[Friesw/that]

i am a recent cpan
to those of you already certified, what sorts of things are you doing to get contact hrs. for recert
i am considering taking a class toward another degree---i see the packet says we can take medical spanish, and it counts, but i do need statistics
also we are writing a pacu orientation manual(per standards)
anyone do the ce's offered online by aspan?
just looking for some ideas
thanks

[angel03]

Originally Posted by Friesw/that

i am a recent cpan
to those of you already certified, what sorts of things are you doing to get contact hrs. for recert
i am considering taking a class toward another degree---i see the packet says we can take medical spanish, and it counts, but i do need statistics
also we are writing a pacu orientation manual(per standards)
anyone do the ce's offered online by aspan?
just looking for some ideas
thanks

I am not familiar with the initials cpan...please explain?

[kyti]

Originally Posted by angel03

I am not familiar with the initials cpan...please explain?

Certified Peri-Anesthesia Nurse

[kyti]

Originally Posted by Friesw/that

i am a recent cpan
to those of you already certified, what sorts of things are you doing to get contact hrs. for recert
i am considering taking a class toward another degree---i see the packet says we can take medical spanish, and it counts, but i do need statistics
also we are writing a pacu orientation manual(per standards)
anyone do the ce's offered online by aspan?
just looking for some ideas
thanks

I am going back to school, also present inservices and attend seminars

[sharann]

ACLS and PALS count once per re-cert period. I will use a couple of my on-line BSN nursing coursework(they have direct care and indirect care units for CPAN. Assessment woud be a direct care type). I do CE's online from Nurseweek and the journals, as well as orienting new staff and students. It's every 3 years right?

[TX_RN_CAPA]

Originally Posted by Friesw/that

i am a recent cpan
to those of you already certified, what sorts of things are you doing to get contact hrs. for recert
i am considering taking a class toward another degree---i see the packet says we can take medical spanish, and it counts, but i do need statistics
also we are writing a pacu orientation manual(per standards)
anyone do the ce's offered online by aspan?
just looking for some ideas
thanks

Your nursing classes can be used towards your CPAN recertification. Depending on the type of class determines whether it counts as Direct Care or Indirect Care. I believe the 1st renewal must be 60+ hours Direct Care and up to 30 hours Indirect Care. The nursing Statistics class I took for my BSN counted as Indirect Care for my CAPA recertification (Also through ABPANC). The best part is that the 3 credit hour stats class counts as 45 CE for recertification (each 1 credit hour course for school = 15 CE). My last recertification application, I quit adding at 220 CE!

Congratulations on obtaining your CPAN certification!!
Susan

[stevierae]

Originally Posted by TX_RN_CAPA

Your nursing classes can be used towards your CPAN recertification. Depending on the type of class determines whether it counts as Direct Care or Indirect Care. I believe the 1st renewal must be 60+ hours Direct Care and up to 30 hours Indirect Care. The nursing Statistics class I took for my BSN counted as Indirect Care for my CAPA recertification (Also through ABPANC). The best part is that the 3 credit hour stats class counts as 45 CE for recertification (each 1 credit hour course for school = 15 CE). My last recertification application, I quit adding at 220 CE!

Congratulations on obtaining your CPAN certification!!
Susan

So, what do CPANs do, exactly? I mean, are you also operating room nurses? If so, do you have an expanded role--that is, are you allowed to perform functions that we are not? Do you work for the Department of Anesthesia or Perioperative Services, or what? I'd like to hear more... I, too, am unfamiliar with this term...I've always maintained my ACLS certification, as an OR nurse, and wherever I have worked the OR nurses function as a "right hand" to anesthesia, doing whatever needs to be done--pushing drugs, bagging, starting IVs, both pediatric and adult....just curious why they have created this new title/new role...

Or--wait--am I misunderstanding--are CPANs PACU RNs?

I wish that everything would stop changing on us, name wise. I remember when PACU was "Recovery Room" and the nurses "Recovery Room Nurses." I also remember when we were simply "Operating Room Nurses." That's what I still prefer to be called.

Even our own professional organization has changed its name.

Now, instead of "Association of Operating Room Nurses" we are "Association of periOperative Registered Nurses." Stupid, in my opinion. It was fine the way it was.

[TX_RN_CAPA]

Originally Posted by stevierae

So, what do CPANs do, exactly? I mean, are you also operating room nurses? If so, do you have an expanded role--that is, are you allowed to perform functions that we are not? Do you work for the Department of Anesthesia or Perioperative Services, or what? I'd like to hear more... I, too, am unfamiliar with this term...I've always maintained my ACLS certification, as an OR nurse, and wherever I have worked the OR nurses function as a "right hand" to anesthesia, doing whatever needs to be done--pushing drugs, bagging, starting IVs, both pediatric and adult....just curious why they have created this new title/new role...

Or--wait--am I misunderstanding--are CPANs PACU RNs?

I wish that everything would stop changing on us, name wise. I remember when PACU was "Recovery Room" and the nurses "Recovery Room Nurses." I also remember when we were simply "Operating Room Nurses." That's what I still prefer to be called.

Even our own professional organization has changed its name.

Now, instead of "Association of Operating Room Nurses" we are "Association of periOperative Registered Nurses." Stupid, in my opinion. It was fine the way it was.

Stevierae,

I agree, the changing is sometimes out of control.
CPAN (Certified Post Anesthesia Nurses) are PACU/Recovery Room nurses. CAPA nurses (Certified Ambulatory PeriAnesthesia Nurses) are Day Surgery, PreAdmission Testing etc nurses. We hold certification the same way OR nurses hold CNOR certification. Certification is an means of validating the nurses knowledge in their field of practice. Not all PACU/RR nurses are CPANs and not all Day Surgery/PAT nurses are CAPAs.
Our national organization, American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (ASPAN), also underwent a name change a few years ago.

Hope this helps clarify it a little.
Susan

Of course, the only constant in life is change!

[sharann]

Yep. Lots of alphabet soup to say that we are still nurses who know our stuff!

[stevierae]

Originally Posted by sharann

Yep. Lots of alphabet soup to say that we are still nurses who know our stuff!

Yeah, you guys sure do, no doubt about that!!

I am always impressed by what excellent patient advocates the RNs who work in PACU are.

They'll (you'll!) get right up in an anesthesiologist's face and tell him he is NOT starting his next case until the problems with the patient he just dropped off are more in control.

Some of our wishy-washy OR supervisors who don't like to "make waves" could sure take a lesson from you guys. Too often, when WE try to advocate for our patients by stating that we are NOT going ahead with a case until A, B, or C--potential dangerous or suboptimal patient care conditions-- is corrected, we find ourselves in the supervisor's office, being told that's "not our call."

However, they are the first ones to throw stones and point fingers if they perceive we did NOT do enough in terms of patient advocacy--which is, after all, our JOB and our main function....the circulator is ALSO in charge of his or her room....but only when the supervisor needs someone to "blame."

I just do my job and let the chips fall where they may. I was taught LONG ago that the circulator is in charge of the room, and that's how I run my room--I don't need "the desk" or the OR supervisor to validate my patient care decisions for me. Being chastised doesn't bother me. OR supervisors seem to come and go--they are always climbing the corporate ladder, and always seem to have some secondary agenda.

Gosh, sorry for the vent! Do nurses that work in PACU encounter the same problems with your own department supervisors--you know, the ones that always seem to be in "meetings," and rarely if EVER do hands-on patient care, or are they all pretty supportive?