Resource Nurse - Nursing at Coalinga Regional Medical Center – Coalinga, California

Position Summary

The Resource Nurse functions in a hospital-wide leadership and support role, providing real-time clinical, operational, and staffing oversight during assigned night and weekend shifts. In a Critical Access Hospital, the Resource Nurse serves as the primary clinical resource and escalation point and may be assigned direct patient care, lunch/break coverage, and operational duties when staffing, census, or acuity requires. This role requires strong clinical judgment, leadership, and the ability to provide hands-on patient care.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Oversight, Direct Care & Coverage

• Serves as the hospital-wide clinical resource for nursing staff during assigned night and weekend shifts.
• Provides lunch and break coverage for nursing staff as needed to maintain safe staffing and regulatory compliance.
• Accepts direct patient care assignments when required due to staffing shortages, high census, or increased acuity.
• Provides hands-on patient care during peak workload periods.
• Assists with complex clinical situations, rapid assessments, and patient deterioration.
• Responds to emergencies, including codes, rapid responses, and critical events.
• Ensures compliance with nursing standards, hospital policies, and regulatory requirements.

Staffing & Operations

• Monitors staffing levels across all departments during nights and weekends.
• Adjust staffing and personally provides coverage (patient assignments or break relief) when staffing levels cannot support safe operations.
• Coordinates staffing adjustments related to callouts or unexpected changes in census or acuity.
• Supports patient throughput, including admissions, transfers, discharges, and bed placement.
• Serves as the primary staffing decision-maker during assigned shifts.

Leadership & Communication

• Acts as the administrative nursing leader on duty during nights and weekends in the absence of nursing leadership.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for nursing-related issues after hours.
• Communicate effectively with providers, department leaders, and ancillary services.
• It provides guidance, coaching, and real-time problem-solving for nursing staff.
• Escalates significant operational or clinical issues appropriately to on-call leadership.

Patient Safety, Quality & Audits

• Promotes a culture of patient safety and accountability.
• Completes assigned audits during night and weekend shifts, which may include but are not limited to:
  • Documentation and chart audits
  • Safety rounds and environment-of-care checks
  • Regulatory or policy compliance audits
  • Admission, discharge, and handoff audits
• Identifies, documents, and escalates safety or compliance concerns.
• Participates in incident response, documentation, and follow-up.
• Supports ongoing quality improvement initiatives and survey readiness.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Documents shift activity, staffing decisions, lunch/break coverage, audits completed, and significant events.
• Coordinates on-call services and external resources as needed.
• Supports hospital policies related to staffing, patient flow, and emergency operations.
• Completes required reports and handoff communication at the end of shift.

Qualifications

Required

• Current, active Registered Nurse (RN) license in the State of employment.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of acute care nursing experience.
• Leadership experience as a charge nurse, lead nurse, supervisor, or similar role.
• Demonstrated ability to provide direct patient care across inpatient and/or emergency settings.
• Strong clinical judgment and decision-making skills.

Preferred

• Experience in a Critical Access Hospital, rural hospital, or small facility.
• Prior House Supervisor experience.
• ACLS and/or PALS certification.
• Experience working night shifts and weekends.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Broad clinical knowledge across acute care settings.
• Ability to transition between leadership oversight, audits, and direct patient care.
• Strong communication, organization, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands in a resource-limited environment.
• High level of autonomy and accountability during nights and weekends.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to lift, reposition, and assist patients.
• Ability to respond rapidly to emergency situations.

Work Environment

• Acute care hospital setting with variable census and acuity.
• Increased responsibility and decision-making authority during night and weekend shifts.
• Frequent interruptions and need for rapid task switching.