Progressive Care Unit RN
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Presbyterian Health Services Inc - Presbyterian Hospital

Job Opportunity: PCU RN

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Employment Type: Clinical - Nursing
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Summary

Provide direct patient care using the nursing process to an assigned group of patients during a shift. The role requires floating between departments or local locations within 20 miles. Care is provided for a medically complex patient population awaiting community placement in a long-term stay setting. Patients are Med/Surg level in a facility without a direct escalation path to ICU.

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable care.
• Assess, plan, implement, evaluate, and document individual patient needs and responses.
• Coordinate patient care through collaboration with patients, families, and healthcare team.
• Initiate and document appropriate protocols and standards of care.
• Administer medications and treatments as prescribed and document accordingly.
• Identify and meet patient and family learning and discharge needs.
• Supervise LPNs and non-licensed assistive personnel clinically.
• Float between departments or local locations within 20 miles as required.
• Recognize, de-escalate, and respond to deteriorating patient conditions.
• Maintain a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:7.
• Work weekends as needed and participate in on-call and call-back coverage.

Required Qualifications

Experience

• Minimum 2 years of current experience in an 18+ bed telemetry or progressive care unit, including Neuro PCU experience within the last year.
• Progressive Care Unit (PCU) experience, specifically Neuro PCU.
• Successful completion of 13 weeks or more of total travel nursing assignments.
• Ability to work as a team player in a fast-paced environment.
• Flexibility to adapt to varying clinical settings and patient needs.
• Must successfully pass a Basic Cardiac Arrhythmia (BCA) test prior to starting the assignment. One retest allowed; failure to pass after retest results in contract cancellation.

Education

• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) OR Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN).

Certifications & Licensure

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in New Mexico.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification issued by American Heart Association or American Red Cross.
• National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) certification.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using Epic Electronic Medical Records (EMR).

Additional Notes

• Floating between departments or locations within 20 miles is required.
• The patient population is medically complex and awaiting community placement.
• The facility does not have a direct ICU escalation path.
• Weekend work and on-call/call-back coverage may be required.

Prior Travel Experience: Required (successful completion of at least one 13-week travel assignment).