Traveling ICU nurse wants to take a PACU position...

[RYNOBLASTER30]

Been a nurse for 7 1/2 years. Five of them have been in the intensive care unit. Worked sporadically in cath lab holding, ER, and stepdown. Wanting to take a traveling assignment working in the PACU. I don't do peds and don't have my PALS. Do you think I would be accepted? I had my recruiter send out my profile to a L.A. area hospital. Has anyone ever done this without being "officially trained?" I have recovered numerous patients from surgery in the ICU. I wouldn't think that it would be any harder than what I'm currently doing. What are your thoughts? Thanks.

[suzanne4, RN]

Most will want you to have actual PACU training. Things are done differently in the PACU setting from ICU. Most patients that go to the ICU from the OR stay intubated, and go direct. In the PACU, you have to worry about the actions of the different anesthetic agents and extubating the patient many times...........per ASPAN protocol.

And PALS is really a must, even if in a facility that does only adults, you are always going to get the kid coming in an emergency..........same way that it is required in the ER setting, even if there is no peds dept in that hospital.

At least this is my two cents on the topic. All it takes is one patient to go bad on you, and then what will you do? Your license will be at stake. And remember when you take a travel assignement, you are there to be able to immediately function, there is not going to be the time to train you to the PACU routine and what is expected. And especially in LA hospitals, where most ORs are 24/7.