What experience do you need to be a PCU travel nurse?

Usually 1–2 years of recent PCU or stepdown experience; some take strong telemetry or ICU nurses. Requirements are set by each hospital, so check the job post.

What certifications do PCU / Stepdown travel nurses need?

Most PCU / Stepdown contracts require BLS and ACLS, and many prefer NIHSS and PCCN. Bring current cards: agencies verify them before submitting you.

What is the nurse-to-patient ratio for PCU / Stepdown?

Only California sets ratios in law: 1 nurse to 3 patients (Title 22 CCR §70217). Elsewhere it's hospital policy, so ask on the interview.

PCU travel nurse

Also posted as stepdown, progressive care, IMCU and intermediate care.

Usually 1–2 years of recent PCU or stepdown experience; some take strong telemetry or ICU nurses. Most contracts require BLS and ACLS; many prefer NIHSS and PCCN. California, the only state with ratios in law, caps PCU / Stepdown at 1 nurse to 3 patients.

Updated October 2026

Patients too sick for the floor but not in the ICU: cardiac drips, BiPAP, post-ICU. Units go by many names, so search for all of them.

What agencies ask for

Experience: Usually 1–2 years of recent PCU or stepdown experience; some take strong telemetry or ICU nurses.
Required on most contracts: BLS and ACLS
Often preferred: NIHSS and PCCN
Also expect: A skills checklist and references from your recent PCU / Stepdown managers, and a license for the state (or a multistate license where it applies).

Ratios and floating

California minimum: 1 nurse to 3 patients. Title 22 §70217

Traveler reports on PCU / Stepdown ratios and floating appear here once a hospital's PCU / Stepdown has 3 reports. Report a unit you worked on.

What PCU / Stepdown travelers were offered

No PCU / Stepdown offers shared yet. Pay is published as medians once 3 travelers have shared.

Decode a PCU / Stepdown job post Share an offer anonymously

Ask before you sign

Which drips can you titrate here, and do you take patients on BiPAP?
Do you float to the ICU or to telemetry?
How often do travelers float, and to which units? Is floating limited to units like this one?
What's the usual ratio on days and on nights, and who covers breaks?
How many orientation shifts do travelers get, and are they paid?
Which charting system does the unit use?

Questions

What experience do you need to be a PCU travel nurse?: Usually 1–2 years of recent PCU or stepdown experience; some take strong telemetry or ICU nurses. Requirements are set by each hospital, so check the job post.
What certifications do PCU / Stepdown travel nurses need?: Most PCU / Stepdown contracts require BLS and ACLS, and many prefer NIHSS and PCCN. Bring current cards: agencies verify them before submitting you.
What is the nurse-to-patient ratio for PCU / Stepdown?: Only California sets ratios in law: 1 nurse to 3 patients (Title 22 CCR §70217). Elsewhere it's hospital policy, so ask on the interview.

Other specialties: ICU · ER · Labor & Delivery · Med-Surg · Telemetry · OR · Pediatrics · NICU · Psych