RN - PCU

Location: Rome, Georgia 30165
Duration: 8 Weeks
Shift: 12-hour Night Shift (1900 - 0700), 36 hours per week

About the Role

This is a travel nursing position in the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) at a 361-bed Level 2 Trauma, teaching hospital with residency programs. The facility is a designated Chest Pain Center and Stroke Center.

Responsibilities

• Provide nursing care in assigned unit, with potential floating to all med-surg and critical care areas, including ED boarders
• Manage patient types and common diagnoses specific to assigned unit:
  • ED: General ED population for Level 2 Trauma including chest pain/cardiac events, stroke, trauma (GSW, stabbings, MVC, falls), respiratory illnesses, seizures, abdominal illnesses, ETOH/CIWA, IVDA, mental health
  • Medical-Surgical Floors:
    • 3 MedSurg (Overflow & Difficult to place patients - 27 beds): Syncope, fever and chills, intractable N/V, failure to thrive, cellulitis, vascular dementia, cerebrovascular disease, history of CVA
    • 3 North (Oncology - 20 beds): Immunocompromised patients, cancer patients, end-of-life care, respite, palliative care, chemo infusions
    • 4 East (Ortho - 16 beds): Medical and surgical ortho patients including fractures, MVC, trauma, Buck's traction
    • 4 South (General Surgery & Trauma - 36 beds): Ureteral stone, goiter, hernia, uterine fibroids, renal mass, diverticulitis with perforation, MVC, trauma, bowel obstruction, breast cancer for mastectomy, hematuria (irrigation), fetal demise, DNC
    • 4 Central (Pulmonology - 22 beds): Acute respiratory failure, hyperglycemia, sepsis, metabolic encephalopathy, dementia, COPD, acute kidney injury, failure to thrive, pneumonia (uses glucommander)
    • 6 Central (Vascular & Bariatric Surgery - 19 beds): End-stage renal disease, foot ulcer, peripheral vascular disease, morbid obesity (vascular and gastric bypass surgeries, uses glucommander)
  • Critical Care Areas:
    • 4 West (Neurology Stepdown - 23 beds): Stroke, seizures, back pain, lumbar surgery, s/p craniotomy, lumbar drains, AMS, aphasia (uses glucommander, cardiac titratable drips)
    • 5 West (Cardiac Stepdown - 34 beds): Chest pain, s/p cardiac angiography with/without PTCA, CHF, cardiomyopathy, pneumonia, palpitations, syncope, arrhythmias, angioedema, hyponatremia, AMS, sepsis, acute coronary syndrome, A-fib, heart block (uses glucommander, cardiac titratable drips, aqua pheresis)
    • Observation Unit (Decision Unit & Overflow for 5 West - 11 beds): Facial numbness, CAD, A-fib with RVR, stroke-like symptoms, chest pain, right/left-sided weakness, acute respiratory failure (uses cardiac titratable drips, bedside cardiac monitors)
    • ICU (Medical, Surgical, Neuro, Cardiac - 26 beds): Drug overdose, psychosis, MI, subarachnoid hemorrhage, MVC, sepsis, ARF, AAA, acute hypoxic respiratory failure, hypoglycemia, pneumonia, suicide attempt (patients on LifeLink, CRRT, intra-aortic balloon pump; travelers not assigned CRRT and IABPs)
• Adhere to nurse-to-patient ratios:
  • MedSurg: Days 1:5 (can increase to 1:6 in staffing crisis), Nights 1:6
  • ICU: Days and Nights 1:2 (can go up to 1:3 depending on acuity)
  • High Acuity Unit (PCU level): 1:3
• Participate in weekend rotation (every other weekend) and holiday requirements (70% of holidays)
• Be available for on-call shifts if census is low (rare)
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team including CNAs/nurse techs, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, educators, staffing specialists, timekeeper/payroll specialists, safety sitters, virtual patient observers, virtual RNs, and security

Requirements

• Minimum 2 years of experience in requested specialty
• Active RN license
• Required certifications:
  • ED RN: ACLS, BLS, NIHSS, TNCC, CPI (offered if not held)
  • ICU RN: ACLS, BLS, NIHSS, CPI (offered if not held); TNCC preferred
  • PCU and Med/Tele RN: ACLS, BLS, NIHSS, CPI (offered if not held)

Skills

• ED RN: ER skills including arrhythmia monitoring, sedation, paralytics, titratable drips knowledge, CVP monitoring, caring for s/p craniotomy patients, TPA administration; TNCC required, CEN preferred
• ICU RN: ICU skills including arrhythmia monitoring, sedation, paralytics, titratable drips knowledge, CVP monitoring, caring for s/p craniotomy patients, TPA administration; CCRN & TNCC preferred
• PCU RN: PCU skills including arrhythmia monitoring, knowledge of cardiac titratable drips
• Med/Tele RN: Basic arrhythmia interpretation, Foley catheter irrigation, PCA, epidural, CPM, Buck's traction, drains & chest tube management
• Proficiency in nursing skills for cardiac drips, neuro, cardiac, pulmonary, ortho, trauma, and surgical patients
• Facility requires 2 nurses to place Foley catheter
• Familiarity with department-specific equipment including EMR (EPIC), glucommander, cardiac monitors, Precision BBG monitor, specialty beds, alarms, BiPap, ventilators, Alaris pumps, virtual RN, and virtual patient observer technology

Schedule

• 12-hour night shifts: 1900 - 0700
• 36 hours per week
• Weekend rotation: Every other weekend
• Holiday requirements: Work 70% of holidays
• On-call: Rare, only if census is low
• Orientation:
  • 1st week: NEO (Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm)
  • 2nd week: 2-3 days departmental (on the floor)

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and retirement options

Additional Information

• Scrub color: Navy
• Free parking available
• Department culture emphasizes teamwork, mutual assistance, timely response to call lights and telemetry alarms