What does a registered nurse in pacu do?
A post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) registered nurse is primarily in charge of taking care of patients following a procedure or surgery as they recover from the effects of anesthesia. Their responsibilities revolve around observing a patient's vital signs and consciousness, identifying and monitoring the side-effects from the anesthetics, and keeping an eye on the patient's overall behavior. Furthermore, it is essential to assist patients and their families or guardian, responding to any inquiries and concerns and discussing post-surgery care procedures.
Registered nurse in pacu responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real registered nurse in pacu resumes:
- Achieve departmental goals and objectives by instituting SGNA standards and processes for inpatient and outpatient care.
- Stay current on ACLS, BLS and CPR while working in the critical care areas of the hospital.
- general surgery, ent, orthopedics, endoscopy, cataract, gynocological, podiatry, or plastic surgeries.
- Re-Cover patients according to policy in PACU.
- Provide BLS and ACLS classes monthly and as needed.
- Monitor patients post anesthesia including EKG monitoring, magnesium drips, watching VSS and closely monitor acute situations and conditions.
- Provide patient care for pediatric and adult post-operative patients recovering from anesthesia, ambulatory surgical procedures, invasive and extensive surgeries.
- Staff RN in PACU with population of all ages.
- Assist in the procedure suites with colonoscopies and EGD's.
- Circulate open heart cases, endoscopic vascular, and thoracic cases.
- Prep patients for procedures, obtain medical history, start IVs, administer antibiotics.
- Gain vast knowledge of common anesthetics, pain management, ACLS medications and reversal agents.
- Perform clinical procedures using various monitoring equipment: ET-C02, IBP, EKG ventilator and defibrillators.
- Implement new guidelines for identifying those patients who may have potential for difficult Foley catheter insertion.
- Familiarize with a variety of surgical specialties including: ophthalmology, ENT, orthopedics, and podiatry.
Registered nurse in pacu skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Registered Nurse In Pacus are proficient in Patients, BLS, and Acls. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Compassion, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Registered Nurse In Pacus that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 22%
Recovered orthopedic and chiropractic manipulations patients from general anesthesia; monitored post-injection pain management patients.
- BLS, 13%
Prepare patients for surgery, care for them post surgery, and maintain certification for ACLS, PALS, and BLS.
- Acls, 9%
Participated in on-call rotation.- Utilized ACLS certification skills.
- Acute Care, 5%
Provide acute care for adult & geriatric postoperative patients recovering from anesthesia encompassing a wide variety of orthopedic surgical procedures.
- Critical Care, 3%
Position involves post-anesthesia monitoring in an immediate postoperative critical care setting with patients ranging in age from infants to geriatrics.
- Advanced Life Support, 3%
Maintain certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Neonatal, and Basic Cardiac Life support.
Most registered nurse in pacus use their skills in "patients," "bls," and "acls" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential registered nurse in pacu responsibilities here:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a registered nurse in pacu to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." Registered nurse in pacus often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "recognize and respond to emergency situations as appropriate * demonstrates excellent written and oral communication. "
Compassion. Many registered nurse in pacu duties rely on compassion. "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients.," so a registered nurse in pacu will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways registered nurse in pacu responsibilities rely on compassion: "demonstrate compassion and sensitivity to pain management, emotional support and family needs during delivery of post anesthesia care for patients. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for registered nurse in pacus to perform their duties. For an example of how registered nurse in pacu responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a registered nurse in pacu: "perform detailed assessments and neurological checks, vital signs, and i/o's while collaborating with physicians and specialists. ".
Emotional stability. For certain registered nurse in pacu responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "emotional stability." The day-to-day duties of a registered nurse in pacu rely on this skill, as "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what registered nurse in pacus do: "implemented nursing process to assess and document patient's physical and emotional status upon arrival in post-anesthesia care unit. "
Organizational skills. Another common skill required for registered nurse in pacu responsibilities is "organizational skills." This skill comes up in the duties of registered nurse in pacus all the time, as "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." An excerpt from a real registered nurse in pacu resume shows how this skill is central to what a registered nurse in pacu does: "required physical ability, strong assessment and organizational skills and teamwork. "
Physical stamina. Lastly, "physical stamina" is an important element of what a registered nurse in pacu does. Registered nurse in pacu responsibilities require this skill because "nurses should be comfortable performing physical tasks, such as lifting patients." This resume example highlights how registered nurse in pacu duties rely on this skill: "provide direct nursing care pre-operatively including history & physical, obtainlabs, ekg, intravenous access, medication administration. "
The three companies that hire the most registered nurse in pacus are:
- Aya Healthcare2,129 registered nurse in pacus jobs
- USPI474 registered nurse in pacus jobs
- SCA Health228 registered nurse in pacus jobs
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Registered nurse in pacu vs. Staff nurse
Staff nurses are registered nurses who are usually assigned to work in a care home, a company, or in a clinical setting. They advise the physical assessments of patients, employees, and residents. They also handle the checking of vital signs, providing basic medical procedures, giving first aid, and, if possible, providing over the counter medication. Staff nurses provide medical attention to the people in their place of assignment. They help pave the path to their patients' full recovery. Staff nurses are expected to be patient and have good interpersonal skills.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a registered nurse in pacu are more likely to require skills like "pre-op," "pacu rn," "post-anesthesia care," and "compassion." On the other hand, a job as a staff nurse requires skills like "cpr," "surgery," "telemetry," and "medication administration." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Staff nurses tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $58,739. In contrast, registered nurse in pacus make the biggest average salary, $72,535, in the health care industry.On average, staff nurses reach similar levels of education than registered nurse in pacus. Staff nurses are 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse in pacu vs. Icu staff nurse staff
A clinical research nurse is responsible for conducting research studies on various health conditions, illness treatments, and healthcare methodologies, analyzing existing scientific research to make new reports. Clinical research nurses also communicate with other health professionals and health organizations for their insights and recommendations for a specific medical study, ensuring to report their findings to doctors and medical researchers for further validation and clinical trials. A clinical research nurse must have excellent knowledge of communication, both written and spoken, as well as expertise in the medical industry.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that registered nurse in pacu responsibilities requires skills like "acute care," "pre-op," "pacu rn," and "surgical procedures." But an icu staff nurse staff might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "life support," "cpr," "ccrn," and "med-surg."
Icu staff nurse staff may earn a lower salary than registered nurse in pacus, but icu staff nurse staff earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $68,704. On the other hand, registered nurse in pacus receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $72,535.In general, icu staff nurse staff achieve similar levels of education than registered nurse in pacus. They're 2.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Registered nurses in pacu in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Beverly Malone Ph.D.
President and CEO, National League for Nursing
Virtual learning may also benefit students in the area of telehealth. An increase in virtual learning will help students prepare to support their future patients through telehealth visits and help them be more comfortable during the virtual interview process and diagnosis. It may keep older adults at home or in nursing home care settings, rather than the frequently difficult transition to hospitals.
Virtual learning widens the pool for preceptors in remote locations across the nation and around the world. Without the limitations of geography, compatible matching of students and preceptors is more easily facilitated. Telehealth and mobile apps can also help close the gaps in care that have been documented throughout underserved communities.
Registered nurse in pacu vs. Clinical research nurse
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, registered nurse in pacus are more likely to have skills like "pre-op," "pacu rn," "post-anesthesia care," and "airway management." But a clinical research nurse is more likely to have skills like "surgery," "patient outcomes," "oncology," and "telemetry."
Clinical research nurses earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $61,917. Comparatively, registered nurse in pacus have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $72,535.clinical research nurses typically earn similar educational levels compared to registered nurse in pacus. Specifically, they're 4.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Registered nurse in pacu vs. Head nurse
Types of registered nurse in pacu
Updated January 8, 2025
