Travel Nurse RN - PACU - Post Anesthesia Care - $2,649 per week

Care Career is seeking a travel nurse RN PACU - Post Anesthesia Care for a travel nursing job in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Job Description & Requirements

• Specialty: PACU - Post Anesthesia Care
• Discipline: RN
• Start Date: 11/09/2026
• Duration: 13 weeks
• 48 hours per week
• Shift: 12 hours, days
• Employment Type: Travel

PACU RN – Post-Anesthesia Care Unit

📍 Facility: UNMH – University of New Mexico Hospital
🕐 Shift: Day shift, 4 × 12 hours (6:00 AM–6:30 PM)
⏰ Guaranteed Hours: 36 hours/week
💰 Overtime: Paid after 48 hours for contracts signed on or after 10/30/2025
📞 Call: 1–2 overnight call shifts per month
📆 Weekend Requirement: One weekend per month
💻 EMR: Cerner
🏥 Facility: Level I Trauma, teaching hospital, 554 staffed beds
👕 Scrubs: Black
🚗 Radius Rule: No candidates living within 100 miles

Job Details

• PACU nursing care for patients recovering from anesthesia and procedures.
• Pre- and post-procedure care for Cath Lab and Interventional Radiology (IR) is required.
• Support patients following general surgery, ENT, robotic surgery, open-heart surgery, kidney transplant, orthopedic, neurological, urology, and endoscopy procedures.
• Care for patients across age groups, including pediatric patients; limited pediatric experience may be considered.
• Patient ratio in PACU: 1:2.
• May float to the PACU Holding area, where ratios may increase to 1:3–5. Patients in this area may require care comparable to an inpatient PCU assignment.
• Must be willing to work in Pre-Op when needed.
• Phase II PACU experience is highly preferred.

Requirements

• Minimum 2 years of nursing experience.
• Level I Trauma experience — required.
• Telemetry experience — required.
• BLS, ACLS, and PALS — required.
• Must be willing to provide pre-op care.
• First-time travelers may be considered after client screening.
• Travel experience is not explicitly required for this PACU role, but first-time travelers must be screened.
• RQI certifications are not accepted.

Scheduling & Time Off

• Must work 2 of the 3 holiday bundles:
  • Thanksgiving and the day after
  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
  • New Year's Eve and New Year's Day
• No block scheduling.
• RTO exceeding 7 days requires approval; up to 7 days is preferred.
• No RTO during the first 7 days or the final day of the contract.
• Facility may cancel up to 3 shifts during a 13-week assignment.
• Overtime must be approved by the client before being worked.

Additional Information

• COVID-19 vaccination is optional; vaccine documentation or an Aya declination must be uploaded for reporting.
• Flu vaccination is required; medical or religious exemptions only.
• Non-local driver's license must be on file.
• Drug screening is required within 30 days before the start date.
• Compliance documents are due 10 days before the start date.
• Facility parking is free.
• A 6-month system break is required after 1 year or 4 consecutive assignments, whichever comes first.
• Former permanent staff must have a 12-month separation before returning as a traveler.

Important screening note: Do not submit candidates who lack Level I Trauma, Telemetry, or pre/post Cath Lab and IR procedural experience.

About Care Career

Benefits

• Referral bonus
• Weekly pay
• Medical benefits
• Continuing Education
• Dental benefits
• Vision benefits