A Day in the Life: RN, ICU/Telemetry

Olympic Medical Center is currently hiring for the position of RN, ICU/Telemetry, which includes a $7,500 new hire incentive for full-time positions. For more information and to apply today, visit OMC’s Careers page.

The staff of Olympic Medical Center’s ICU/Telemetry unit form a cohesive team that brings together many disciplines to provide advanced critical care to patients with acute medical conditions. It’s a complex and fast-paced environment that offers new challenges every day.

Michael Perchert-Osuna, an RN in OMC’s ICU/Telemetry unit for almost three years, says the way in which the team works together allows them to care for a variety of serious conditions and is one of his favorite aspects of the job.

“The camaraderie of the unit,” says Perchert-Osuna. “I’ve never worked in a place that I felt so supported.”

OMC has a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit and a 9-bed Telemetry unit, where doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and others provide care for patients with conditions ranging from acute respiratory failure to pancreatitis and many medical conditions in between.

Janeen Howell

Janeen Howell, RN, is the ICU/Telemetry Clinical Supervisor at OMC.

“The great thing about Olympic Medical Center…it has all the bells and whistles equipment-wise that any big hospital would have for the care that we do,” Howell says.

Perchert-Osuna, who in 2019, earned the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® honoring his skilled and compassionate care, graduated from Peninsula College in Port Angeles before joining OMC. The California native was drawn to the health care profession from a young age after receiving unsatisfactory care for a broken arm. Now, Perchert-Osuna has the opportunity to provide a higher level of care for others.

“Whenever someone tells me they’ve had a positive experience, I know I did my job,” Perchert-Osuna says.

ICU/Telemetry nurses, typically eight per shift at OMC depending on how many patients are in the unit, work collaboratively with physicians, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, physical and occupational therapists and more. At the change of each shift, ICU/Telemetry nurses conduct team huddles to bring each other up to speed on the level of care required for each patient currently in the unit.

In addition to providing care for patients, ICU/Telemetry nurses help OMC maintain its Level 3 Trauma Center status by completing trauma education. Ongoing learning and process improvement is a theme throughout OMC, and certainly in the ICU/Telemetry department.

“It’s the variety and the spontaneity of all the things that I see,” says Perchert-Osuna. “Every day is never the same. It’s always interesting, and I always learn something.”

Michael Perchert-Osuna

ICU/Telemetry nurses at OMC must hold or qualify for a Washington State RN license, as well credentials in Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. Two years of experience in a hospital setting is preferred, but OMC offers residency programs for ICU/Telemetry nurses who recently completed nursing school. In fact, for the last three years, Howell has been teaching a Critical Care class for recent graduate nurse residents.

“If you’re just starting out in critical care, it’s a great place to start,” Howell says. “We have great opportunities for learning.”

For nurses who are interested in joining OMC in the ICU/Telemetry department, Howell and Perchert-Osuna concur that flexibility, critical thinking skills and the ability to work in a team setting are qualities that make someone a good fit for the role.

The spirit of collaboration and teamwork is a necessary function of providing patient-centered care in the ICU/Telemetry department.

As Howell puts it, “The nurses help each other out. The providers help each other out. We really work as a cohesive team, all the different departments together.”

The providers and staff on OMC’s ICU/Telemetry team are a close-knit group that picks each other up in busy or stressful times.

“The more you care, the better the patient’s overall outcome is,” Perchert-Osuna says. You have to be able to, not just work well with others, but try to actively help others. Help your coworkers even when they don’t ask for it.”

Olympic Medical Center is currently hiring for the position of RN, ICU/Telemetry, which includes a $7,500 new hire incentive for full-time positions. For more information and to apply today, visit OMC’s Careers page.