Job Summary and Responsibilities
As our PACU Registered Nurse, you will be a central figure in our surgical services team, delivering high-acuity, life-saving care to patients immediately following complex surgical procedures. Your expertise in hemodynamic monitoring and airway management will be the cornerstone of our recovery unit, ensuring patients transition safely from anesthesia to the next phase of their healing journey.
Every day, you will conduct rapid, comprehensive physical assessments, provide critical post-operative interventions, and educate both patients and families on post-anesthesia protocols. You will collaborate closely with anesthesiologists, surgeons, and the perioperative team to stabilize patients, manage pain, and proactively address potential complications, all while utilizing advanced monitoring technology to track physiological recovery in real-time.
To be successful in this role, you will combine robust critical care knowledge and technical proficiency in anesthesia recovery with genuine compassion, calm communication under pressure, and an adaptable approach to patient-centered care in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
- Patient Satisfaction: Acts as a role model for the hospital’s patient satisfaction standards, consistently demonstrating AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation, Thank You) principles when interacting with recovering patients, family members, and the multidisciplinary surgical team.
- Assessment & Documentation: Continuously monitors the patient’s physical and mental status throughout their PACU stay. Expertly reviews and executes physician and anesthesia orders, accurately documenting vital signs, intake/output, pain management, wound status, and patient education in accordance with hospital unit policy.
- Airway & Respiratory Management: Maintains absolute patency of the patient's airway at all times. Demonstrates mastery in the use of suction equipment, oxygen delivery systems, and artificial airways, and provides skilled assistance to the anesthesiologist during any necessary airway interventions or reintubation procedures.
- Post-Anesthesia Monitoring: Reviews operative and anesthesia records immediately upon the patient’s transfer to the PACU. Remains hyper-vigilant for signs of anesthesia-related complications, respiratory depression, cardiovascular instability, or post-operative hemorrhage.
- Clinical Communication & Intervention: Promptly identifies and communicates significant changes in the patient's condition to the anesthesiologist or surgeon. Provides concise, data-driven reports, executes requested treatment plans immediately, and ensures all interventions are accurately and thoroughly documented in the electronic health record.
- Safety & Supervision: Supervises all post-operative treatments and procedures administered by support staff. Maintains a proactive awareness of potential adverse reactions to medications or anesthesia; acts decisively to terminate treatments and initiate emergency protocols should any sign of physiological distress occur.
Job Requirements
Required
- Minimum one year PACU experience or equivalent critical care experience
- Associate Of Nursing Graduate of accredited Registered Nurse (RN) program required
- Registered Nurse: CA, upon hire and
- Basic Life Support - CPR, upon hire and
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support, within 6 - months
