Ambulatory Nursing

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Hi All!

What exactly is ambulatory nursing? What do these nurses do?

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Ambulatory nursing/ office nursing is the long term care of a patient (or entire family) through acute and non acute illnesses (immunizations, chickenpox, asthma, diabetes, hypertension). They do a lot of initial triage for patients before they go to the hospital. The ambulatory nurse is the one who has to get on a patient to do the long term health changes to treat or prevent illness like lose weight, quit smoking, etc.

Acute/hospital care nurses see the patients for a couple of days and then the ambulatory care nurses take over for follow through after discharge.

here's alink for you: http://aaacn.org/cgi-bin/WebObjects/AAACNMain.woa/wa/viewSection?s_id=1073743905&ss_id=536873820

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Specializes in LTC.

They take care of people before and after surgeries. Before, they start IV's and make sure patient is stable, after they wait until the patient is stable and alert, and they take out the IV make sure there is no nausea and vomiting, that is what I encountered in clinicals.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Emergency, CEN.

Here's a better link: http://www.nursingschools.net/profiles/ambulatory-care-nurse/

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Pre-Op: Health history/assessment. Start IV's. Draw labs as indicated by health history/procedure/age/meds. Sign Consents. Educate patient on procedure/anesthesia. Begin discharge education. Hang pre-op ATB.

OR: Everything that OR nurses everywhere do.

PACU: Extubate patients. Monitor vitals. Medicate for post-op pain.

Post-Op: Monitor pain level & vitals. Ambulate patient. Ensure that patient meets all standards for discharge. Obtain post-op pain meds. Complete discharge education for patient and family.

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Forgot to mention my background. Acute med-surg transplant unit for 6 years and currently ICU rn 10 months. With these credentials do I qualify?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

For my ASC, you would definitely qualify for the pre/post-op functions, plus PACU. We do require ICU experience for PACU.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Are you speaking of ambulatory nursing as a whole or ambulatory surgical nursing? The descriptions you've gotten so far are specific to surgical nurses.

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