Compensation:
Pay Range: $30.00- $48.00 / hour
- Benefits available for eligible positions include: 100% tuition assistance, wellness initiatives, generous paid time off, paid parental leave, Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligible employer, plus more. In addition to our many benefits and perks, UAB Medicine provides a variety of resources to support employees both personally and professionally.

Multiple Shifts Available:
UAB Medicine supports work/life balance. The shifts available for this unit are:
- Full-Time AM: 3 12-hour shifts per week
- Full-Time PM: 3 12-hour shifts per week

Unit Details:
The Pulmonary Intermediate Care Unit features a unique “department of three, unit of one” approach to patient care. This 30-bed intermediate and acute care unit treats patients requiring high-dependency and intermediate respiratory care. Our intermediate patients include those with advanced lung disease, BiPap, asthma, obstructive sleep apnea, or escalating, high-flow nasal oxygen. Our unit is also home to patients of the state’s only accredited Cystic Fibrosis Center, which provides highly specialized cystic fibrosis care. The Special Care Unit (SCU) partners with UAB Medicine to admit patients directly from critical care units and is only one of only two units in the U.S. designed to wean patients off a ventilator. The staff provide specialized therapy as well as comprehensive rehabilitation, which results in the delivery of industry-leading patient outcomes and shorter recovery times.

Work with the Best at UAB Medicine:
UAB Medicine is Alabama’s largest single-site employer and operates over 1,200 beds and over 200 clinics in Birmingham, Alabama. Our nurses are committed to delivering patient- and family-centric care, and our interdisciplinary care teams provide high-quality, compassionate service. When you become part of UAB Medicine, you join a nationally ranked academic medical center committed to education and advancing medical science through research.

- 5-time Magnet-designated organization
- U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, #1 in Alabama
- America’s No. 1 Best Large Employer, Forbes, 2021
- Level I Trauma Center
- NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Comprehensive Transplant Institute, Comprehensive Stroke Center

Our success in patient care, innovation, and education is a direct result of our supportive and inclusive culture, which promotes shared governance and empowers nurses at the bedside to be their absolute best. Whether you are looking to start your career, fast-track your development, or diversify your skills, UAB Medicine offers avenues for advancement that other employers cannot match.

Job Description:
To utilize the nursing process to care and/or counsel individuals in the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention of illness and injury. Using a systematic critical-thinking approach to guide data gathering, assessment, nursing judgment, intervention and evaluation of human responses to actual and potential health problems through activities such as health teaching, health counseling and the provision of care supportive and restorative of life and supportive of a peaceful death. To identify patient needs using the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Synergy Model. To delegate, coordinate and manage all aspects of nursing care provided to the patient, their family and our community in a timely and cost-effective manner. To deliver patient care in collaboration with the patient, their family and all members of the health care team and with the knowledge of a licensed physician, psychologist, podiatrist, and/or dentist

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Performs advanced pulmonary assessments, including auscultation of lung sounds, evaluation of work of breathing, tracheostomy status, and oxygenation levels via pulse oximetry, ABGs, and capnography, to determine airway integrity and respiratory needs.

2. Manages and monitors complex respiratory support devices, such as nasal cannula, bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP), non-invasive ventilation (NIV), and tracheostomy tubes (inner cannula changes, suctioning, emergency replacement), ensuring patient safety and tolerance.

3. Provides continuous cardiac and respiratory telemetry monitoring, interpreting changes in EKG and respiratory patterns, identifying arrhythmias or acute decompensation, and escalating findings to providers for timely intervention.

4. Implements individualized care plans for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis, tracheostomies, post-ICU respiratory failure, or sepsis, in collaboration with physicians, respiratory therapists, and interdisciplinary teams.

5. Administers and titrates critical medications, including bronchodilators, corticosteroids, opioids, insulin, and continuous IV fluids using programmable infusion pumps, with vigilant monitoring for therapeutic effects and adverse reactions.

6. Collects and interprets diagnostic samples, including sputum, blood cultures, nasopharyngeal swabs, and blood glucose levels, and facilitates diagnostic testing such as portable chest x-rays and bedside EKGs.

7. Performs advanced airway management, including oropharyngeal suctioning, in-line suction systems, oral care protocols for ventilated patients, and management of tracheostomy stoma sites to prevent infection and maintain patency.

8. Provides compassionate, patient-centered care, offering emotional support to patients coping with chronic illness or weaning from prolonged respiratory support, and educating families on disease management, tracheostomy care, and discharge plans.

9. Coordinates and documents care using electronic medical records, ensuring accurate, timely entry of assessments, medication administration, vital signs, intake/output, lab results, and interdisciplinary notes.

10. Participates in rapid response and Code Blue events, assisting with emergency airway management, defibrillation, medication administration, and resuscitative efforts using LifePak and emergency protocols.

11. Maintains respiratory isolation and infection control standards, including proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

12. Engages in interdisciplinary collaboration, consulting with pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, nutritionists, and social workers to support comprehensive, patient-centered care.

13. Contributes to continuous quality improvement, participating in initiatives related to fall prevention, early mobility, safe oxygen use, and readmission reduction strategies for respiratory patients.

14. Educates patients and families on smoking cessation, pulmonary hygiene, inhaler use, disease progression, medication regimens, and signs of respiratory distress to promote long-term recovery and reduced hospitalizations.

15. Performs other duties as assigned.

Graduate of an accredited Nursing program required. Bachelor's degree in Nursing preferred. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement. Currently licensed or eligible to be licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) by the Alabama Board of Nursing required. Certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association (AHA) is required or should be obtained within 30 days of employment. Depending on the unit/department, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification and/or Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) from the American Heart Association (AHA) may be required.