Registered Nurse - Heart Institute Referral RN

The Clinical Nurse (CN) II provides Family-Centered Care as demonstrated by recognizing the patient, family and/or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs. Assumes active role in clinical education of patients, families and staff. Functions effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. Integrates best current evidence with clinical expertise for delivery of optimal health care. Uses data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and uses improvement methods to test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems. Minimizes risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance. Uses information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.

Heart Institute Referral RN serves as the clinical front door to the Heart Institute, ensuring timely, coordinated access for patients referred to for pediatric cardiology consultation, procedures, second opinions, and complex cardiac care. This role provides expert clinical triage, evaluates referral urgency, and synthesizes outside medical records, diagnostic studies, and imaging to support efficient clinical decision-making by Heart Institute physicians.

Working collaboratively with referring cardiologists, advanced practice providers, physicians, schedulers, and multidisciplinary care teams, the Heart Institute Referral RN facilitates seamless transitions into the Heart Institute while serving as a primary clinical resource for referring providers and families throughout the referral process. The position is responsible for maintaining proactive, closed-loop communication with referring physicians, identifying barriers to timely care, and ensuring patients arrive with complete clinical information needed for evaluation and treatment.

This role practices at the top of RN scope by applying advanced clinical judgment, coordinating care across a seven-state referral region, and supporting a consistent, high-quality referral experience that strengthens relationships with referring providers and improves patient access to specialized pediatric cardiac services.

Department Name: Cardiology Clinic
Job Status: full time, 40 hours per week, eligible for benefits
Shift: Monday through Friday 8am - 4:30pm

This position is eligible for relocation assistance, if relocating from 100 miles or greater.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Family-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.
  • Delivers patient and family centered care incorporating the nursing process while providing developmentally appropriate, culturally sensitive, evidence based care. Actively anticipates changes in patient outcomes/ unit needs in the provision of care.
  • Care is guided by the Professional Practice Model throughout the continuum of care.
  • Communicate and advocate patient values, preferences and expressed needs as part of implementation of care plan, evaluation of care and assessment of patient/family learning needs to the interdisciplinary team. Initiates and anticipates individualized care and education for patients/families across the continuum using an interdisciplinary approach.
• Teamwork & Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
  • Applies communication practices that minimize risks across transitions of care.
  • Presents own perspective and supporting evidence in patient care and team discussions.
  • Collaborates with team members in shared decision making.
• Evidence Based Practice: Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
  • Identifies key concepts of research and evidence-based practice.
  • Participates in structuring the work environment to facilitate integration of new evidence into standards of practice.
  • Recognizes and communicates the need for revision of hospital and departmental policies procedures, practice guidelines, and/or measures for clinical practice evaluation.
  • Recognizes the standard of care provided by the applicable professional organization and /or association.
• Quality Improvement: Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
  • Utilizes outcome data at the patient level to make care decisions.
  • Participates in the quality improvement activities and uses quality measures to understand individual and unit performance.
• Safety: Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
  • Utilizes and discusses policy, procedures, and guidelines to support practice.
  • Communicates observations or concerns related to unsafe situations that pose a risk to patients, families or the health care team.
• Informatics: Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision-making.
  • Recognizes and applies information and technology of patient and unit outcomes to facilitate communication, clinical decision making, error prevention, and care coordination.
  • Navigates and documents in the EMR to support patient care.
• Leadership: Nurses support organizational goals, advance the nursing profession, and enhance professional development by extending their influence to professional and community groups.
  • Works within scope of practice and delegates according to Nurse Practice Act.
  • Participates in professional governance activities.
  • Seeks opportunities to participate in professional development activities

Minimum Qualifications

EDUCATION – Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
EXPERIENCE – One (1) year of nursing experience. Experience with pediatric congenital heart patients strongly preferred.
EQUIVALENCY- Applicants with an Associate's Degree in Nursing and who agree to obtain a BSN within three (3) years from their start/hire date may be considered in lieu of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Master’s Entry to Practice Nursing (MEPN) may substitute for a BSN.
LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION(S) – Current Colorado Registered Nurse (RN) license or RN license from multistate compact; BLS/CPR from the American Heart Association with at least six (6) months left before expiration is required upon hire.

Salary Information
Pay is dependent on applicant's relevant experience.
Hourly Range: $38.34 to $57.52

Benefits Information
As a Children’s Hospital Colorado team member, you will receive a competitive pay and benefits package designed to take care of your needs that includes base pay, incentives, paid sick leave and a robust wellness program.

As part of our Total Rewards package, Children's Colorado offers an annual employee bonus program that rewards eligible team members based on organizational performance. If organizational goals are met for the year, the bonus is paid out the following April.

Children’s Colorado delivers annual base pay increases to eligible team members based on their performance over the previous year.



EEO Statement
It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or any other status protected by law or regulation. Be aware that none of the questions are intended to imply illegal preferences or discrimination based on non-job-related information. The position is expected to stay open until the posted close date. Please submit your application as soon as possible as the posting is subject to close at any time once a sufficient pool of qualified applicants is obtained.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

#LI-JK1