
• Transplant
• Trauma
• Urology
• Vascular/Thoracic

Northwestern Memorial Hospital has 60+ operating rooms.

• Feinberg Pavilion – Main operating room pavilion, open 24/7 for scheduled and urgent/emergent cases.
• Prentice Women’s Hospital – Focusing on women’s health (gyne, breast, plastics, and robotics).
• Lavin Family Pavilion – Outpatient procedures, including ophthalmology, ENT, general surgery, plastics, orthopedics, and spine.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is certified as a Level I trauma center and stroke center and offers high-quality specialty emergency and trauma services.

OR Scheduling and Call Requirements:

• Team members will rotate onto the weekend and be required to staff holiday shifts.
• You will be required to take call with a 30-minute response time. Call varies depending on service line assigned, with a minimum call requirement of 60 hours in a six-week period.

Professional Growth:

• Tuition reimbursement and reimbursable professional development available.
• CNOR Certification is an expectation after two years of OR experience. Certification reimbursed by NMH through professional development funds.
• Professional development reimbursement: $1,000 Full-time/$500 Part-time per fiscal year.
• Tuition reimbursement: $10,000 Full-time/$5,700 Part-time per fiscal year.
• Student loan repayment: Full-time employees eligible for $100 per month up to $10,000 lifetime maximum/Part-time employees eligible for $50 per month up to $5,000 lifetime maximum.

Requirements:

• BSN and an Illinois RN license.
• Commitment to work in accepted position for two years after orientation.
• Willingness to work in a high-tech/dynamic team environment.
• Ability to work flexible hours.

The Surgical Services Clinical Nurse reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The role of the professional clinical nurse is unique and essential to the care of the patient. The nurse demonstrates that unique and essential function through the framework for nursing practice.

Advocate:

• Practices in accordance with the patient centered care model.
• Develops an individualized age-specific culturally sensitive nursing plan of care for the patient that is based on the nursing process.
• Incorporates the role of patient advocate into the plan of care.
• Uses a team approach to develop and achieve daily patient-centered individualized care goals.
• Acknowledges and values the contributions of the patient's significant others as an integral part of the plan of care.
• Identifies potential conflict situations and facilitates resolution using established communication channels.
• Promotes and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.
• Protects patients by maintaining a safe environment.
• Participate in research-related activities which includes evidence-based practice and quality improvement initiatives.
• Practices safe surgery specific post-operative care to include assessment, potential complications and discharge teaching.
• Identifies potential pre-anesthetic surgical risks factors.

Clinical Expert:

• Advances clinical expertise, as demonstrated through pursuit of informal and formal continuing education opportunities and obtaining specialty certification when eligible.
• Continuously enhances skills and abilities to ensure the highest quality patient care.
• Shares knowledge and expertise through educating team members, patients and students.
• Demonstrates critical thinking by integrating theoretical knowledge and expertise to pose relevant clinical questions when evidence and practice differ.
• Identifies priorities, sets realistic and measurable goals, prescribes and implements nursing interventions in a safe and timely manner.
• Develops and implements individualized education plans for patients and families using suitable instructional materials and methods.
• Evaluates and documents the patient's responses to nursing interventions in the health record and properly individualizes the plan of care based on the evaluation of findings.
• Identifies situations that require further intervention and escalates appropriately; consults appropriate experts and resources when needed.
• Participates in the formation, implementation and evaluation of team goals.
• Appropriately delegates and supervises. interventions to implement the plan of care.
• Conveys complete, timely and accurate information at hand off at the bedside or any hand off.
• Adheres to ethical standards of practice.
• Possess the knowledge to intervene in the event of a complication or undesired outcome.

Community Volunteer:

• Participates in one or more volunteer initiatives annually, Northwestern Memorial organized or on his/her own.

Compassionate:

• Consistently demonstrates interpersonal connections with patients and families from introduction through discharge.
• Proactively responds to patient concerns such as speaking to patients about possible/expected delays in plan of care.
• Treats patients, families, visitors and staff in a caring manner with respect and dignity.
• Facilities recovery and where appropriate helps ensure a peaceful death for patients.

Professionally Engaged:

• Is a member of a professional organization or participates on an Northwestern Memorial committee or taskforce at the hospital-wide, departmental, or unit level.
• Demonstrates accountability and collaborative practice with co-workers, other disciplines, and departments.
• Assumes responsibility for continued professional growth and education reflecting knowledge and understanding of current nursing practice.
• Serves as a community mentor for team members.
• Serves as a preceptor for new team members.
• Participates in the peer feedback process by conducting a constructive assessment and evaluation of peer performance.
• Works collaboratively with all hospital services to accomplish daily work and maintain an environment of excellence.
• Participates in the development of policies, procedures and systems to support safe and effective care and advance nursing practice at NMH through the Shared Leadership Process.
• Assumes personal responsibility for meeting internal (i.e. Best People profile, ELMs, CPR, and health requirements) and external regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Identifies opportunities for innovation and quality improvement; participates in innovation projects and the quality improvement process, including unit-based quality committees.
• Demonstrates accountability to Northwestern Memorial strategic, operational and fiscal goals.
• Exemplifies a professional image in appearance and communications.
• Maintains and advances the professional image of nursing and the practice of professional nursing through an ongoing analysis of resources: professional organizations, literature, electronic resources, etc.

AA/EOE.

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Required:

• Graduate of an NLN accredited school/college of nursing.
• Baccalaureate degree in Nursing or higher.
• Current State of Illinois, Registered Professional Nurse license.
• Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation recognition (healthcare provider level) through American Heart Association.
• Analytic ability (conceptual and quantitative).
• Oral, listening and written communication skills.
• Strong human relation skills to interact effectively and collaborate with others in difficult situations.
• Use of a keyboard to enter or retrieve data.

Preferred:

• Experience in specific clinical area.
• Nursing specialty certification, if eligible.

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.