Staff Nurse – PACU Full-time

Provides direct and indirect age-specific care for assigned patients in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) per scheduled shifts. Responsible for professional performance and safe patient care. The role encompasses nursing assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, evaluation, and care coordination for patients across the healthcare continuum involving families. Abides by the Joint Commission International (JCI) requirements, including but not limited to International Patient Safety Goals, and national and international standards.

Responsibilities

General:

• Provides age-specific patient-centered care utilizing the nursing process:
• Performs patient assessment using appropriate, problem-focused, and age-specific assessment techniques.
• Performs continual critical care assessment of patient and family’s physical and psychological needs.
• Involves the patient, significant others, and health care providers in the plan of care when appropriate.
• Collaborates with a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care.
• Coordinates and plans critical care/clinical pathway, and prioritizes care, based on individual needs.
• Revises the care plan as necessary.
• Initiates appropriate transfer plan.
• Recognizes subtle cues to anticipate potential problems.
• Documents all relevant data in the medical record according to hospital/departmental standards.
• Ensures availability and maintenance of supplies and equipment needed for the unit and patient care.
• Performs clerical duties when needed.
• Assumes responsibility for meeting Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCIA) required mandatory education (e.g. fire, safety, infection control and others).
• Participates in staff meetings and unit committees/projects.
• Participates in developing and achieving unit goals.
• Maintains a safe environment for patients and staff.
• Performs safe handling and administrating of Narcotic/Controlled and Semi-Controlled Drugs and documentation as directed by policies and procedures.
• Ensures completion of unit competencies (i.e. pain management, and utilization of Emergency department devices).
• Maintains clinical and professional competency based on the latest research and established standards of practice.
• Completes yearly, the critical care nursing competencies (basic).
• Participates in unit-based Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities (data collection, CQI teams, incident reporting, customer complaint reporting, medication error reporting etc.).
• Participates in ongoing educational activities.
• Maintains mandatory educational requirements.
• Performs additional duties when required.

Unit Specific:

• Monitors and cares for chest tube drainage systems.
• Sets up chest tube drainage systems.
• Removes endotracheal tubes.
• Program, care for, and discontinue epidurals.
• Extubates pediatric patients.
• Provides general patient care in PACU.
• Operates Hemocue.
• Cares for hypothermic patients in PACU.
• Implements infection control in PACU.
• Cares for malignant hyperthermia patients in the Operating Room.
• Cares for malignant hyperthermia patients in PACU.
• Prevents and manages nausea and vomiting in PACU.
• Conducts neurological assessments.
• Inserts and cares for oropharyngeal airways.
• Inserts and cares for oropharyngeal airways in pediatric patients.
• Performs patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump skills.
• Administers peripheral nerve blocks.
• Gains peripheral intravenous access and performs fluid resuscitation.
• Provides post-anesthesia care.
• Provides post-anesthesia care for pediatric patients.
• Administers regional blocks.
• Communicates effectively within teams.
• Performs tracheostomy tube care (adult/pediatric):
  • Care for tracheostomy cannula and stoma
  • Suction tracheostomy
  • Clean tracheostomy tube outer cannula and stoma
• Uses defibrillators:
  • Perform cardioversion
  • Perform defibrillation
  • Perform transcutaneous pacing
• Utilizes warm blankets in long-term care.
• Utilizes warm blankets for pediatric patients.

For Pediatrics:

• Implements aspiration precautions for pediatric patients, including:
  • Children or adolescents
  • Children receiving enteral tube feedings
  • Infants
• Calculates fluid requirements for pediatric patients.
• Provides care for pediatric patients with Intravenous Access Devices (IVADs), including:
  • Accessing implanted ports.
  • Sampling blood from implanted ports.
  • Removing non-coring needles from implanted ports.
• Monitors cardiopulmonary status in pediatric patients.
• Prepares chest tubes in pediatric patients, including:
  • Monitoring and caring for drainage systems.
  • Setting up drainage systems.
  • Assisting with the removal of chest tubes.
• Uses a handheld resuscitation bag and mask for pediatric patients.
• Conducts health history interviews and physical assessments for pediatric patients.
• Manages infiltration and extravasation in pediatric patients.
• Administers nebulized drugs to pediatric patients.
• Manages obstructed airways in children and infants.
• Administers oxygen via nasal prongs to neonates.
• Changes in dressings on peripherally inserted central catheters in pediatric patients.
• Manages seizures in pediatric patients.
• Performs tracheostomy care in pediatric patients, including:
  • Suctioning
  • Changing tracheostomy ties
  • Changing tracheostomy tubes

Preceptor’s Responsibilities (when applicable):

• Completes the Preceptor workshop and meets the criteria indicators for the preceptor role on the unit.
• Plans, implements and evaluates the individualized competency-based orientation in collaboration with the orientee, nurse manager, and clinical resource nurse.
• Provides appropriate feedback on time to orientee and Nurse Manager.
• Provides objective documentation to the nurse manager utilizing the American Hospital Dubai’s established standards of care (Competency List “Green Book and Blue Book”).

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing (minimum of three (3) years full-time course duration) or
• Degree in Nursing (minimum two (2) years course duration) and Registration as a Registered Nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
• For UAE nationals graduates of UAE or non-UAE universities are exempted from the experience and clinical training requirements for the applied title. (UAE nationals must submit a copy of their birth certificate and the mother’s family book).
• Non-UAE national graduates from UAE universities are required to successfully complete six (6) months of clinical training post-graduation in an APS health facility (except for Registered and assistant Nurse titles).
• Must hold a valid License/Registration to practice in their home country and/or country of last employment (where applicable).
• Must hold a minimum of a valid Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification or others according to the scope of practice.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of two (2) years of recent post-graduate experience in a Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU).
• Knowledge of and ability to render care and services based on age, appropriateness, and developmental needs of patients.
• Skills in the assessment of patient and family’s physical and psychological needs.
• Skills in coordination and planning of care and prioritizing care based on individual needs.

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