You might be a PACU nurse if... - Page 4

You get a thrill pulling the leads off a hairy chest.

You give guys a "man-o-lantern" when pulling leads off a hairy chest.

You call the floor to give report and the secretary says, "They're in report right now - she'll call you back." Uh - yeah - I'm trying to give report!

The floor asks in report when the patient's last BM was. (?????)

So very, very true! haha!

You hear vent alarms in your sleep

"The redirection techniques they teach you in nursing school, do not work with a confused, combative post-operative patient.

Every time you hear an alarm or anything similar you call out "Take a deep breath"


These sound just like me!!!!! Last surgery i had I punched my nurse, kicked my mother and kept pulling the o2 mask off.

"Oh pt. has a history of post op n/v, Anesthesia "I gave them 4 of Zofran in back"
Awesome that'll work out great!

Vomiting has ensued, anesthesia orders to give another 4 of Zofran! Never has this drug worked in stopping the vomit!"

so its not just me it doesnt work for? good to know!

The surgeons come out of the OR ranting about why their room is on hold. (Because we are full .)

The same surgeon then randomly goes to a bedside asking very loudly if this patient isnt ready to go to floor. (Sure if you can get the pts floor bed clean and then wait almost 30min to give report to the RN)

The family members question you as to why the patient has to wait 5min for more pain meds. (Because we dont want to medicate the patient to death.)

Or better yet the family member that asks you, why the patient is in so much pain. (Because they just had their stomach cut open, thats why)

The gastric bypass pt asks you why they are NPO and then when can they eat. (Really?)

When you give report, the nurse asks about last BM, or bowel sounds.



People think we just sit on our asses all day.

And the floor nurses feel like we are punishing them when we call to give report.

i swear, a class in crna school has to be Tangling Lines 101, and when they get bored with their magazines/sudoku/crossword puzzles, they try to invent new and more interesting knots.

How about when the CRNA brings them out with a nasal cannula stuffed down the ET tube......NO, I am not kidding!

We have a newer CRNA (new to the hospital, I guess, not to CRNA) that puts nasal airways in the mouth. WTH?!

you can pretty much plan your staffing according to the names of the anesthesia providers.

you can plan your call day by who is running the evening shift.

you determine a patient is a "triple threat" when you see what meds they are routinely on.

you can tell how your day will be by who your co workers are that day.

some physicians need a 'nurse" keeper 24/7.