Hello and welcome to my unit!
I am Colleen Fortier, MSN, RN, PCCN, Nurse Manager of the 5 South Cardiology Stepdown, also known as 5S. We are located on the 5th floor at Vanderbilt University Hospital.
The environment on our unit is team-oriented, fast-paced, and fulfilling. We care for adult patients aged 18 and older who are being treated for Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Failure, and Arrhythmias to name a few.
Our patients are unique because their recovery depends on expert nursing care during a vulnerable phase of complex cardiac disease management. In this stepdown setting, nurses’ assessments, critical thinking, and timely interventions directly influence stability, recovery, and short term outcomes. We primarily treat patients with coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular disease, and arrhythmias. Our nurses manage a variety of pre- and post-operative patients including stepdown-ready open heart surgeries, heart catheterizations, ablations and pacemaker/ICD insertions and removals. One of the perks of working on our unit is the alternative scheduling patterns for nurse residents to develop critical thinking skills, used in conjunction with the team-oriented approach to deliver high-quality patient care. Our nurses are successful because they have a dedicated and accessible leadership team, including Clinical Staff Leaders (CSLs) who work alongside bedside nurses in a shift leader capacity, providing real time clinical and operational support to ensure safe, high quality patient care.
We orient new graduate nurses to our unit by providing 9 weeks of orientation and experienced nurses 6 weeks, with a mix of cardiac-specific classes, adult hospital-specific classes, and dedicated shifts with preceptors.
We encourage professional growth.
We encourage professional growth. If your career goal is to take certification exams, become a nurse practitioner or grow into a leadership role, our unit is a great place to launch your career.
If you have any questions about my unit, please email me at colleen.fortier@vumc.org or visit Work for Vanderbilt Health: Nursing Careers to explore open nursing positions.
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