PreOp / PACU - Post Anesthesia Care

Opportunity:

RN - Post Cath Lab

Job Details:

• Provide skilled, compassionate pre-operative and post-operative care to patients undergoing surgical, procedural, and interventional cardiology cases
• Participate in on-call rotation, weekend, and/or holiday schedule based on facility needs
• Perform comprehensive patient assessments including review of medical history, allergies, lab results, and consents to ensure procedural readiness
• Verify antiplatelet/anticoagulant compliance, check renal labs, and mark bilateral pedal pulses prior to cath lab procedures
• Start intravenous lines, initiate hydration protocols for contrast protection, and administer pre-medications per provider orders
• Receive detailed handoff reports from OR and Cath Lab teams noting intraoperative events, contrast volume, and medications
• Continuously monitor airway patency, oxygen saturation, vital signs, and telemetry for arrhythmias or ST-segment changes
• Monitor femoral, radial, or brachial access sites for bleeding, hematomas, or pseudoaneurysms and apply manual arterial pressure in emergent situations
• Perform sheath assessment and manage specialized vascular closure devices; coordinate sheath removal with trained clinical staff
• Enforce post-femoral bed rest protocols, manage emergence delirium or severe shivering, and push fluids to clear contrast dye per provider orders
• Safely administer scheduled and emergent medications via oral, IV, IM, and subcutaneous routes using strict barcode verification
• Prepare, verify, and administer high-alert medications including sedatives, narcotics, paralytics, and antiarrhythmics per provider orders
• Manage and titrate continuous intravenous infusions such as vasoactive drips, nitroglycerin, and heparin based on provider orders and hemodynamic parameters
• Perform independent dual-verification with another licensed RN for designated high-alert medications and pediatric dosing per policy
• Complete mandatory two-nurse bedside verification of patient identity, blood type, unit number, and compatibility prior to transfusions
• Identify and respond to signs of transfusion reactions including hemolytic, anaphylactic, and TRALI events
• Interpret ECG telemetry rhythm strips and review diagnostic 12-lead ECGs to identify acute ischemic or arrhythmic events
• Demonstrate technical proficiency with diagnostic 12-lead ECG machines, I-Stat point-of-care devices, emergency defibrillators, crash cart components, and supplementary oxygen delivery equipment
• Utilize capillary blood sampling tools, urine pregnancy test kits, bladder volume indicators, mechanical patient lifts, and automated vital signs monitors
• Maintain clear, concise, and legally compliant electronic health records detailing all care delivered across pre-operative and post-operative phases
• Conduct pre-operative telephone outreach to patients and deliver post-operative follow-up calls to assess outcomes and coordinate resources
• Provide comprehensive discharge education to patients and caregivers regarding post-surgical course, access site care, and physical limitations
• Collaborate with House Supervisor, Charge Nurse, Cardiac Cath Lab, and Operating Room personnel to facilitate seamless patient transitions