PACU Registered Nurse

Surgery Partners, Inc; Altoona (WI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Job summary

Surgery Partners, Inc. is seeking a PACU Registered Nurse (RN) to provide high-quality post-anesthesia care in Wisconsin. You will monitor patients, manage pain, and respond promptly to evolving clinical needs in the immediate post-operative period.

The role requires knowledge of PACU procedures, infection control, teamwork with anesthesia and surgical staff, and on-call coverage. Full-time position with day shifts and competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• ADN from accredited nursing program required.
• Wisconsin RN licensure required.
• BLS certification required; ACLS and PALS within six months of hire.
• PACU/CCU/ER nursing experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Advocate for patients’ rights, preferences, and needs, ensuring that they receive high-quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual circumstances
• Project a professional demeanor and appearance while maintaining confidentiality of patient, coworkers, and the organization
• Assess patient health problems and needs to develop, implement, and evaluate care in collaboration with healthcare team
• Educate patients and families on health conditions, medications, treatment care, and post-surgical care
• Ensure infection control protocols and safety standards are followed in all aspects of patient care
• Record all care information concisely, accurately, and completely
• Respond to emergency situations using appropriate interventions
• Report and document occurrences of unusual events, safety concerns, or incidents
• Participate in on-call rotation and respond to call-ins to ensure continuous patient care and surgical support
• Continuously assess vital signs, airway, consciousness, pain level, and surgical site for stability
• Manage airway, administer oxygen, suction as needed, and respond rapidly to changes in condition
• Administer prescribed medications and interventions to manage pain, nausea, and other post-operative symptoms
• Recognize and act upon early signs of postoperative complications and report promptly
• Record assessments, interventions, medications administered, and patient responses in the medical record
• Provide post-op instructions and emotional support; ensure recovery expectations understood prior to transfer or discharge
• Collaborate with anesthesia, surgical teams, and inpatient unit to ensure safe handoffs and transitions of care
• Transfer patients to appropriate unit or discharge per protocol
• Provide for accurate handling of specimens
• Observe and monitor equipment used during surgery and report malfunctions
• Review postoperative instructions with patient and family
• Assist in positioning and comfort/safety of patient
• May be cross-trained to other nursing departments
• Use secure messaging platform per protocol

Skills

Medical Terminology

EMR systems

HIPAA regulations

English communication

Attention to detail

Customer service standards

Organization

Education

Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)

Job description

Application Deadline: 9/24/2026

Job Summary

The PACU Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible for providing critical, high-quality care to patients recovering from anesthesia following surgical or procedural interventions. Working a fast-paced environment, the PACU RN performs continuous monitoring, manages pain and post-anesthesia symptoms, and responds to urgent clinical needs during the immediate post-operative period.

Job Summary

The PACU Registered Nurse (RN) is responsible for providing critical, high-quality care to patients recovering from anesthesia following surgical or procedural interventions. Working a fast-paced environment, the PACU RN performs continuous monitoring, manages pain and post-anesthesia symptoms, and responds to urgent clinical needs during the immediate post-operative period.

Hours

• 1.0 FTE - 40 hours per week
• 10-hour shifts

Essential Job Functions

• Advocate for patients’ rights, preferences, and needs, ensuring that they receive high-quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual circumstances
• Project a professional demeanor and appearance while maintaining the confidentiality of the patient, coworkers, and the organization, as appropriate
• Assess patient health problems and needs to develop, implement, and evaluate care in collaboration with healthcare team
• Educate patients and their families on health conditions, medications, treatment care, and post surgical care
• Ensure infection control protocols and safety standards are followed in all aspects of patient care
• Promptly record all care information concisely, accurately, and completely
• Respond to emergency situations using appropriate interventions
• Promptly report and document any occurrences of unusual events, safety concerns, or incidents in accordance with organization policies and procedures
• Participate in the department’s on-call rotation and respond promptly to call-ins to ensure continuous patient care and surgical support as needed
• Continuously assess vital signs, airway, consciousness, pain level, and surgical site for stability following anesthesia
• Manage airway, administer oxygen, suction as needed, and respond rapidly to changes in condition, including respiratory or cardiac complications
• Administer prescribed medications and interventions to manage pain, nausea, and other post-operative symptoms; monitor effectiveness
• Recognize and act upon early signs of post-operative complications or adverse reactions and report to anesthesia and provider promptly
• Accurately record assessments, interventions, medications administered, and patient responses in the medical record in a timely manner
• Provide post-op instructions and emotional support; ensure patients and caregivers understand recovery expectations prior to transfer or discharge
• Collaborate with anesthesia, surgical teams, and inpatient unit to ensure safe and efficient patient handoffs and transitions of care
• Safety transfer patients to appropriate unit or discharge them per protocol once discharge criteria are met
• Provides for accurate care and handling of specimens
• Observes, checks, and monitors all equipment used during surgery to confirm it is functioning properly, removes any malfunctioning equipment from service, and reports it in the appropriate manner
• Review postoperative instructions, prescriptions, and post-op instructions from the provider with patient and family
• Assists in positioning and responding to the comfort and safety of the patient
• May be cross-trained and assigned to other nursing departments within the hospital, with responsibility for carrying out the essential functions of the assigned role
• Use the organization's secure messaging platform in accordance with departmental protocols, including timely receipt and responses to communications
• Perform other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Medical Terminology
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems
• Quality assurance and accreditation standards
• Understanding of HIPAA regulations, patient confidentiality laws and patient rights
• Effective English communication in verbal and written format
• Quality work including attention to detail and accuracy
• Carry out customer service standards
• Basic computer proficiency
• Carry out organization customer service standards
• Prioritize tasks effectively through managing workload based on urgency and importance
• Capacity to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Continuously learn and improve through staying up to date on job specific trends, policies, and new technologies
• Successfully demonstrate organization-wide performance review competencies

Qualifications

• Demonstrates eligibility for employment in the U.S.
• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) from an accredited nursing program required
• Current licensure in the State of Wisconsin
• BLS certification is required upon hire
• Must be able to achieve ACLS and PALS certification within six months of hire
• Previous PACU, CCU, or ER nursing experience is preferred
• Must possess a cell phone that interfaces with the organization’s secure messaging system

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account with an employer contribution
• Company paid life insurance
• Free scrubs with laundry service
• Free meals
• PTO
• 401(k) retirement plan with 4% company match
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness reimbursement

Equal Employment Opportunity & Work Force Diversity

Our organization is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, creed, sex, religion, marital status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, parental status, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic testing results or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws. This practice relates to all personnel matters such as compensation, benefits, training, promotions, transfers, layoffs, etc. Furthermore, our organization is committed to going beyond the legal requirements of equal employment opportunity to take positive actions which ensure diversity in the workplace and result in a multi-cultural organization.

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.