PCU Registered Nurse
Kansas City, MO
Access Healthcare
3x12 hrs, Nights

Job Opportunity: Registered Nurse - PCU

Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Description

• Position in Progressive Care Unit (PCU) with a focus on medical-surgical and telemetry patients.
• Required experience: 2 years in specialty.
• First-time travelers not accepted.
• Weekend shifts required: 8 weekend shifts per 6-week schedule period (Friday/Saturday/Sunday).
• Floating within scope may be required between departments, units, and facilities.
• Local candidates not accepted; home address must be at least 75 miles from the facility.
• Pending license accepted.
• No on-call requirement.
• No block scheduling.
• Return-to-office restrictions: no more than 7 days.
• Guaranteed minimum hours: 3 shifts per 13 weeks.

Patient Population & Special Requirements

• Primary patients include those who have undergone:

  • Bariatric surgery
  • Urology surgeries (e.g., TURP, TURBT with Continuous Bladder Irrigation (CBI), nephrectomy, ileal conduit creation)
  • Hepatobiliary surgeries (e.g., Whipple, liver resection, complex biliary cases)
  • Colorectal surgeries (e.g., colon resection, ostomy creation/takedown, surgical oncology)
  • Trauma patients with abdominal injuries and necrotizing soft tissue infections requiring serial debridement and Wound Vac changes.

• Pain management primarily via Epidural analgesia, PCA, Ketamine drip, and/or lidocaine infusion.

• Many patients have multiple drains (foley, JP, IR drain, NG tube, chest tubes, G-tube, J-tube, GJ-tube).

• Skills required include management of dysrhythmias, use of rapid response/code teams, feeding tube care, bladder irrigation, peripheral and PICC line care, IV starts and maintenance, surgical drains, chest tubes, isolation precautions, and wound care including Wound Vac.

Required Certifications

• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• NIH Stroke Certification
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) may be required depending on unit specifics.
• Other certifications may be required based on unit assignment (e.g., Trauma Nursing Core Course, CPI/MAB if applicable).

Required Skills and Competencies

• Medical-Surgical/Telemetry nursing experience.
• PCU/DOU/IMC/Stepdown unit experience.
• Interpretation and management of cardiac dysrhythmias.
• Use of rapid response and code teams.
• Feeding tube and bladder irrigation management.
• Peripheral and PICC line care.
• IV therapy including starting and maintaining IVs.
• Management of epidural analgesia and PCA.
• Care of surgical drains and chest tubes.
• Adherence to isolation precautions and PPE protocols.
• Wound care including Wound Vac management.
• Unit-specific competency exams required and must be updated annually.
• Dysrhythmia/EKG competency exam required within 12 months of start.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Missouri
• Minimum 2 years of Progressive Care Unit (PCU) experience, including experience within the last year
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification

Scheduling & Work Conditions

• 8 weekend shifts required per 6-week schedule.
• Floating between units and departments may be required.
• No block scheduling.
• No on-call duties.
• Must be willing to work in a fast-paced, complex surgical and trauma environment.

Additional Notes

• Candidates must provide government-issued ID.
• Background checks include criminal, education verification, EPLS/GSA/SAM, HHS/OIG, and state-specific searches.
• Fingerprinting required for assignments in Illinois long-term care or rehab units.
• Various facility-specific documents and acknowledgments must be completed prior to start.
• Two professional references required.
• Employment application and unit-specific skills checklist required.
• Performance evaluations may be requested after assignment completion.

This position is ideal for experienced PCU RNs comfortable with complex post-surgical and trauma patients, who meet the certification and compliance requirements, and are willing to travel for a 13-week contract in Kansas City, Missouri.