Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse - Feinberg PACU, Full-time, Days

Northwestern Memorial Hospital is an academic medical center in the heart of downtown Chicago with physicians, surgeons and caregivers representing nearly every medical specialty. Northwestern Medicine is proud to have five hospitals ranked among "America’s Best," including Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the only Illinois hospital to be ranked No. 1 for 14 straight years, by U.S. News & World Report, 2025-2026. Anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, which is nationally ranked in 11 clinical specialties, we're leading the quest for better care in the Chicago area and beyond.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital enjoys a teaching and service partnership with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, an integration that provides patients access to leading-edge clinical trials and fosters an environment of world-class patient care, academic inquiry and innovative research. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has also received Magnet® recognition*, the gold-standard for nursing excellence, from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Shift/Schedule: This is a 0.9 FTE position, three 12-hour shifts per week, rotating day shift start times (5:30am, 6:30am, 7:00am); two weekend shifts (one day and one night) per 6-week schedule, one summer holiday, one winter holiday, and one on-call shift every third schedule.

The Feinberg Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is a multifaceted, high-acuity PACU that works in conjunction with the main Feinberg Operating Room (OR) and off-site interventional areas that focus on providing world-class care to patients recovering from anesthesia. Our nurses provide care to some of the most complex surgical patients in the State of Illinois. The PACU is designated for patients who require close monitoring after complex surgical interventions, and to administer pre-operative care from the inpatient areas. This unit allows nurses to advance their skillset by combining cutting-edge technology and critical care thinking to provide evidence-based comprehensive nursing care to our highly complex patient population.

Specialty care and devices include:

• Shock-Cardiogenic, Distributive, Hypovolemic, Obstructive
• Pre-operative care to CABG, transplants, valve surgeries, general surgery, trauma
• Urology
• Interventional Radiology cases
• Post-ablations
• Organ transplants/donors
• Abdominal Surgeries
• Gastric Bypass
• Neurosurgical procedures
• Spinal procedures
• ENT
• Plastics
• Skin grafting procedures
• Lobectomy
• Wedge resections
• Bronchoscopy
• Vascular procedures
• Orthopedic procedures
• EVD
• Shunts
• BiPap
• Ventilators
• LVAD
• Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT)

In addition, the PACU offers an environment that supports unique professional development opportunities for learning and advancement. Nurses have the opportunity to become departmental quality coaches and contribute to advancements in our evidence-based nursing care by participating in our LEAD (Lead, Excel, and Develop) program to enhance care on the unit.

Candidates must have at least two years of ICU, PACU, or ER nursing work experience in order to be considered for this position.

The Pre/Post-Op Clinical Nurse reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization's Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities:

Advocate:

• Practices in accordance with the patient-centered care model.
• Develops an individualized age-specific culturally sensitive nursing plan of care for the patient that is based on the nursing process.
• Incorporates the role of patient advocate into the plan of care.
• Uses a team approach to develop and achieve daily patient-centered individualized care goals.
• Acknowledges and values the contributions of the patient's significant others as an integral part of the plan of care.
• Identifies potential conflict situations and facilitates resolution using established communication channels.
• Promotes and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient.
• Protects patients by maintaining a safe environment.
• Participate in research-related activities which includes evidence-based practice and quality improvement initiatives.
• Practices safe surgery specific post-operative care to include assessment, potential complications and discharge teaching.
• Identifies potential pre-anesthetic surgical risks factors.

Clinical Expert:

• Advances clinical expertise, as demonstrated through pursuit of informal and formal continuing education opportunities and obtaining specialty certification when eligible.
• Continuously enhances skills and abilities to ensure the highest quality patient care.
• Shares knowledge and expertise through educating team members, patients and students.
• Demonstrates critical thinking by integrating theoretical knowledge and expertise to pose relevant clinical questions when evidence and practice differ.
• Identifies priorities, sets realistic and measurable goals, prescribes and implements nursing interventions in a safe and timely manner.
• Develops and implements individualized education plans for patients and families using suitable instructional materials and methods.
• Evaluates and documents the patients' responses to nursing interventions in the health record and properly individualizes the plan of care based on the evaluation of findings.
• Identifies situations that require further intervention and escalates appropriately; consults appropriate experts and resources when needed.
• Participates in the formation, implementation and evaluation of team goals.
• Appropriately delegates and supervises interventions to implement the plan of care.
• Conveys complete, timely and accurate information at hand off at the bedside or any hand off.
• Adheres to ethical standards of practice.
• Possess the knowledge to intervene in the event of a complication or undesired outcome.

Community Volunteer:

• Participates in one or more volunteer initiatives annually, Northwestern Memorial organized or on his/her own.

Compassionate:

• Consistently demonstrates interpersonal connections with patients and families from introduction through discharge.
• Proactively responds to patient concerns such as speaking to patients about possible/expected delays in plan of care.
• Treats patients, families, visitors and staff in a caring manner with respect and dignity.
• Facilities recovery and where appropriate helps ensure a peaceful death for patients.

Professionally Engaged:

• Is a member of a professional organization or participates on an Northwestern Memorial committee or taskforce at the hospital-wide, departmental, or unit level.
• Demonstrates accountability and collaborative practice with co-workers, other disciplines, and departments.
• Assumes responsibility for continued professional growth and education reflecting knowledge and understanding of current nursing practice.
• Serves as a community mentor for team members.
• Serves as a preceptor for new team members.
• Participates in the peer feedback process by conducting a constructive assessment and evaluation of peer performance.
• Works collaboratively with all hospital services to accomplish daily work and maintain an environment of excellence.
• Participates in the development of policies, procedures and systems to support safe and effective care and advance nursing practice at NMH through the Shared Leadership Process.
• Assumes personal responsibility for meeting internal (i.e. Best People profile, ELMs, CPR, and health requirements) and external regulatory and accreditation requirements.
• Identifies opportunities for innovation and quality improvement; participates in innovation projects and the quality improvement process, including unit based quality committees.
• Demonstrates accountability to Northwestern Memorial strategic, operational and fiscal goals.
• Exemplifies a professional image in appearance and communications.
• Maintains and advances the professional image of nursing and the practice of professional nursing through an ongoing analysis of resources: Professional Organizations, literature, electronic resources, etc.

AA/EOE

Required:

• Graduate of an NLN accredited school/college of nursing.
• Baccalaureate degree in Nursing or higher.
• Current State of Illinois, Registered Professional Nurse license.
• Current Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation recognition (healthcare provider level) through the American Heart Association.
• Current ACLS recognition through the American Heart Association.
• Analytic ability (conceptual and quantitative).
• Oral, listening and written communication skills.
• Strong human relation skills to interact effectively and collaborate with others in difficult situations.
• An essential function of this job is the ability to lift/carry weight of up to 35 pounds.
• An essential function of this job is the ability to push/pull with 50 pounds of force.

Preferred:

• Experience in specific clinical area.
• Nursing specialty certification, if eligible.

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.