PCU/HVU Registered Nurse
Rapid City, SD
American Traveler
4x12 hrs, Flexible

Assignment Overview

• Shift: Variable, 4x12hrs
• Hours: 48 hrs/wk
• Start Date: May 11, 2026
• Length: 16 weeks
• Openings: 1

Description

American Traveler is seeking an experienced RN for a PCU/HVU position in Rapid City, SD, requiring at least 1 year of PCU-specific experience and proficiency with cardiac procedural recovery and titratable drips.

Details

• Mixed-acuity Heart/Vascular Unit (HVU) in a hospital setting, covering Intermediate Care, Telemetry, and Med/Surg acuity levels
• Patient population includes direct admits, ED admits, and post-cath lab patients with conditions such as MI, NSTEMI/STEMI, CHF, dysrhythmias, pacemaker malfunction, and epicardial pacers
• Unit also serves as a backup Stroke unit and Medical Overflow
• Step-down level cases include post cardiac/vascular surgery, post-cardiac cath, post open heart surgery, post TAVR, post EP studies, and post pacemaker insertion
• RN-to-patient ratio is 1:4 most of the time, and may be 1:3 depending on acuity
• 44-bed unit
• 12-hour variable shifts, 48 hours per week
• Weekend rotation every other weekend
• No on-call requirements
• Holiday coverage required on a rotating every-other basis
• Floating required primarily to sister General PCU unit; may also float to MS/Tele or ICU to cover PCU-level patients, always within or below scope of practice
• Charting via Epic; Alaris pumps and Omnicell medication dispensing used on the unit

Requirements

• Active RN license — South Dakota license or Compact RN license currently in hand
• Current certifications required: BLS, ACLS, and NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS)
• Minimum 1.5 years of general nursing experience, with at least 1 year specific to PCU
• Completion of a board-of-nursing-approved nursing education program
• Experience with cardiac procedural recovery (CABG, TAVR, post cardiac cath) required
• Proficiency with MI pharmacology and titratable cardiac/vasoactive drips (Cardizem, Amiodarone, Nitro, Levo, Dopamine, Heparin) required
• Cardiac rhythm interpretation and chest tube management skills required
• Two professional references dated within the past year required for consideration
• Candidates must reside at least 100 miles from any facility in this health system

Additional Information

• First-time travelers are considered with 2 or more years of total nursing experience
• Nurses previously employed as permanent staff must wait 1 full year before returning in a travel capacity
• Unit support includes CNAs (1:5–8 ratio), an unassigned charge nurse, phlebotomy, occasional resource nurse, Respiratory Therapy (24/7), and a hospitalist in-facility 24/7
• Telemetry tech oversees cardiac monitoring; RN confirms strips at 6am and 6pm
• Epic experience is strongly preferred; candidates without Epic experience may require manager approval
• TNK administration experience is preferred but not required
• Orientation consists of 2 partial days of education followed by 3 twelve-hour shifts on the unit
• Up to 7 days of RTO may be approved; a full week off requires an extension, and no time off is permitted during the first 3 weeks of August (Sturgis Bike Rally period)
• Nurses may occasionally be expected to precept students
• Required scrub color: Navy Blue
• Free parking is available on-site