Registered Nurse - Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

It‘s more than a career, it‘s a calling MO-SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis
Worker Type:
PRN1
Job Highlights:
PRN1 Day Shifts
Job Summary: Provides leadership and direction to the patient care team. Performs age-specific physical, psychological, and social assessments, formulates nursing diagnoses, and develops a plan of care, which includes individualized treatment strategies for the post-anesthesia setting.
Job Responsibilities and Requirements:
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Completes and documents a thorough and accurate PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit) admission assessment and utilizes critical judgment to analyze patient assessment data to develop an appropriate plan of care. Implements a plan of care or care pathway to provide individualized care for each patient. Plan of care is based upon patient assessment, physician and anesthesia orders and preferences, and procedure specific criteria in a manner that is prioritized and timely.
* Demonstrates and maintains knowledge and skills necessary to meet physical, psycho-social, spiritual, cultural, and age appropriate needs of each patient.
* Demonstrates knowledge and skills necessary to perform all aspects of nursing care in both routine and emergency situations. Communicates changes in patient condition to physicians and necessary staff in a timely manner.
* Demonstrates knowledge of appropriate administration of medications and treatments according to policy, procedure and protocol. Verbalizes knowledge and demonstrates consistent use and compliance for written protocols (i.e.; pain, conscious sedation, skin, restraint, abuse, parental bonding, etc.)
* Evaluates and documents patient‘s progress toward achievement of outcomes. Meets discharge and ongoing patient educational needs related to treatment, procedures, disease process, equipment, medications, physician orders, and follow up care.
* Communicates with patient family members while patients are in PACU in a timely manner.
* Reports outcome progress and patient specific information to responsible caregiver when leaving department, end of shift, or upon