ICU Registered Nurse
Durango, Colorado
Mercy Regional Medical Center

ICU RN Travel Assignment - Durango, Colorado

Job Overview

• Specialty: ICU RN (Combination of MICU, SICU, TICU, CVICU, etc.)
• Location: Durango, Colorado
• Contract Length: 13 weeks
• Shift: 12-hour night shifts (7pm-7am)
• Schedule: Set by leadership for 6 weeks at a time; travelers must be flexible to fill scheduling gaps
• Weekend Requirement: 6-9 weekend shifts in a 6-week schedule
• Holiday Requirement: May be asked to participate in holiday rotation
• Floating: Expected to float within the zone (60-mile radius), including ICU, PCU/Stepdown, and Med-Surg Tele units; floating within Zone 5 facilities is rare and only for extreme needs

Experience & Licensure Requirements

• ICU Experience:

  • Minimum 2 years ICU experience preferred with prior travel experience
  • If first-time traveler, must have 3+ years ICU experience and Epic experience
• Prior Travel Experience: Preferred but not strictly required; first-time travelers need more ICU experience
• Licensure: Current Colorado or Compact RN license required

Certifications Required

• BLS (AHA)
• ACLS (AHA)
• NIHSS

Patient Care & Unit Details

• Nurse:Patient Ratios:

  • Typically 1:1 to 1:2 depending on acuity
  • May flex up to 1:3
  • 1:1 for high acuity patients (e.g., CRRT, IABP, Impella)
• Common Diagnoses: General ICU patients across multiple ICU types
• Drip Management: Must be comfortable titrating all critical drips including pressors, sedation, paralytics, antiarrhythmics, heparin, insulin, and more
• Charge Nurse: Designated charge nurse on each unit; usually does not take patient assignments unless necessary (more common on night shift)
• Nurse Aids: None on unit except for sitter needs
• Respiratory Therapy: Designated RT available but not 24/7 on unit; RNs expected to assist with respiratory troubleshooting and management
• Respiratory Equipment: Ventilators, CPAP, BiPAP, High Flow, breathing treatments
• Telemetry: No monitor tech; RNs must read and interpret their own telemetry strips

Orientation & Training

• 1-2 days unit-specific orientation with a preceptor
• Week of orientation requires clinician to be in-state (some modules may be remote)

Additional Notes

• Dress code: Any color scrub allowed
• Must be able to float within a 60-mile radius zone; housing must accommodate this requirement
• Rare call or standby requirements, typically only for low census situations