PCU Nurse Jobs

The hospitals on Vivian that currently have the most PCU Nurse jobs are The Hospitals of Providence East Campus (74 jobs), Broward Health Medical Center (57 jobs), and Advent Health Tampa (43 jobs).

Progressive care units bridge the gap between intensive care units and medical-surgical/telemetry units with progressive care nurses caring for critical patients on the road to recovery or those who are at higher risk of their condition worsening. PCU nursing provides an intermediate or transitional level of hospital care for patients who require more monitoring and assessment than those on the med-surg floor, but who are stable enough that they don't need placement in the ICU.

PCU nurses spend much of their time gathering and monitoring patient data. This is accomplished through various devices and technology that continuously record patients' critical vital signs, such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and oxygen saturation. PCU nurses assess the data from these machines to detect changes in patient status and quickly intervene to initiate life-saving interventions if needed. Other duties might include:

Progressive care nurses typically work in a hospital setting, providing continuous monitoring and care to patients in sensitive or declining condition. They work in a hospital's progressive care unit, which may also be referred to as step-down, ICU step-down, direct observation, intermediate care, or transitional care.

PCU nurses must be able to quickly analyze data and react to potentially life-threatening situations with confidence. Successful PCU nurses must have solid assessment skills and a healthy blend of technical and communication skills. PCU nurses are responsible for detecting changes in patient condition that may signal the patient needs a higher level of care. Their frequent assessments can identify minute changes in patients’ conditions. 

Being a registered nurse is a prerequisite to becoming a progressive care unit nurse. RN requirements include earning a two-year associate degree or four-year Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program. Graduates must pass the NCLEX exam and fulfill state licensing requirements.

PCU nurses may hold BLS - Basic Life Support, ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support, PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support or NIHSS - NIH Stroke Scale among others.