PACU Registered Nurse
St. Louis, Missouri
Barnes-Jewish Hospital

Registered Nurse - PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit)

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

Job Details

• Shift: Monday-Friday, 3x12 hour shifts (rotating start times: 1900-0730 or 1700-0530)
• Call: 24 hours of on-call required per 6-week period as needed
• Patient Ratios: 1:2
• Guaranteed Hours: 40 hours per week
• Floating: May float within service line as needed
• Local Radius Rule: Home address must be at least 75 miles from facility
• Pending License: Accepted
• Relias EKG Exam: Must pass; includes interpretation and management of dysrhythmias
• Charting System: EPIC

Unit & Patient Population

• Level 1 Trauma Center PACU
• Surgical patients including GU, GYN, Colorectal, Bariatric, ENT, and minimally invasive procedures
• Separate Interventional Radiology Pre/Post area
• Manage complicated postoperative patients with multiple drains, vasoactive drips, mechanical ventilation, and recovery from general anesthesia
• Night shift nurses expected to pre-op patients for first cases from 0530-0730 when no PACU patients are present

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Missouri (pending licenses accepted)
• Minimum 1 year of PACU (Post Anesthesia Care) experience, with experience within the last year required
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Current ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification
• Current BLS (Basic Life Support) certification issued by the American Heart Association
• Competency in EKG interpretation and management of dysrhythmias (Relias EKG exam required)
• Experience with Epic electronic health record system

Additional Requirements

• Must complete and maintain:

  • Background checks including criminal, statewide, and federal exclusions
  • Education verification
  • Drug testing within 1 year of start, including a comprehensive drug panel
  • Physical exam within 1 year of start
  • Fit mask testing (N95 respirators) annually
  • Immunizations and/or titers for TB, Measles (Rubeola), Mumps, Rubella, Varicella, Tdap (or declination where allowed)
  • Flu vaccination or approved exemption during flu season
• Must complete facility-specific compliance documents and training prior to start, including:

  • HIPAA Acknowledgement
  • Latex Allergy Questionnaire
  • Confidentiality Form
  • Regulatory Compliance Education (annual quiz with 80% passing score)
  • Hand Hygiene, Fingernail, and Dress Code policies
  • Orientation modules (approximately 16 hours) via online platform
• Must provide a government-issued ID (e.g., driver’s license or state ID)
• Two professional references required (supervisors preferred)

Parking & Facility Notes

• Parking passes available for purchase; no charge for straight night shifts with employee parking access
• Facility is a short-term acute care hospital with 1266 staffed beds
• Teaching hospital with Level 1 trauma designation

Important Notes

• First-time travelers accepted
• No weekend shifts required
• No block scheduling accommodation
• No local candidates accepted (must live 75+ miles away)
• Return-to-office restrictions: no more than 7 days off between shifts
• Cancelled shifts must be full shift length to count toward guaranteed hours

This position is ideal for a Registered Nurse with critical care or trauma experience seeking a travel contract in a high-acuity PACU setting with complex postoperative patients.