Post Anesthesia Care Unit RNs provide specialized peri-anesthesia care across pre-anesthesia, recovery, and extended care phases for surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures. Expectations progress from developing competence (Nurse I Levels 1-3) to proficient practice, leadership, evidence-based care, mentoring, quality improvement, policy development, and program-level outcomes (Nurse II-III).
Major duties include: Provide specialized peri-anesthesia nursing care across the continuum of care, including pre-anesthesia, Phase I and II recovery, and extended recovery following sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia. Assess, plan, implement, coordinate, and evaluate age-appropriate patient care utilizing the nursing process and evidence-based practice.
Perform comprehensive patient assessments, identify contraindications to anesthesia or procedures, and implement appropriate nursing interventions. Monitor and evaluate postoperative physiological status, including cardiovascular, respiratory, airway, neurological, hemodynamic, pain, comfort, and mental status needs. Administer medications, sedation-related therapies, and nursing procedures in accordance with established policies, guidelines, and standards of practice.
Coordinate patient care activities with the interdisciplinary team to promote positive patient outcomes, safe care delivery, and customer satisfaction. Provide patient and family education to support self-management, informed decision-making, and continuity of care. Apply critical thinking, clinical judgment, and technical proficiency to manage routine and complex patient care situations.
Maintain knowledge of ASPAN standards, VHA directives, and local policies, procedures, and standard operating practices. Ensure timely, complete, and accurate documentation of all phases of care within the electronic health record. Participate in quality improvement, patient safety, and evidence-based practice initiatives to enhance clinical outcomes and operational effectiveness.
Serve as a resource to colleagues by sharing knowledge, mentoring staff, and fostering a supportive professional practice environment. Demonstrate leadership through collaboration, problem-solving, policy development, and contributions to program and service-level improvements. Support a culture of excellence by evaluating care processes, contributing to practice improvements, and promoting high-quality patient-centered care.
May be required to participate in on-call coverage and respond to patient care needs outside of regular duty hours.
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m.
- 4:00 p.m., 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., 11:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet. IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S.
Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
This position is with Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs.
The posted pay range is $85610 – $173974/yr.
Applications close on 2026-11-04.
This is a Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., 11:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. position.
This position is open under the 'Fed Internal Search' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government · Retrieved 2026-10-26 · Not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.gov
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