PACU Nurse Jobs

For jobs available on Vivian as of Saturday, October 1st 2022, the average hourly salary for a Post Anesthesia Care Nurse is $26 per hour, but can pay up to $37 per hour.

The hospitals on Vivian that currently have the most PACU Nurse jobs are Medstar Good Samaritan Hospital (15 jobs), Medstar Washington Hospital Center (14 jobs), and VCU Medical Center (14 jobs).

PACU nurses work in the postanesthesia care unit of a medical facility. The PACU is a type of critical care unit where nurses and other medical professionals observe patients who are waking up from anesthesia. PACU nurses have many responsibilities, including the continuous monitoring of vital signs.

Patients are usually asleep when they're transferred from the operating room to the PACU. When a patient arrives in the unit, nurses are responsible for hooking up the equipment used to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs. PACU nurses are also responsible for administering pain medicines and checking surgical dressings.

PACU nurses work in hospitals, surgical centers, and other types of medical facilities in the anesthesia recovery units for operating rooms and procedural areas 

PACU nurses must possess strong assessment skills in case patients experience complications shortly after waking up from anesthesia. A PACU nurse must be able to accurately determine the status of each patient by inspecting surgical wounds and watching for subtle changes in respiratory rate and heart rhythm. Another major function is determining when a patient is ready to be extubated (taken off a breathing machine).

The initial steps to becoming a PACU nurse are the same as for any other nursing specialty: complete an accredited nursing program, pass the National Council Licensing Examination, and meet all other licensing requirements established by your state.

PACU nurses may hold BLS - Basic Life Support, ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support or PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support among others.