Staff Nurse - PACU

Role Overview

Staff Nurse – PACU at American Hospital Dubai. The role provides direct and indirect age-specific care for assigned patients in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit per scheduled shifts.

Role Purpose

Deliver professional nursing care and ensure patient safety in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit through assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention, evaluation, and care coordination across the healthcare continuum. Abide by Joint Commission International requirements, including International Patient Safety Goals, and national and international standards.

Key Responsibilities

Patient-Centered Care

• Provide age-specific patient-centered care utilizing the nursing process.
• Perform patient assessment using appropriate, problem-focused, and age-specific assessment techniques.
• Perform continual critical care assessment of patient and family's physical and psychological needs.
• Involve the patient, significant others, and health care providers in the plan of care when appropriate.
• Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team to provide patient care.
• Coordinate and plan critical care and clinical pathway, and prioritize care, based on individual needs.
• Revise the care plan as necessary.
• Initiate appropriate transfer plan.
• Recognize subtle cues to anticipate potential problems.

Documentation & Safety

• Document all relevant data in the medical record according to hospital and departmental standards.
• Ensure availability and maintenance of supplies and equipment needed for the unit and patient care.
• Maintain a safe environment for patients and staff.
• Perform safe handling and administering of Narcotic, Controlled, and Semi-Controlled Drugs and documentation as directed by policies and procedures.

Compliance & Professional Development

• Assume responsibility for meeting Joint Commission International Accreditation required mandatory education including fire safety, safety, infection control, and others.
• Perform clerical duties when needed.
• Participate in staff meetings and unit committees and projects.
• Participate in developing and achieving unit goals.
• Ensure completion of unit competencies including pain management and utilization of Emergency Department devices.
• Maintain clinical and professional competency based on the latest research and established standards of practice.
• Complete yearly critical care nursing competencies (basic).
• Participate in unit-based Continuous Quality Improvement activities including data collection, CQI teams, incident reporting, customer complaint reporting, and medication error reporting.
• Participate in ongoing educational activities.
• Maintain mandatory educational requirements.
• Perform additional duties when required.

Airway Management

• Remove endotracheal tubes.
• Extubate pediatric patients.
• Insert and care for oropharyngeal airways.
• Insert and care for oropharyngeal airways in pediatric patients.
• Perform tracheostomy tube care for adults and pediatric patients, including care for tracheostomy cannula and stoma, suctioning, and cleaning tracheostomy tube outer cannula and stoma.
• Manage obstructed airways in children and infants.

Chest Tube Management

• Monitor and care for chest tube drainage systems.
• Set up chest tube drainage systems.
• Prepare chest tubes in pediatric patients, including monitoring and caring for drainage systems, setting up drainage systems, and assisting with the removal of chest tubes.

Anesthesia & Pain Management

• Provide post-anesthesia care.
• Provide post-anesthesia care for pediatric patients.
• Program, care for, and discontinue epidurals.
• Perform patient-controlled analgesia pump skills.
• Administer peripheral nerve blocks.
• Administer regional blocks.
• Prevent and manage nausea and vomiting in PACU.

Vascular Access & Fluid Management

• Gain peripheral intravenous access and perform fluid resuscitation.
• Provide care for pediatric patients with Intravenous Access Devices, including accessing implanted ports, sampling blood from implanted ports, and removing non-coring needles from implanted ports.
• Manage infiltration and extravasation in pediatric patients.
• Change dressings on peripherally inserted central catheters in pediatric patients.

Monitoring & Assessment

• Conduct neurological assessments.
• Operate Hemocue.
• Monitor cardiopulmonary status in pediatric patients.
• Conduct health history interviews and physical assessments for pediatric patients.

Specialized Patient Care

• Care for hypothermic patients in PACU.
• Care for malignant hyperthermia patients in the Operating Room.
• Care for malignant hyperthermia patients in PACU.
• Implement infection control in PACU.
• Provide general patient care in PACU.
• Utilize warm blankets in long-term care.
• Utilize warm blankets for pediatric patients.

Emergency & Critical Care Skills

• Operate defibrillators, including performing cardioversion, defibrillation, and transcutaneous pacing.
• Use a handheld resuscitation bag and mask for pediatric patients.

Pediatric-Specific Care

• Implement aspiration precautions for pediatric patients, including children, adolescents, children receiving enteral tube feedings, and infants.
• Calculate fluid requirements for pediatric patients.
• Administer nebulized drugs to pediatric patients.
• Administer oxygen via nasal prongs to neonates.
• Manage seizures in pediatric patients.
• Perform tracheostomy care in pediatric patients, including suctioning, changing tracheostomy ties, and changing tracheostomy tubes.

Communication

• Communicate effectively within teams.

Preceptor Responsibilities (When Applicable)

• Complete the Preceptor workshop and meet the criteria indicators for the preceptor role on the unit.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate the individualized competency-based orientation in collaboration with the orientee, nurse manager, and clinical resource nurse.
• Provide appropriate feedback on time to orientee and Nurse Manager.
• Provide objective documentation to the nurse manager utilizing American Hospital Dubai's established standards of care (Competency List "Green Book and Blue Book").

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in nursing with minimum of three years full-time course duration, OR Degree in Nursing with minimum two years course duration and Registration as a Registered Nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, or Australia.
• Minimum of two 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.

Special Provisions 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.

Special Provisions for Non-UAE National Graduates

• Non-UAE national graduates from UAE universities are required to successfully complete six months of clinical training post-graduation in an APS health facility (except for Registered and Assistant Nurse titles).

Skills & Competencies

• Valid License or Registration to practice in home country or country of last employment (where applicable).
• Minimum of valid Basic Life Support Certification or others according to the scope of practice.