5 Advantages of Being a Progressive Care Unit Travel Nurse

Nurses interested in a high-impact position that allows them to experience new places should consider progressive care unit nursing travel positions. 

What is progressive care unit nursing? In short, PCU nursing jobs require providing much-needed medical attention to patients who require frequent monitoring and assessment but lack the instability for ICU care. 

Check out these five reasons progressive care unit nursing might be what you're looking for.

1. Progressive Care Unit Nursing Bridges the Gap Between ICU and Medical-Surgical Units

Some patients have greater needs than the limited care offered in medical-surgical units but do not meet the criteria to justify transfer to intensive care. 

Nurses in progressive care units are trained to respond to the heightened needs of these patients at a lower cost than would be generated in the ICU. 

This ensures patients receive the exact care they need rather than too much or too little intervention from other units.

2. PCU Nursing Jobs Put You in the Path of Patient Recovery

Many of the patients who enter progressive care units have recovered somewhat from their ICU care. 

Studies have shown that the length of time a patient spends in ICU directly impacts their overall recovery outlook. 

RNs who work in progressive care unit nursing provide a service that improves patient outcomes and have a unique opportunity to step into the picture after patients have already shown signs of improvement.

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3. No Schooling is Needed to Obtain PCCN Certification 

Progressive care unit nursing does not require additional education beyond your initial nursing degree. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recognizes progressive care unit nursing as an element of critical care and offers PCCN certification to nurses who choose PCU career paths. 

To obtain this certification, nurses need an unencumbered RN or APRN license, must meet the minimum required hours of experience working with acutely ill patients, and will need to pass the PCCN exam.

4. Travel PCU Nursing Jobs Expose You to a Greater Variety of Patient Cases

Taking a travel progressive care unit nursing position provides exposure to cases from various regions, increasing your knowledge overall. 

This is especially important in critical care roles, like progressive care unit nursing, where many patients' lives depend on the experience of nursing staff. Experiential variety improves your skillset, leading to improved care.

5. Room for Growth

Progressive care unit nursing is still a relatively new concept. Few studies have been done regarding PCU impact, and guidelines are still being established. 

Specializing in this field puts RNs in a pioneering position to take the initiative and impact future PCU policies and standards.

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Additional Nursing Resources:

• AMN Passport: Our all-in-one nursing app for booking nursing jobs.
• Nursing Salary & Benefits: AMN Healthcare offers our nurses some amazing salaries and benefits. Find out what's in store for your nursing career today.
• Travel Nurse Licensing: Find out about nursing requirements for all 50 states.
• Exclusive Facilities: AMN Healthcare has relationships with the most sought-after healthcare providers.
• Refer-a-Friend: Make up to $2,000 per referral.