Going from ED to PACU

[RN4166]

Hi guys. I'm an ED nurse with 5 years experience and have reached my burn-out phase. I shadowed a nurse in the PACU several months ago and LOVED it! Its extremely hard to find an open PACU position here in Hawaii(you guys refuse to vacate : )

I'm thinking about the CPAN exam since I "technically" do not have PACU experience. I will call the Board later, but would I qualify to sit for the CPAN exam?

CPAN® or CAPA® Eligibility Requirements

The eligibility requirements for the CPAN® or CAPA® exam are:

A current unrestricted Registered Nurse license in the United States or any of its territories which use the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensing Examination (NCLEX) examination as a basis for determining RN licensure. An unrestricted RN license, issued by a State Board of Nursing, means that an RN license must not have provisions or conditions that woudl limit the RN's practice in any way.

Candidates applying for initial CPAN® or CAPA® certification must have a minimum of 1,800 hours of direct perianesthesia clinical experience as a Registered Nurse during the two (2) years prior to application. Direct experience is defined as having bedside interaction with the patient and/or family in some capacity and participating actively in the individual patient experience. The candidate does not need to be technically employed in a direct care (staff nurse, for example) position. If the candidate's role (e.g., educator, manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist) involves bedside interaction with the patient and/or family in some capacity, those hours count towards meeting the experience requirement.

Submission of a complete, online examination application.

Successful completion of the CPAN® and/or CAPA® certification examination.

[tdncRN]

My guess would be no. CPAN is Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse, and I believe your 1800 clinical hours would need to be from a PACU or perianesthesia setting. I hope you find a spot in a PACU. I just moved from ICU and I love it!