Registered Practical Nurse, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

Post-anesthesia care offers nurses the opportunity to build specialized surgical skills through variety, complexity. As a Registered Practical Nurse, Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) at Mount Sinai Hospital, you will work closely with patients, where changes in recovery are dynamic and you have close visualization to support them. This role puts your full RPN scope of practice to use as you strengthen your post-anesthesia assessment skills and ability to recognize acuity changes early. Mount Sinai's internationally recognized sarcoma program and specialty areas in inflammatory bowel disease, orthopaedics, gynaecology and pain management give you experience with complex surgical recoveries across distinct patient populations. Additional exposure to medical day infusion patients extends your practice beyond the surgical suites. Your schedule stays consistent, running Monday to Friday with no night shifts or overnight patient care, a structure not often found in perioperative nursing. Here, your nursing expertise becomes an essential link between the operating room and a patient's return to everyday life.

Is this you?
Are you skilled at assessing patients and supporting their progression through post-operative recovery? Strong clinical vigilance keeps your assessment sharp as patients emerge from anesthesia. Through Phase II and III recoveries, your careful observation of post-operative outcomes tells you when to escalate a concern. The same attentiveness applies before surgery, ensuring each patient is optimized for their procedure. Patients benefit from a safer surgical experience, and your clinical judgment grows stronger with it.

Clear and effective communication is one of your core strengths, supported by consistent active listening. Whether handing a patient off to the Operating Room, anesthesia or discussing a plan of care with RNs and physicians, you keep information concise and accurate, ensuring nothing important is lost in the exchange. Conversations with patients and families are just as important, especially when explaining what to expect before and after surgery. This helps patients feel informed and gives the interdisciplinary team confidence in what you pass on.

Strong critical thinking allows you to work independently with confidence. Whether checking in patients, supporting their recovery or caring for medical day patients, you identify priorities that keep care moving. Optimizing patients for discharge home or transfer to an inpatient unit calls on your ability to anticipate what each patient needs next. Managing patient flow this way keeps the unit running smoothly. It also gives you meaningful ownership over how care is delivered each day.

About this team:
The Post Anesthetic Care Unit (PACU) at Mount Sinai Hospital cares for patients before and after surgery, supporting over 8,000 elective surgeries and 2,000 emergency cases each year. Our patients include elective pre-operative, day surgery and same day admission post-operative patients. The unit also cares for patients receiving specialty procedures that require anesthesia. Specialties served include Cardiology, Psychiatry, Endoscopy, Wasser Pain Blocks and Interventional Radiology. Along with scheduled cases, the PACU supports emergency surgery during the day, overnight and on weekends.

In this role you will:

• Ensure patients are optimized for surgery pre-operatively
• Provide care and support to medical day care patients
• Care for patients post-operatively, optimizing patients for either discharge home, or transfer to inpatient units
• Address patient care needs pre- and post-operatively, addressing post-operative outcomes while assessing and supporting them through Phase II and III of recovery
• Provide patient and family-centered pre and post-operative education
• Participate in ongoing training to stay updated on the latest medical advancements
• Provide supervision and mentorship to nursing learners and new staff
• Perform other duties consistent with the job classification as required

Job Requirements:
Mandatory

• Currently registered and in good standing with the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO)
• Graduate of a CNO-approved Practical Nursing (PN) program. Equivalent combined education and experience will be considered
• Current Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certification

Preferred

• 1 year of post-operative surgical nursing experience
• Previous surgical clinical experience in an acute care hospital

Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent health and clinical assessment skills
• Demonstrated ability in providing quality patient-focused care and addressing the fundamental care needs of patients and their families
• Proven ability to make sound professional judgements and practice decisions, and demonstrate effective time-management and organizational skills in a fast-paced work environment
• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Excellent problem solving and critical thinking skills
• Excellent oral, written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively in interprofessional teams

If this sounds like you and you feel ready to build your nursing career within Post-Anesthesia Care, apply now and let us know why you’d be a great addition to our team.