Rapid Response RN

Rapid Response RN delivers advanced nursing care to patients across the lifespan, neonate through geriatric, within a Level I Trauma Center environment. Under general supervision and in accordance with established policies, procedures, and professional standards, the Rapid Response RN performs advanced nursing assessment and applies critical thinking to manage patients presenting with complex, questionable, or rapidly deteriorating clinical conditions. The Rapid Response RN responds to escalation requests from direct care staff and medical staff, conducts targeted rounding, and intervenes early to prevent decompensation. The Rapid Response RN collaborates across the multidisciplinary team to coordinate treatment, intervention, and disposition, including transfer to a higher level of care when indicated, in alignment with the mission, vision, and values of Tampa General Hospital and the principles of quality improvement.

Essential Functions

• Responds to Rapid Response activations, code events, and clinical escalation requests from bedside staff and medical staff across all inpatient and ancillary areas.
• Performs comprehensive nursing assessment on patients exhibiting clinical deterioration, complex presentations, or unclear clinical trajectories, and initiates appropriate interventions within scope of practice and approved protocols.
• Conducts targeted proactive rounding on high-risk patients, identifies early warning signs of deterioration, and intervenes before further escalation occurs. 
• Triages simultaneous calls and prioritizes response based on acuity, resource availability, and clinical urgency.
• Collaborates with the patient's primary RN, attending physician, intensivist, trauma team, and ancillary services using SBAR to communicate assessment findings, recommended interventions, and transfer-of-care decisions.
• Facilitates and coordinates transfer to a higher level of care when clinically indicated, ensuring continuity, safe handoff, and accurate documentation. 
• Documents Rapid Response events in the RRT record using SBAR format with complete, accurate clinical data reflective of the presenting situation, interventions, and patient response.
• Serves as a clinical resource and role model to bedside staff, leveraging real-time clinical situations as teaching moments to build unit-level capability and recognition of deterioration. 
• Participates in orientation, education, and mentorship of new staff, students, and residents on Rapid Response processes, early recognition, and escalation pathways.
• Maintains compliance with hospital standards, scope of practice, infection prevention, patient identification, and safety protocols across all patient interactions. 
• Maintains logs, activity tracking, and event documentation to support performance improvement, trend analysis, and quality reporting.
• Participates in department and organization-wide performance improvement, r00esearch, and clinical practice initiatives.