What are the responsibilities and job description for the Registered Nurse - PreOp/PACU - Duke Health Cary position at Duke?
At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.
Duke Health Cary
Opening in Spring 2027, the next phase of this 85-acre, mixed use walkable Duke Health Cary campus will add emergency services, inpatient care, surgical services, imaging, specialty care, and infusion services, creating more than 230 career opportunities. Joining Duke Health Cary offers the opportunity to build something new, grow your career, and support our mission of advancing health across the communities we serve.
Duke Nursing Highlights:
- Duke University Health System is designated as a Magnet organization
- Nurses from each hospital are consistently recognized each year as North Carolina's Great 100 Nurses.
- Duke University Health System was awarded the American Board of Nursing Specialties Award for Nursing Certification Advocacy for being strong advocates of specialty nursing certification.
- Duke University Health System has 6000 registered nurses
- Quality of Life: Living in the Triangle!
- Relocation Assistance (based on eligibility)
Duke Health Cary Surgery Center
Duke Health is seeking experienced, high-performing perioperative professionals to join the founding team of the new Duke Health Cary Surgery Center, a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center opening in 2027. This unique opportunity allows team members to help build a culture of excellence, innovation, flexibility, and patient-centered care from the ground up. The center will feature six operating/procedure rooms, including advanced robotic surgery capabilities with two da Vinci surgical systems, and will provide outpatient surgical services across multiple specialties, including urology, plastic surgery, breast oncology, general surgery, gynecology, ENT, and pediatric urology, ENT, and orthopedic procedures.
Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking team members who:
- Have a minimum of two years of ambulatory or outpatient surgical experience
- Thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment
- Embrace flexibility in scheduling and work assignments
- Demonstrate accountability, reliability, and professionalism
- Are committed to continuous learning and cross-training
- Think innovatively and contribute ideas that improve quality, safety, efficiency, and patient experience
- Enjoy helping build new programs and serving as change agents
- Are passionate about delivering exceptional patient care
Our Culture
At Duke Health Cary Surgery Center, every team member will be expected to:
- Put patients first in every decision
- Work collaboratively as one team across the perioperative continuum
- Support staffing flexibility and operational excellence
- Maintain competencies across multiple clinical workflows and settings
- Practice lean principles and continuous improvement
- Embrace innovation and new technology
- Demonstrate operational awareness and ownership of center performance
- Foster a culture of respect, belonging, accountability, and psychological safety
- Take pride in building one of the region's most advanced ambulatory surgery centers from day one
The team is expected to be flexible, accountable, innovative, patient-focused, and committed to continuous learning and operational excellence. Staff will support cross-functional teamwork, embrace change, and help create a high-performing surgery center culture.
Planned Start Dates
- Employee start dates: February 8 or 22, 2027
- First patient scheduled: Early April 2027
Join us in building the future of ambulatory surgery at Duke Health Cary.
Minimum Qualifications
Education
Work requires graduation from an accredited BSN program. Exception: Registered nurses hired between July 1, 2014 and April 11, 2021 without a Bachelor'sdegree in Nursing (or higher) are encouraged to enroll in an appropriate BSN program within two years of their start date but must complete the program within seven years of their start date. Registered nurses hired before July 1, 2014 are not required to enroll in a BSN program to remain in this job classification.
Experience
Twelve months of appropriate clinical experience is required. A minimum of two years of ambulatory or outpatient surgical experience is highly preferred.
Degrees, Licensures, Certifications
Must have current or compact RN licensure in the state of North Carolina. BLS required.
Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions:
Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.