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Clinical Decision Unit Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Clinical Decision Unit information

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$174K

$177.5K

$180K

How much do clinical decision unit jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for clinical decision unit in the United States is $177,500.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $176,000.00 and $179,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What jobs pay $2000 a day?

Jobs that can pay $2000 a day typically include specialized medical roles such as certain high-level surgeons, anesthesiologists, or senior healthcare consultants, often requiring advanced certifications and extensive experience. Other high-paying roles may include executive positions, specialized legal professionals, or consultants in finance and technology, but these are less common and usually involve significant expertise and credentials.

What does a CDU nurse do?

A Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) nurse monitors and assesses patients who are transitioning from emergency or inpatient care, providing ongoing evaluation and care planning. They often coordinate with healthcare teams, utilize electronic health records, and ensure patient stability before discharge or transfer.

What are the main responsibilities of nurses working in a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU), and how do they differ from those in other hospital departments?

Nurses in a Clinical Decision Unit typically care for patients who require short-term observation and assessment to determine if they need to be admitted or can be safely discharged. Their responsibilities include closely monitoring patient conditions, performing frequent assessments, administering medications, coordinating diagnostic tests, and facilitating timely communication with physicians and other care team members. Unlike other hospital units, CDUs have a fast-paced environment with frequent patient turnover, requiring strong organizational skills and adaptability. Collaboration with emergency and inpatient teams is essential to ensure efficient patient flow and optimal care outcomes.

What is the difference between Clinical Decision Unit vs Emergency Department Nurse?

AspectClinical Decision UnitEmergency Department Nurse
CredentialsRegistered Nurse (RN), sometimes with additional certificationsRegistered Nurse (RN), often with emergency or critical care certifications
Work EnvironmentHospital units focused on short-term patient observation and decision-makingEmergency room setting providing immediate care for acute conditions
Employer & IndustryHospitals, urgent care centersHospitals, trauma centers, emergency clinics

The Clinical Decision Unit and Emergency Department Nurse roles both require registered nursing credentials and involve hospital settings. However, the Clinical Decision Unit focuses on patient observation and decision-making for short-term care, while Emergency Department Nurses provide immediate, acute care in fast-paced emergency environments.

What is a Clinical Decision Unit?

A Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) is a specialized area within a hospital, typically located near the emergency department, where patients can be observed and evaluated before a decision is made about hospital admission or discharge. The CDU is designed for patients who require further assessment or short-term treatment but do not clearly need to be admitted as inpatients. This unit helps improve patient flow, reduces unnecessary admissions, and ensures that patients receive timely and appropriate care. Staffed by healthcare professionals, the CDU allows for close monitoring and diagnostic testing in a controlled setting.

How much does a CDU nurse make?

A Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) nurse typically earns between $65,000 and $85,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and healthcare facility. Salaries may also vary based on certifications, shift differentials, and the complexity of patient care involved.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Clinical Decision Unit nurse, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Clinical Decision Unit nurse, you need strong clinical assessment abilities, acute care experience, and an active RN license, often supported by a BSN degree. Familiarity with telemetry, EHR systems, and rapid response protocols is vital in this fast-paced environment. Outstanding critical thinking, multitasking, and effective communication set exceptional nurses apart in this role. These skills ensure timely, accurate patient care and smooth transitions for patients requiring short-term observation or rapid clinical decisions.

What is the most chill healthcare job?

A Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) nurse or technician often has a relatively calm work environment compared to other emergency or intensive care roles, as they monitor patients in a specialized unit with less rapid-paced activity. These roles typically involve observing stable patients, using electronic health records, and require certification such as RN licensure or medical training, with shifts that can be predictable and less stressful than high-acuity settings.
More about Clinical Decision Unit jobs
Infographic showing various Clinical Decision Unit job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 82% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 10% Contract. Highlights an 90% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $177,500 per year, or $85.3 per hour.
Registered Nurse- Clinical Decision Unit

Registered Nurse- Clinical Decision Unit

TriHealth

Montgomery, OH • On-site

$38.25 - $50.50/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 7 days ago


TriHealth rating

7.3

Company rating: 7.3 out of 10

Based on 167 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

295th of 877 rated healthcare providers


Job description

Registered Nurse - Observation Unit/ Clinical Decision Unit

Requisition ID: 309686

Location: Bethesda North Hospital - 10500 Montgomery Rd, Montgomery, OH 45242

Job Type: FullTime -Days-  6:30 am-7:00 pm

SignOn Bonus: $5,000

About TriHealth & This Role

TriHealth is committed to supporting nurses in delivering exceptional, patientcentered care grounded in teamwork, clinical excellence, and compassion. In the Observation Unit (also known as CDU), you will care for patients requiring shortterm monitoring and evaluation. As a Registered Nurse, you'll apply the full nursing process, collaborate with providers, and help guide patients and their families through fastpaced clinical decisions. Your role directly influences patient flow, safety, and outcomes.

The Observation Unit/ Clinical Decision Unit

Stepping into the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) at Bethesda North Hospital, you will find a dedicated team that provides thoughtful, high-quality care for adult and geriatric patients, adhering to Medicare guidelines. This 35-bed unit is a hub for patients requiring further diagnostic testing and treatments, including medical, pre/post-surgical, and cardiac interventions. Every moment counts here, as the team focuses on efficient care delivery, seamless teamwork, and close monitoring of each patient's progress. For nurses joining the CDU, the journey begins with a warm welcome and a comprehensive orientation experience. Your first week includes corporate orientation, followed by personalized one-on-one onboarding with the Nurse Manager or Educator. This ensures every new team member feels supported and ready to start hands-on training with a preceptor. Unit orientation is tailored to individual experience levels, spanning 4-8 weeks of in-depth, competency-based training. Nurses gain expertise through NIHSS certifications, ACLS/BLS training, ECG/telemetry skills, SIM code readiness exercises, and immersive shadowing opportunities. Whether you're a new graduate or an experienced RN, the CDU fosters professional growth through robust support, teamwork, and continuous learning. The unit operates on a 6-week scheduling cycle, including every third weekend and holiday rotations (A, B, C). Flexible options like weekend programs and PRN/Optional scheduling provide a supportive work-life balance. Nurses and Acute Care Technicians (ACTs) collaborate closely, This teamwork ensures compassionate, safe, and attentive care for every patient. What makes the CDU truly unique? It's the culture of collaboration, the shared commitment to excellence, and the opportunity to make a difference every day-one patient at a time

 

 

Why You'll Love Working Here

  • Collaborative, collegial environment with strong nursephysician partnerships.
  • Opportunity to sharpen rapid assessment and decisionmaking skills in a fastmoving CDU setting.
  • Autonomy to apply holistic, evidencebased nursing care across diverse patient populations. 
  • Support for professional development, including BSN attainment and specialty certification. 
  • A culture that prioritizes patient dignity, safety, and the voices of frontline nurses.

Key Responsibilities

  • Perform initial and ongoing patient and family assessments; document per unit and TriHealth standards.
  • Develop and update individualized plans of care, including both short and longterm goals.
  • Provide safe, therapeutic, culturally sensitive patient care while protecting autonomy and dignity. 
  • Recognize and respond appropriately to emergency or rapidly evolving clinical situations. 
  • Complete all assigned patient care and documentation within scheduled timeframes. 
  • Communicate effectively with physicians, interdisciplinary team members, patients, and families.
  • Serve as a resource to staff by sharing specialty knowledge and supporting clinical learning. 

Qualifications

Required

  • Associate's Degree or Diploma in Nursing. 
  • New hires must obtain BSN within 5 years of hire.
  • Active Registered Nurse license. 
  • BLS/CPR (Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers). 
  • Strong nursing knowledge built from biological, physical, behavioral, social, and nursing sciences.

Preferred

  • Experience working fulltime (1+ year) or parttime (2+ years) in acute care settings.
  • Membership in a related professional nursing organization. 
  • Specialty certification (e.g., medsurg, emergency nursing). 

Schedule & Work Location

  • FTE: FullTime - 36 Hours Weekly
  • Shift: Days 6:30am-7:00pm
  • Hospital: Bethesda North Hospital (Observation / CDU)
  • Work Arrangement: Onsite, inpatient observation unit

Benefits Snapshot

TriHealth offers a comprehensive benefits suite including medical, dental, vision, retirement contributions, paid time off, tuition assistance, and wellness resources.

Learn more: https://careers.trihealth.com/what-we-offer/benefits 

Hourly Incentives & Bonus:

$1hr Weekend Incentive

$5,000 Sign on Bonus

Acute Care Incentive Pay- Hourly Pay Based on Previous RN Experience 

  

Job Overview:

This position applies the nursing process in providing direct and indirect holistic care to patients and their families. The position also collaborates, in a collegial manner, with physicians and other health care team members in meeting the patient's needs. This position may delegate certain aspects of care to those under their direct supervision, within the scope of nursing practice.

Job Requirements:

Associate's Degree or Diploma in Nursing

New hires required to obtain BSN within 5 years of hire. 

BLS/CPR (Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers)

Registered Nurse

Knowledge, judgment, and skills derived from the principles of biological, physical, behavioral, social, and nursing sciences to meet complex health care needs a various stages of the life cycle

Preferred membership in related professional organization

RNs with more than 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time acute care experience   

Preferred certification in specialty

 

Job Responsibilities:

Performs initial and ongoing assessment of patient and family.  Completes initial assessment tool.  Documents ongoing assessment per unit/TriHealth guidelines.  Communicates assessment findings to other health care providers as appropriate. Includes health counseling and health teaching needs in assessment.

Plans care for patient and family based on assessment, standards of care, and optimal specific outcomes.  Initiates and individualizes appropriate patient care guidelines/plan of care or clinical pathways.  Updates current plan of care as needed based on patient/family input and healthcare needs.  Develops both  short- and long-term goals with patient/family and healthcare team including discharge planning.  Communicates plan of care to others.

Provides a safe, therapeutic environment, maintains patient's autonomy, dignity, and rights, and is sensitive to patient diversity. Seeks resources to help formulate ethical decisions. Balances priorities of the patient's needs and those of the unit/facility. Recognizes emergency situations and takes appropriate action. Completes patient assignment including documentation within scheduled timeframe. Bases interventions on clinical data and desired outcomes and documents accordingly. Trains/educates other staff and acts an expert resource in specialty area through abilities in existing and newer knowledge and skills. Effectively communicates and understands/executes physician orders.

Evaluates the plan of care for patient based on optimal specific patient outcomes.  Documents the patient/family response to care including teaching.  Collaborates with the patient/family and with other members of the health care team, including physicians, to revise plan of care as needed.  Supervises the care that was delegated to other health care team members.

Performs technical skills according to policy and procedure and accepted standards within their area of practice.  Safely administers medications/treatments and monitors their effects.  Uses all equipment in a safe, appropriate manner.

Demonstrates organizations responsibilities: Identifies areas for self-improvement, functions in relief charge / resource role as requested, completes assignments within scheduled timeframes, cooperates with instructor to facilitate effective learning experiences for students, maintains current knowledge in area of practice, demonstrates knowledge of organizational and department changes.

Other Job-Related Information:

The TriHealth Nursing Vision, Mission, and Philosophy speaks to professional development, collaboration, and our nursing culture. To achieve excellence in nursing care, TriHealth encourages: pursuit of improved knowledge through continuing education classes, formal education leading to advancement of degrees, and the attainment of specialty certification; nurse membership in local, regional, and national nursing organizations related to the appropriate nurse specialty; involvement in activities that better the health of our community; nursing research activities and use of evidence-based practice, and all nurses to foster, support and personally model collaborative relationships amongst nurses, physicians, and other caregivers for the betterment of patient care.

Working Conditions

Bending - Frequently

Climbing - Rarely

Concentrating - Consistently

Continuous Learning - Consistently

Hearing: Conversation - Consistently

Hearing: Other Sounds - Consistently

Interpersonal Communication - Consistently

Kneeling - Occasionally

Lifting <10 Lbs. - Consistently

Lifting 50+ Lbs. - Consistently

Lifting <50 Lbs. - Consistently

Pulling - Consistently

Pushing - Consistently

Reaching - Consistently

Sitting - Occasionally

Standing - Consistently

Stooping - Consistently

Talking - Consistently

Thinking/Reasoning - Consistently

Use of Hands - Consistently

Color Vision - Consistently

Visual Acuity: Far - Consistently

Visual Acuity: Near - Consistently

Walking - Consistently

TriHealth SERVE Standards and ALWAYS Behaviors

At TriHealth, we believe there is no responsibility more important than to SERVE our patients, our communities, and our fellow team members. To achieve our vision and mission, ALL TriHealth team members are expected to demonstrate and live the following: 

Serve: ALWAYS...

Welcome everyone by making eye contact, greeting with a smile, and saying "hello"

Acknowledge when patients/guests are lost and escort them to their destination or find someone who can assist

Refrain from using cell phones for personal reasons in public spaces or patient care areas

Excel: ALWAYS...

Recognize and take personal responsibility to address and recover from service breakdowns when a customer's expectations have not been met

Offer patients and guests priority when waiting (lines, elevators)

Work on improving quality, safety, and service 

Respect: ALWAYS...

Respect cultural and spiritual differences and honor individual preferences.

Respect everyone's opinion and contribution, regardless of title/role.

Speak positively about my team members and other departments in front of patients and guests.

Value: ALWAYS...

Value the time of others by striving to be on time, prepared and actively participating.

Pick up trash, ensuring the physical environment is clean and safe.

Be a good steward of our resources, using supplies and equipment efficiently and effectively, and will look for ways to avoid waste.

Engage: ALWAYS...

Acknowledge wins and frequently thank team members and others for contributions.

Show courtesy and compassion with customers, team members and the community

 

Keywords

Registered Nurse, RN, Observation Unit, CDU, Clinical Decision Unit, Acute Care Nurse, TriHealth, Bethesda North, Hospital RN


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About TriHealth

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

TriHealth provides unique opportunities from across disciplines in many different aspects including patient care, care coordination, education and management. We are unique because we know that team members who focus on our mission and values provide excellent patient care.

Industry

Health care and social assistance

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Cincinnati, OH, US

Year founded

1995