PACU Registered Nurse
New Orleans, Louisiana
Ochsner Medical Center - New Orleans

Registered Nurse – PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit)

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Description

• Assigned to support all major surgical services except critical care patients.
• Care for pre-op, Phase I and Phase II recovery patients, including pediatric and adult populations.
• Unit includes 34 ORs across two floors with diverse surgical/procedural cases (e.g., Endoscopy, Interventional Radiology, pulmonary lab).
• Must be comfortable floating to pediatric PACU as needed.
• May be assigned to an Emergency Team during emergency events, requiring staying onsite until the event passes or joining relief teams.
• Patient ratio: 1 nurse to 2 patients.
• Schedule includes 2-3 weekends per contract.
• Epic electronic health record experience required.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in Louisiana.
• Minimum of 1 year of recent experience in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification.
• BLS (Basic Life Support) certification issued by the American Heart Association.
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certification.
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN).
• Experience with Epic electronic health record system.

Preferred Experience

• Background in PACU or Pre/Post Op nursing experience.

Work Schedule

• Day shift: 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM (5 days per week, 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week).

Additional Notes

• Candidates must be comfortable with emergency event assignments as directed by unit management.
• Must be willing to float to pediatric PACU as needed.
• CPI (Crisis Prevention Institute) certification may be required depending on unit assignment; verify with management.
• Competency exam specific to specialty required annually with minimum 80% score.
• Color photo for badge must be uploaded within 24 hours of booking (passport-style, recent, no filters).

This position requires a highly adaptable RN with strong perioperative and recovery care skills, comfortable working with both adult and pediatric patients in a fast-paced surgical environment.