Progressive Care Unit – PCU RN – TravelNurse

We’re looking for Progressive Care Unit RNs for an immediate travel nurse opening in Winston Salem, NC. The right RN should have 1-2 years recent acute care experience. Read below for more requirements.

As a PCU Travel Nurse, you will care for patients who require close monitoring and frequent assessment, but aren’t unstable enough to need ICU care. Progressive Care Unit RNs will utilize computer equipment to monitor cardiac and other vital information, detecting any changes and thereby enabling intervention of life-threatening or emergency situations. Close observation is necessary as many PCU patients receive a significant amount of complex medications, sometimes through an intravenous line that may need to be adjusted or titrated. The PCU RN is sometimes also called a step-down nurse, and the PCU is also known as cardiac stepdown, medical stepdown, neuro stepdown, surgical stepdown and ER holding.

As a PCU Travel Nurse, you should be prepared to perform the following tasks:

• Provide basic bedside care; stabilize critical cardiac patients.
• Change dressings, insert catheters and start IVs.
• Prepare, administer and record prescribed medication, reporting any adverse reactions to treatment.
• Monitor and adjust specialized equipment used on patients, and interpret and record electronic displays.
• Initiate corrective action whenever information from monitoring equipment shows adverse symptomatology.

PCU Travel Nurses should be able to stand and walk for long periods of time, as well as bend, lean and stoop without difficulty. RNs should be able to easily lift 20 pounds. Moving or lifting of patients may require lifting of up to 50 pounds at times. Because of the fast-paced environment, Progressive Care Unit RNs must possess good skills for coping with stress and be able to relate to people of all ages and backgrounds.

REQUIRED SKILLS / CERTS / EXP:Minimum Years of Experience: 1 year required.Traveler Experience: ACCEPTS 1st time traveler.Locals Accepted / Rate Difference: YesSkills: IV start, Vents, Telemetry and cpap/bipap, Interpretation/management of dysrhythmias.Certs: ACLS, BLSPREFERRED SKILLS / CERTS / EXP: NIHSSJOB DETAILS:Target Ratios: 1:5-6Float Requirement: required to float to like unitsWeekend Requirement: every third weekendPATIENT DIAGNOSES:Patient Population: COPD, PNA, Resp distress, Covid-19, FLU, PE’s.***Patient population currently includes care for COVID-19 patients, including those who have tested positive.*** . We are titled as progressive care, however, our model is to run as a med-surg unit.SPECIAL PROCEDURES / UNIT DETAILS: Our acuity is on the higher end of a med-surg unit, but we do operate with a team lead present in a 3:1 that rounds the whole unit, 2 respiratory therapists that are rounding, and an assistant nurse manager on shift including weekends. We do take ventilators on our unit but they are for chronic trach/vent patients. Our model is that no nurse has more than one vent patient at a time. Our unit is 48 beds in total. Our CNA’s are a 9-10:1. Most of our patient population is going to be COPD exacerbations, pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, and patients with chest tubes, CPAP, BiPAP. Many have comorbidities as well as telemetry monitoring.Recognizing the high ratios and acuity, the following resources are available on the unit:An Admission/Discharge nurseAssistant Nurse ManagerVascular Access TeamFoley TeamRRTCode TeamBehavioral Health TeamSPECIAL EQUIPMENT:Chest tubesDrips:DopamineCardizemHeparinvents, trachs, bipaps/cpapsUNIT SYSTEMS (Medication, Documentation, Communication): Pyxis, EPIC, SBARUNIT ORIENTATION: 24 hoursSCRUBS: white or navy blue