Post Anesthesia Care Unit Travel Nursing Jobs
What is Post Anesthesia Care Unit Nursing (PACU Nursing)?
Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) nurses are highly trained and charged with many vital tasks for the care of post-anaesthesia and post operative patients. These essential activities include:
- Monitoring vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure and respiration)
- Treating symptoms of postoperative nausea and vomiting (or PONV)
- Managing post-operative pain.
These common activities may often need supplementing with more intensive care or treatment. This may require:
- Preparation and education for the use of Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) units
- Preparation and establishment of IV or epidural infusions
- Preparation and establishment of invasive monitoring such as arterial lines, central venous lines etc
Occasionally, serious life threatening complications, such as laryngospasm or respiratory arrest, can arise post-anesthesia. Unless complications occur, most patients will only stay in the PACU for a few hours, before returning home or to another department of the hospital.
PACU Travel Nursing Jobs Outlook:
There is a strong national demand for experienced PACU nurses. Most facilities require a minimum of two years recent experience. The demands on a PACU nurse can vary widely from inpatient to outpatient settings. It is very important to ascertain the types of patients recovered before accepting a travel assignment with any facility.
The American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification
The American Nurses Association (ANA)
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