Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse - Feinberg PACU, Full-time, Nights

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 54,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago is seeking a Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse for the Feinberg PACU. This full-time night position offers 0.9 FTE (three 12-hour shifts from 7:00pm to 7:30am) and requires at least two years of ICU, PACU, or ER nursing experience.

The PACU delivers high-acuity post-anesthesia care and opportunities for professional development, including LEAD program participation and opportunities to advance clinical expertise.

Qualifications

• Two years of ICU, PACU, or ER nursing experience required.
• Schedule: 0.9 FTE, three 12-hour night shifts per week, 7:00pm–7:30am.

Responsibilities

• Advocate for patient-centered care and develop individualized care plans.
• Apply evidence-based post-anesthesia care and ensure safe practice.
• Collaborate with the Feinberg PACU team to support complex surgical patients.
• Participate in quality improvement and professional development.

Skills

ICU experience

PACU experience

ER experience

Job description

Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse - Feinberg PACU, Full-time, Nights

• Full-time
• Hours Per Week / FTE: 36 hrs/wk - 0.9 FTE
• Salary Range Minimum : $39.00
• Salary Range Maximum: $62.40
• Compensation: USD 39 - USD 62.4 - hourly

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is an academic medical center in the heart of downtown Chicago with physicians, surgeons and caregivers representing nearly every medical specialty. Northwestern Medicine is proud to have five hospitals ranked among “America’s Best” including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the only Illinois hospital ranked No. 1 for 15 straight years, by U.S. News & World Report, 2026 – 2027.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital enjoys a teaching and service partnership with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , an integration that provides patients access to leading-edge clinical trials and fosters an environment of world-class patient care, academic inquiry and innovative research. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has also received Magnet recognition, the gold-standard for nursing excellence, from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Candidates must have at least two years of ICU, PACU, or ER nursing work experience in order to be considered for this position.

Schedule: This is a 0.9 FTE position, three 12-hour shifts per week, 7:00pm-7:30am, rotating days of the week.

The Feinberg Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is a multifaceted, high-acuity PACU that works in conjunction with the main Feinberg Operating Room (OR) and off-site interventional areas that focus on providing world-class care to patients recovering from anesthesia. Our nurses provide care to some of the most complex surgical patients in the State of Illinois. The PACU is designated for patients who require close monitoring after complex surgical interventions, and to administer pre-operative care from the inpatient areas. This unit allows nurses to advance their skillset by combining cutting-edge technology and critical care thinking to provide evidence-based comprehensive nursing care to our highly complex patient population.

Specialty care and devices include:

• Pre-operative care to CABG, transplants, valve surgeries, general surgery, trauma
• Urology
• Interventional Radiology cases
• Post-ablations
• Abdominal Surgeries
• Gastric Bypass
• Neurosurgical procedures
• Spinal procedures
• ENT
• Plastics
• Lobectomy
• Wedge resections
• Bronchoscopy
• Vascular procedures
• Orthopedic procedures
• EVD
• Shunts
• BiPap
• Ventilators
• LVAD
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

In addition, the PACU offers an environment that supports unique professional development opportunities for learning and advancement. Nurses have the opportunity to become departmental quality coaches and contribute to advancements in our evidence-based nursing care by participating in our LEAD (Lead, Excel, and Develop) program to enhance care on the unit.

The Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization's Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities

Advocate

• Practices in accordance with the patient-centered care model.
• Develops an individualized age-specific culturally sensitive nursing plan of care for the patient that is based on the nursing process.
• Incorporates the role of patient advocate into the plan of care.
• Uses a team approach to develop and achieve daily patient-centered individualized care goals.
• Acknowledges and values the contributions of the patient's significant others as an integral part of the plan of care.
• Identifies potential conflict situations and facilitates resolution using established communication channels.
• Promotes and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.
• Protects patients by maintaining a safe environment.
• Participate in research-related activities which includes evidence-based practice and quality improvement initiatives.
• Practices safe surgery specific post-operative care to include assessment, potential complications and discharge teaching.
• Identifies potential pre-anesthetic surgical risks factors.

Clinical Expert

• Advances clinical expertise, as demonstrated through pursuit of informal and formal continuing education opportunities and obtaining specialty certification when eligible.
• Continuously enhances skills and abilities to ensure the highest quality patient