PACU Registered Nurse
Lewiston, Maine
Central Maine Medical Center

Registered Nurse (RN) - PACU

Location

• Lewiston, Maine

Employment Type

• Travel assignment

Contract Length

• 13 weeks

Unit and Patient Population

• Peri Anesthesia Unit (Pre-op/same day surgery and Phase I PACU)
• 19 pre-op/same day surgery beds and 12 Phase I PACU beds (both required)
• Patient ratio approximately 2:1
• Patient population includes all ages (pediatric, adult, geriatric)

Schedule and Hours

• Variable shifts between 5:00 AM – 8:00 PM (4x9’s)
• 36 guaranteed hours per week
• Weekend hours approximately one every 5-6 weeks
• Call burden: average 6-8 on-call shifts per 6-week block, including weekends and holidays

Required Certifications

• ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)

Requirements/Qualifications

• Valid RN license in Maine
• Associate of Science in Nursing / Associate Degree in Nursing
• Minimum 2 years of experience in PreOp / PACU - Post Anesthesia Care
• PreOp / PACU experience within the last year
• Experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings
• Dysrhythmia recognition and management
• Central line care and management
• PICC line care and management
• Procedural sedation administration and use of reversal agents
• Extubation including LMA and endotracheal tube (ET) management
• Intubation skills
• PCA pump management

Skills and Clinical Competencies

• Ambulatory/outpatient and inpatient care
• Experience in Level III Trauma Center environment
• Phase I and Phase II PACU, Pre/Post operative care
• Arterial line management, central line and PICC line care
• Dysrhythmia recognition and management
• Blood product administration
• Starting IVs and phlebotomy
• Management of pediatric patients
• Procedural sedation and reversal agents
• Airway assessment and management including ventilated patients, chest tube management, fresh tracheostomy care
• Interpretation of ABGs and lab values
• Pain assessment and management including PCA pump and RASS scale
• Familiarity with monitored anesthesia care (MAC), nerve blocks, epidural, spinal anesthesia
• Pre-op assessment, education, and operative/procedural consent processes
• Experience with a wide range of surgical specialties including ENT, general surgery, orthopedic, urology, breast, bariatrics, colorectal, plastics, and surgical oncology (excluding neurosurgery)

Preferred Experience

• Trauma Level II experience
• Teaching hospital experience
• Previous charge nurse experience
• Experience with Cerner and Omnicell systems
• Pulmonary artery line/Swan Ganz monitoring
• Post cath lab and endoscopy procedures
• Extubation, intubation, LMA/ET management
• Bariatrics and gastric bypass/sleeve procedures
• Insulin protocols

Technology and Equipment

• Electronic Health Record: Epic
• Medication dispensing system: Omnicell

Additional Notes

• Float requirements are rare
• Dress code: Scrubs provided; navy blue scrubs allowed if permitted by SDS
• Located in a Level III Trauma Center hospital with 24/7 emergency care

This position offers a dynamic perioperative nursing experience in a trauma-level hospital with a diverse surgical patient population and opportunities for skill development in a supportive travel nurse environment.