Are you an experienced nurse who enjoys working with different members of the health care team? Perhaps you are an LPN or RN wanting to grow your career and are looking for recovery RN jobs available near you. If so, you will be interested in discovering the description and qualifications for becoming a recovery RN.
What is a Recovery RN?
A Recovery Registered Nurse or Recovery RN is responsible for postoperative care in health facilities including acute care and ambulatory care facilities. The recovery RN is also responsible for preventing any postoperative acute complications and intervening if complications from a surgery occur.
Other names for a Recovery RN are Perianesthesia Nurse, Recovery Nurse, Recovery Room Nurse, Registered Nurse – Recovery, or Staff Nurse – Recovery Room.
Recovery RN Job Description
Recovery RNs care for patients post-surgery. The type of care depends on what type of surgery is performed. Patients can be of any age, from newborns to the elderly. Recovery RNs check vital signs, clean wounds, monitor progress, and administer medication.
A recovery RN develops patient care plans with the surgeon, attending physician, and anesthesiologist. They also offer support to patients who are waking up from anesthesia post-surgery. This support can include maintaining a patient’s bandages, managing their pain, treating any postoperative nausea, and making sure that recovering patients get enough rest, nutrients, and fluids so they can heal.
Recovery RN jobs include observing a patient’s progress, recording their observations in the patient’s chart, and informing any attending physicians of changes to a patient’s progress post-surgery.
It’s also a recovery RN’s job to teach patients how to take their medication, how to clean wounds and bandage them, and any other postoperative care instructions necessary before the patient can go home.
Recovery RNs typically report to a department manager or unit head.
If you apply for this job, you must have an abundance of patience, compassion, persistence, and enjoy helping people. You also need good relationship-building skills, a professional demeanor, like keeping things clean and orderly, and the ability to work as part of a team.
Recovery RN Job Qualifications
What kind of qualifications do you need to be a successful recovery RN? Qualifications include:
- Certification to practice as an RN or APRN
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN)
- A state nursing license and/or certification to practice as an RN
- Basic Life Support (BLS or BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications
- American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing certification
- Excellent skills in communication, interpersonal interactions, assessment, and working on a team
- Must be able to problem-solve
- A flexible schedule, ability to work day or night shifts, on weekends and holidays
- Able to stand for long periods at a time
- Ability to make quick decisions, make urgent referrals to physicians, and work under pressure
- Knowledge of respiratory and cardiovascular physiology, pathophysiology, and care
- Knowledge of how to use and manage a ventilator
Recovery RN Responsibilities
As a recovery RN, you will act as the primary caregiver to patients after surgery. This includes performing ongoing assessments including observation, physical examination, laboratory/test results, and patient response to surgery.
You will be accountable for analyzing lab results and reporting them to the physician, as well as monitoring patient progress and updating patient medical records as needed.
Equally as important responsibilities include:
- Cleaning wounds and managing bandages
- Managing and administering medication
- Maintaining patient intravenous therapy
- Providing education to the patient/family/significant other according to organizational standards
- Implementing a plan of care according to identified physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs
- Reviewing and revising the plan of care according to changes in the patient’s status
The recovery RN position is among many nursing job opportunities at the award-winning not-for-profit health care facility, Eisenhower Health. At Eisenhower Health, we pride ourselves on offering continuing education and support to our nursing professionals so that our patients receive the best care possible.
Do you want to be an integral part of Eisenhower’s nursing excellence? Apply today.
Originally posted on 16/8/2022