Telemetry/PCU Float Pool Nurse
Seattle, Washington
Virginia Mason Medical Center and Seattle Medical Center

Job Opportunity: Tele/PCU Float Pool Nurse

Location: Seattle, Washington

Contract Length

• 13 weeks

Unit & Float Pool Information

• Primary facility with floating required throughout Region I (includes multiple hospitals in the area)
• Units included in float pool:

  • Observation Unit
  • Med-Surg
  • General Surgery
  • Ortho Surgery
  • Short Stay Surgery
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Neurosurgery
  • Oncology
  • Telemetry & Progressive Care

Patient Ratios

• Med-Surg: 4-5 patients per MS
• Progressive Care: 3 patients per RN

Certifications Required

• BLS
• ACLS

Patient Types & Common Diagnoses

• Med-surg patients
• Post-op surgical patients
• PCU patients including strokes, lines, drains, chest tubes, CHF, post vascular procedures, arrhythmias, DKA

Experience & Skills Required

• Med-surg experience
• PCU/Stepdown level experience

Drip Titration

• RNs sometimes titrate drips, usually not on med-surg units
• Common drips:

  • Heparin
  • Nicardipine (titratable)
  • NTG (titratable)
  • Insulin (titratable)
  • Cardizem (titratable)
  • Dopamine/Dobutamine (fixed rate, stepdown)

Charge Nurse & Support Staff

• Charge nurse does not always take an assignment and will not act as house supervisor or charge nurse
• Nurse aides present with a ratio of 10 patients per aide

Respiratory Therapy Equipment

• CPAP and BiPAP sometimes used

Telemetry & Monitoring

• Remote cardiac monitoring available
• RNs read cardiac strips

Scheduling & Shifts

• Self-scheduling allowed
• No block scheduling
• Weekend requirement: every other weekend
• Holiday requirement: depends on staffing
• No call or standby requirement
• Units assigned via daily staffing sheets

Orientation & Training

• Must start on a General Hospital Orientation (GHO) date (biweekly)
• Orientation includes:

  • General Hospital Orientation
  • Myles Modules
  • Cerner Validation class
  • On-unit orientation
• If starting on an off-week GHO date, orientation begins at a different hospital and moves to primary facility the following week

Additional Notes

• Parking is not reimbursed and must be paid for by the nurse (garage parking or public transit options available)
• Scrub color/dress code: Royal Blue
• Night and weekend shifts as needed, possibly consecutive weekends
• Nurses are first to float within the region

This position is ideal for nurses with med-surg and PCU/stepdown experience who are comfortable floating across multiple units and facilities within the region.