NURSING
Professional Practices
Making a choice about where to practice nursing should be based on a variety of personal and professional reasons. If patient centered care is important to you, find out why Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is where nurses go to be nurses. The way we think, the way we organize and the way we work are designed to remove the barriers that can stand in the way of nurses providing more care to their patients. With a mission of care "dedicated to the health of the whole community", SCVMC is committed to healthcare at its most human and compassionate level. As a result, everyone who receives care is treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their health coverage or ability to pay.
SCVMC NURSE TRAINING PROGRAM
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is a training hospital accredited by the Joint Commission. The hospital has supported education and training of nurses since the first nursing school opened on the campus in 1905 and has continues since closing in 1961 as a clinical training site for the area schools, training over 1,000 nursing students each year. The Registered Nurses of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center are known for serving patients with compassion, expertise and caring. They provide leadership and support to clinical Services in providing education, care management, risk management and quality improvement to ensure care delivery meets nationally recognized standards of care to keep patients safe. Training programs are scheduled as needed for both critical care and other specialty departments. If you have less than one year of acute care experience and would like to join SCVMC Nurse Training Program, please apply to all “Clinical Nurse I” positions as they become available on County of Santa Clara Employee Services Agency site.
SCMVC Nursing Quality Improvement Program
The Nursing Quality Improvement Program at SCVMC involves nurses at all levels of the organization involved with improving and enhancing patient outcomes. Our performance improvement process is continuous, involving assessment and evaluation of processes and services. When indicated, it also identifies changes that enhance performance. These changes are incorporated into new or existing work processes, products or services. Performance is monitored to ensure that the improvements are sustained. Performance improvement activities are integrated with nursing research and evidence-based practice. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center submits data on nurse-sensitive quality indicators to CalNOC and NDNQI. The hospital also participates in an annual RN Job Satisfaction Survey.
Professional Role Development Program
The Professional Role Development Program is the foundation of the nursing practice at SCVMC. Through a two-day class nurses are given an opportunity to revisit, review and remember their commitment to the nursing profession. Nurses explore their professional practice through legal, moral and ethical realms including the Nurse Practice Act, the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics and Standards of Competent Performance. In addition, nurses have leaders who are role and standards based in their practice to facility the monitoring and evaluation of a professional nursing practice. Nurses work in an environment that encourage and embrace the nurse as an integral member of the healthcare team.
Nursing Research
Nursing research activities are encouraged and supported at SCVMC. Researchers can be staff nurses in school seeking an advanced degree, or just interested in conducting research. Clinical Nurse Specialists and other advanced practice nurses are available as resources if needed. If the research involves human subjects and is to be conducted at this facility, it must meet with the approval of the hospital’s Institutional Research Board (IRB). There is a nurse representative on the IRB who is available to assist nurse researchers