In range for Colorado travel rolesColorado travel postings that state pay run $1,740/week to $2,580/week, the middle half $1,990/week to $2,310/week, across 203 postings.
American Traveler is hiring a PCU RN with 2 years of experience and an active CO or compact RN license for a fast-paced, high-acuity progressive care unit.
Details
Work in a 36-bed Medical PCU with a fast-paced, high-acuity, diverse patient population
Nurse-to-patient ratios of 1:3 or 1:4 on days and nights, which may flex up based on staffing and unit needs
Special procedures include scopes and biopsies requiring moderate sedation, cardioversion, and urgent dialysis performed by a dialysis RN
Common drips include insulin, diltiazem, amiodarone, nicardipine, heparin, lasix, and dobutamine
Rotating 3x12 shifts, days (0700-1900) and nights (1900-0700), various days of the week
Weekend shifts required per unit needs
No on-call requirements
Floating required within scope, including to sister facilities as needed
Uses Epic charting system
Requirements
Active CO or Compact RN license required
Current BLS and ACLS certifications required
Minimum 2 years of RN experience required
Epic charting experience required
Experience working in environments with flexible nurse-to-patient staffing ratios required
Trauma Level I experience preferred
Skills in IV therapy/phlebotomy, arterial and central line management, and starting/maintaining IVs required
Experience managing cardiac and vasoactive drips without titration
Experience with telemetry monitoring and interpretation/management of dysrhythmias
Experience with isolation precautions and PPE use
Additional Information
Join an engaged, team-oriented, and supportive PCU nursing team
Candidates must complete all facility-specific modules within the first week of assignment
First-time travelers will be considered if experience requirements are met
Candidates previously employed by UCHealth or its affiliates must disclose this during consideration
Maximum of 10 RTO days per 13-week contract, with blackout periods during high-census times
No blocked scheduling requests permitted
Local candidates accepted at a reduced bill rate if residing within 75 miles of the facility
Neighborhoods+Nurses and young professionals who post in r/AuroraCO cluster in the southeast—south of E Quincy Ave, south of Iliff, and generally south of Mississippi—where a roughly 20-minute in-city commute is treated as worth the quieter streets. Named safer, higher-income pockets include Aurora Highlands (small-town feel, good schools, its own search demand), Saddle Rock, Saddle Rock Ridge, Saddle Rock Highlands, Piney Creek, Tallyn’s Reach, Seven Hills, Conservatory, and Sterling Hills; Facebook also flags the NW quad of Bayview Wellington. North Aurora is the area locals tell movers to skip. The city mixes master-planned new builds, older stock, and 55+ communities across a ~165-square-mile footprint of nearly 400,000 people.
Nurses and young professionals who post in r/AuroraCO cluster in the southeast—south of E Quincy Ave, south of Iliff, and generally south of Mississippi—where a roughly 20-minute in-city commute is treated as worth the quieter streets. Named safer, higher-income pockets include Aurora Highlands (small-town feel, good schools, its own search demand), Saddle Rock, Saddle Rock Ridge, Saddle Rock Highlands, Piney Creek, Tallyn’s Reach, Seven Hills, Conservatory, and Sterling Hills; Facebook also flags the NW quad of Bayview Wellington.
North Aurora is the area locals tell movers to skip. The city mixes master-planned new builds, older stock, and 55+ communities across a ~165-square-mile footprint of nearly 400,000 people.
Getting around+Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado are in Aurora, so many nursing shifts are a local drive rather than a Denver commute. Northern Aurora is about 25 minutes to downtown Denver; the southeastern side runs 35–45 minutes, and Reddit locals treat a 20-minute in-city hop as a win. Peak delays hit I-225 and E-470; RTD light rail exists but coverage is thin (Transit Score 35, Walk Score 43, Bike Score 53), so most people drive. Centennial is about 15 minutes into Aurora; Littleton about 25.
Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado are in Aurora, so many nursing shifts are a local drive rather than a Denver commute. Northern Aurora is about 25 minutes to downtown Denver; the southeastern side runs 35–45 minutes, and Reddit locals treat a 20-minute in-city hop as a win.
Peak delays hit I-225 and E-470; RTD light rail exists but coverage is thin (Transit Score 35, Walk Score 43, Bike Score 53), so most people drive. Centennial is about 15 minutes into Aurora; Littleton about 25.
Outdoors+Cherry Creek State Park and Aurora Reservoir are the in-city backyard: miles of trails, picnic areas, boating, and stand-up paddleboarding with Front Range views. Hogan Park holds the large "Umi" sculpture; 12 Mile Stables offers guided horseback rides. Weekend trips from r/AuroraCO point to Evergreen Lake, Mount Falcon, Lookout Mountain, and Red Rocks—because Aurora itself is flatter and farther from the mountains than west-metro suburbs. Visitor guides also flag family pools and lazy-river resorts.
Cherry Creek State Park and Aurora Reservoir are the in-city backyard: miles of trails, picnic areas, boating, and stand-up paddleboarding with Front Range views. Hogan Park holds the large "Umi" sculpture; 12 Mile Stables offers guided horseback rides.
Weekend trips from r/AuroraCO point to Evergreen Lake, Mount Falcon, Lookout Mountain, and Red Rocks—because Aurora itself is flatter and farther from the mountains than west-metro suburbs. Visitor guides also flag family pools and lazy-river resorts.
Check the commute at your shift’s start and end, upfront housing costs, and whether moving assistance must be repaid if you leave.
Living in Aurora
Aurora is Colorado’s third-largest city—nearly 400,000 people across 165 square miles of eastern Denver metro prairie, not a mountain town and not a downtown. For a nurse the draw is Anschutz Medical Campus and Children’s Hospital Colorado inside city limits. Live southeast: Aurora Highlands, Saddle Rock, Piney Creek, Tallyn’s Reach, or south of E Quincy Ave; skip North Aurora. You will drive (Transit Score 35) with rush-hour backups on I-225 and E-470; northern Aurora is about 25 minutes to downtown Denver, the far southeast 35–45. Housing undercuts central Denver—median homes around $409,700–$470,000, rents roughly $1,600–$1,760—but still runs about 25% above the national average. Crime is falling yet neighborhood-dependent. Stanley Marketplace, Annette, Helga’s, Bent Barley, and 400+ ethnic restaurants are the hangouts; Cherry Creek State Park and Aurora Reservoir are the backyard. Tradeoffs locals own: sprawl, no downtown, little walkability, and a longer haul to the mountains than west-metro suburbs.
