Registered Nurse (RN) - Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) - Hospital

Soap Creek Resources; Great Falls (MT); On-site; USD 52,000 - 69,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement plan with company match

Fully covered malpractice insurance

Generous PTO

Job summary

Soap Creek Resources seeks a Hospital PACU Registered Nurse (RN) for a full-time, on-site role in Great Falls, MT. You will support perioperative care, monitor patients recovering from anesthesia, and collaborate with anesthesia and nursing leadership to ensure safe, efficient patient transitions.

The ideal candidate has an RN license in Montana, 2–4 years of acute hospital experience, and BLS/ACLS/PALS certifications. A BSN is preferred.

Qualifications

• Nursing degree required; BSN preferred.
• Active MT RN license (or immediate compact/endorsement eligibility).
• BLS/ACLS/PALS certifications required on hire.
• 2–4 years of hospital experience in acute Medical/Surgical or Critical Care.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Operative Preparation: assess, admit, optimize patients for elective or outpatient procedures.
• Phase I Recovery: monitor and stabilize patients waking from anesthesia; manage airway and hemodynamics.
• Advanced Visual & Device Care: monitor post-op patients with chest tubes, central/arterial lines, short-term ventilation.
• Wound & Line Management: monitor incisions, drains, dressings to prevent complications.
• Pain & PANV control: titrate IV meds and manage post-op pain and nausea.
• Observation Unit Care: care for observation patients via ED admission or post-surgical status.
• Collaborative Leadership: coordinate with Providers, Anesthesia, Nurse Managers, Charge Nurses.
• Discharge & Transfer Planning: use Aldrete or hand-offs for home discharge or inpatient transfer.

Skills

IV insertion

Asepsis

Computer literacy

Critical Care exposure

Education

Associate Degree in Nursing

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) preferred

Tools

EMR/EHR systems

Job description

Registered Nurse (RN) - Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) - Hospital

Job Type: Full-Time | On-Site

Setting: Hospital-Based Outpatient Department (HOPD) / Perioperative & Observation

Location: Great Falls, Montana

We have partnered closely with a prominent regional healthcare system to secure a full-time, dedicated nursing professional for their surgical services division. We are currently seeking an experienced Hospital PACU Registered Nurse (RN) to join their clinical team. This position is ideal for an RN looking for a supportive environment that emphasizes excellent nurse-to-patient ratios, robust administrative backing, and a strong culture of teamwork and compassion.

Tucked into a scenic Montana community known for an exceptional quality of life and outdoor recreation, this role provides an ideal balance of professional clinical development and personal lifestyle stability.

Operational Hours: 6:00 AM – 7:30 PM Varied Shifts

Call Requirements: Shared Rotation (~4 weeknights/month + 1 weekend every other month)

• Pre-Operative Preparation: Safely assess, admit, and optimize patients arriving for elective or outpatient surgical procedures, ensuring all pre-op checklists and safety parameters are met.
• Phase I Recovery (Post-Op Monitoring): Closely monitor and stabilize patients waking up from general, regional, or local anesthesia. Manage airway and ventilation (including extubation), track hemodynamic stability, and conduct frequent neurological checks.
• Advanced Visual & Device Care: Recover and monitor higher-acuity post-operative patients with chest tubes, central lines, arterial lines, multiple titration IVs, and those requiring short-term ventilator support (comprehensive training provided if required).
• Wound & Line Management: Perform continuous surveillance of surgical sites, dressings, incisions, and drains (JP drains, Foleys, NG tubes) to catch or prevent post-op complications.
• Symptom & Pain Control: Titrate powerful IV medications to manage acute post-operative pain, treat post-anesthesia nausea/vomiting (PANV), and utilize warming devices to manage hypothermia and shivering.
• Observation Unit Care: Directly care for both medical and surgical observation patients who are admitted to observation beds from the Emergency Department, through direct admission, and/or post-surgical status.
• Collaborative Leadership: Coordinate care plans dynamically with Providers, Anesthesia teams, Nurse Managers, and Charge Nurses. Provide appropriate clinical guidance and directional support to LPNs and CNA staff.
• Discharge & Transfer Planning: Utilize standardized scoring systems (like the Aldrete Score) to safely clear patients for home discharge (Phase II) or execute detailed hand-off reporting to inpatient units (ICU, PCU, Med/Surg).

Qualifications

• Education: Graduate of an accredited nursing program (Associate Degree in Nursing required; Bachelor of Science in Nursing preferred).
• Licensure: Active, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the State of Montana (or immediate compact/endorsement eligibility).
• Certifications: Core certifications in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) are required upon hire.
• Required Experience: Minimum of 2 to 4 years of recent professional hospital experience specifically within an acute Medical/Surgical or Critical Care nursing environment.
• Preferred Experience: Dedicated background or professional familiarity with Critical Care (ICU) workflows is highly preferred.
• Core Skills: Advanced understanding of basic nursing principles/procedures, strict application of the principles of asepsis, proficient intravenous (IV) insertion/management skills, and basic computer/office technical literacy.

Benefits

• Excellent nurse-to-patient ratios designed to foster highly personalized care and balanced clinical workloads.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance packages.
• Robust retirement savings plan with a generous employer matching contribution.
• Fully covered medical malpractice insurance.
• Generous paid time off (PTO) allocation to support a healthy work-life balance.

Note on Compensation & Hiring Requirements

Final hourly compensation will be verified and determined by the organization based on your documented years of nursing experience. All job offers are contingent upon the successful completion of standard pre-employment screenings, including a criminal background check, drug screening, and health/immunization verification.

Note on Employment Status

The comprehensive benefits package and compensation structure detailed above are explicitly offered for full-time positions. Eligible benefits may vary or be prorated for part-time arrangements.