Clinical Nurse - PACU

Overview

POSITION SUMMARY

Responsible for providing nursing care to pre-operative and post-operative patients involving standardized procedures requiring knowledge and consideration of specific patient conditions and treatments. Provides nursing care in the various clinical areas, which require the full range of professional nursing proficiency from admission through discharge planning. This includes assessing the needs of patients with a wide variety of illnesses, administering medication, operating special equipment, and responding appropriately to emergency situations.

Follows guidelines that include doctor’s orders, standards of care, nursing policies and procedures manuals, and hospital policies.

Education: Associate or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing

Licensure/Certification:

• A valid, current, full and unrestricted Professional Nursing License to practice nursing in any state of the United States of America, The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a territory of the United States
• Must have and maintain a current valid certification of the following throughout employment:

• Basic Life Support (BLS) from the American Heart Association
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) from the American Heart Association
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) from the American Heart Association
• Trauma Nurse Core Courses (TNCC) within 2 years of hire

Experience: Minimum of one (1) year of experience within a critical care setting (PACU, ICU, or ED)

Other

Skills and Abilities:

A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must address and indicate success in each of the following areas:

• Positive working relationships with others
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences
• Knowledge of normal growth, development and life cycle changes. This also includes knowledge of the physical, psychosocial and behavioral characteristics of the group for which care is provided.
• Knowledge of infection control procedures and safety precautions
• Knowledge of disease entities in order to recognize complications and therapeutic interventions required
• Knowledge of assessment practices related to pain management and various treatment modalities of pain relief
• Knowledge of pharmaceuticals in order to recognize the desired effects, side effects and complications on their use, with emphasis on vasopressors and emergency medications titration of these medications
• Possess and employs an ability to communicate with patients and families during time of emotional and physical stress
• Complete Patient Sitter Competency Training (upon hire)
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screening indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job.
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, application, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical: Work requires prolonged periods of standing; walking; talking or hearing; sitting watching, observing, concentrating on computer monitors and equipment; use of hands to finger, handle, feel; bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching; reaching with hands and arms; and taste or smell. Agility and the ability to lift, pull and bend are required to move patients to and from beds, wheelchairs, stretchers, et cetera, and in moving equipment and medical supplies.

Must be able to lift to 50 lbs. frequently through entire shift. Must be able to move, pull/push, lift, maneuver more than 100 lbs. when caring for patients and must be able to use proper body mechanics and lifting equipment when available. Must be able to discern when working with over a hundred pounds when, how, and who to ask for assistance to protect and prevent self-injury.

Must have the ability to hear and recognize alarms on equipment; client calls; instructions from physicians/department staff; and hear overhead pages through loudspeaker. This position requires vision required to see close; distant; colored;…