Pre-op/PACU

City of Hope•Goodyear, AZ

About The Position

The Pre-op/PACU nurse assesses, plans, implements, evaluates, and documents care for medical/surgical, ambulatory care, and same-day surgery patients before and after procedures, from Phase 1 through discharge. The role includes recovering patients from OR, Endo, IR, and Rad Onc, administering and monitoring sedation and analgesia according to physician orders and hospital protocol, and providing thorough neurological, cardiac, and respiratory assessments. The nurse cares for patients with complex needs, including hemodynamically compromised and mechanically ventilated patients. Responsibilities include interpreting and operating cardiac and other invasive and noninvasive monitors, recognizing normal and abnormal rhythms and trends, and taking appropriate action. The role also involves transferring patients from OR to ICU or Med/Surg, assessing and treating unplanned hypothermia, managing complex IV therapies and devices, administering medications, collecting specimens, and monitoring patients receiving PCA or epidural analgesia.

Requirements

One year of experience in pre-op and PACU.
Associate Degree in Nursing or equivalent.
Arizona Registered Nurse License or a Registered Nurse License from a Compact State.
Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from an approved American Heart Association training site, American Safety & Health Institute, or Red Cross; certification is required upon hire. If the current certification does not meet the guidelines, the employee has 30 days from hire to complete an onsite initial BLS course. Renewal is required every two years.
Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification; employees have 30 days from hire to acquire American Heart Association ACLS certification. Renewal is required every two years, and employees may not independently provide ACLS care until they obtain their AHA ACLS card.

Responsibilities

Administer and monitor sedation and analgesia according to physician orders and hospital protocol.
Assess preoperative and postoperative patients' neurological, cardiac, and respiratory status.
Transfer patients from OR to ICU or Med/Surg.
Assess and treat unplanned hypothermia.
Assess, plan, implement, evaluate, and document pre- and post-procedure care for medical/surgical, ambulatory care, and same-day surgery patients from Phase 1 through discharge.
Recover patients from OR, Endo, IR, and Rad Onc.
Interpret and operate cardiac and other invasive and noninvasive monitors, recognize normal and abnormal rhythms and trends, and institute appropriate interventions.
Care for patients with complex needs, including hemodynamically compromised and mechanically ventilated patients.
Initiate and maintain complex IV therapy, including thrombolytic administration, vasoactive medications, central IV catheters, dialysis catheters, and arterial lines.
Safely use less invasive life-supporting modalities, including BiPAP, ETCO2, arterial pressure-based CO/CI and SVO2 monitors, and core temperature monitors.
Care for patients with IV lines, arterial lines, central lines, ports, chest tubes, pleural catheters, tracheostomy tubes, and endotracheal tubes.
Maintain and care for patients with an ostomy/ileostomy or urostomy.
Administer medications by all routes using the six rights and medication bar scanner, and monitor patients for side effects.
Collect blood specimens and blood cultures.
Care for, assess, and monitor patients with Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) and epidural catheters.