Progressive Care Unit Registered Nurse
Kansas City, Missouri
Saint Luke's Hospital

Job Opportunity: Registered Nurse - PCU

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

Job Description

• Position: Registered Nurse in Progressive Care Unit (PCU)
• Required Years of Experience: 2 years
• First-time travelers: Not accepted
• Weekend Shifts: 8 weekend shifts required in a 6-week schedule period (Friday/Saturday/Sunday combination)
• On-call: Not required
• Floating: Regular floating within scope may be required between departments, units, and facilities
• Local candidates: Not accepted (must live at least 75 miles from facility)
• Pending License: Accepted
• Return to Office Restrictions: No more than 7 days
• Guaranteed Hours: 3 shifts per 13 weeks (cancelled shifts must be regular shift length)

Patient Population & Special Requirements

Primary patients include those who have undergone:

• Bariatric surgery
• Urology surgeries (e.g., TURP, nephrectomy, ileal conduit creation)
• Hepatobiliary surgeries (e.g., Whipple, liver resection)
• Colorectal surgeries (e.g., colon resection, ostomy creation)
• Trauma patients with abdominal injuries and necrotizing soft tissue infections requiring serial debridement and Wound Vac changes

Pain control methods commonly used post-operatively:

• Epidural analgesia
• PCA (Patient Controlled Analgesia)
• Ketamine drip
• Lidocaine infusion

Common patient care needs:

• Continuous Bladder Irrigation (CBI) or long-term catheter management
• Management of multiple drains (foley, JP, IR drain, NG tube, chest tubes, G-Tube, J-Tube, GJ-Tube)
• Wound Vac care and changes

Required Certifications

• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• NIH Stroke Certification

Required Skills

• Medical-Surgical/Telemetry experience
• PCU/DOU/IMC/Stepdown nursing skills
• Interpretation and management of dysrhythmias
• Use of Rapid Response/Code teams
• Feeding tube care and management
• Continuous Bladder Irrigation (CBI)
• Peripheral line care/management
• PICC line management
• Starting and maintaining IVs
• Epidural analgesia and PCA management
• Surgical drains and chest tubes (Emerson/PleurEvac)
• Isolation precautions and PPE use
• Wound care including Wound Vac

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Missouri
• Minimum 2 years of Progressive Care Unit (PCU) nursing experience, including experience within the last year
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• BLS certification issued by the American Heart Association
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) certification
• NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) certification
• Medical-Surgical and Telemetry nursing experience
• Experience in PCU, DOU, and IMC settings
• Proficient in interpretation and management of dysrhythmias
• Skilled in PICC line management
• Experience with epidural analgesia
• Experience managing chest tubes, including Emerson and PleurEvac systems

Additional Information

• Floating between units and departments may be required
• No block scheduling accommodations
• Must be willing to work required weekend shifts
• Must provide government-issued ID
• Two professional references required (supervisors preferred)
• Employment application required
• Background checks include statewide, nationwide, and international searches if applicable
• Fingerprinting required for certain assignments in Illinois
• Various state-specific registry and exclusion list checks required

This position is ideal for experienced PCU RNs who are comfortable managing complex post-surgical patients with multiple lines, drains, and advanced pain management modalities, and who meet the outlined licensure and certification requirements.