PACU Registered Nurse
Saint Louis, MO
Access Healthcare
4x10 hrs, Nights

Job Opportunity: PACU Registered Nurse

Location: Saint Louis, Missouri
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Work Schedule

• Night shift: 4x10-hour shifts, Monday through Thursday, 10:00 PM to 8:30 AM
• No weekends or on-call required
• Rotating start times as needed
• Guaranteed minimum: 3 shifts per 13 weeks
• No block scheduling accommodation
• Floating within scope allowed only to PACU or PreOp units

Unit & Patient Population

• Level I Trauma Center, Magnet & Teaching Hospital
• Unit open 24/7 with 38 patient bays
• Average daily census: 70-90 patients
• Patient population includes adults, occasional adolescents, and geriatrics
• Surgical patients recovered include neurosurgery, ENT, plastics, orthopedics, thoracic, vascular, trauma, general, colorectal, GYN, urological, electrophysiology, interventional radiology, and transplant
• Does NOT recover open heart surgeries or liver transplants
• Unit has its own Patient Care Technician (PCT) and transport team

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Missouri
• Minimum 2 years of Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) experience, with at least some experience within the last year
• BLS (Basic Life Support) certification issued by the American Heart Association
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification issued by the American Heart Association
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Experience in an inpatient setting

Experience & Travel Requirements

• First-time travelers accepted
• No prior travel experience required
• Local candidates not accepted (home address must be at least 75 miles from facility)
• Return to office (RTO) restrictions: No more than 7 days

Compliance & Documentation Requirements

• Government-issued ID required
• Criminal background check within 6 months, including statewide and nationwide searches
• Quarterly EPLS/GSA/SAM and HHS/OIG checks required
• Education verification of highest nursing degree required
• Professional license primary source verification (NURSYS for Missouri)
• Unit-specific competency exams, including dysrhythmia/EKG competency exam, required and must be updated annually
• Medication test/pharmacology competency exam required as applicable
• Physical exam within 1 year of start
• Drug testing within 1 year of start, including specific drug panels, must be current throughout assignment
• Immunizations and titers required:

  • Tdap vaccine or declination (renew every 10 years)
  • Negative TB test or chest X-ray within 1 year
  • Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Rubella, Varicella immunity or vaccination/declination as applicable
  • Seasonal flu vaccination or approved exemption required during flu season (Sept 30 - Apr 1)
• Fit mask testing (N95) required and must be renewed annually
• Various facility-specific documents required prior to start, including:

  • HIPAA Acknowledgement
  • Latex Allergy Questionnaire
  • Confidentiality Form
  • Regulatory Compliance Education (annual quiz with 80% passing score)
  • TB Questionnaire (annual)
  • Hand Hygiene Policy acknowledgment
  • Fingernail Policy acknowledgment
  • Dress Code Policy acknowledgment
  • Orientation modules completion (approx. 16 hours) via online platform
  • Badge photo (head and shoulders, white background, no obstructions, taken within 6 months)
• Employment application and professional references required (two professional references preferred within last year)
• Unit-specific skills checklist required within 1 year of start

Additional Notes

• No weekend or call requirements
• Floating only to PACU or PreOp units within scope
• Night shift may require learning pre-op patient workup
• Staff needed for recovery of acute post-op patients requiring critical care interventions such as artificial airways, invasive monitoring, transfusions, and vasoactive drugs

This position offers a challenging and rewarding opportunity for experienced critical care RNs interested in a travel contract role in a high-acuity, Level I trauma center environment.