Operating room nurse wants to become a Pacu nurse

[Amagoo]

Hello all,

So I was a surgical tech for many years, just became a nurse not to long a long under a year. I don't see my self staying in the OR for the rest of my career.

I would like to know how do nurses who switch from OR to pacu do? Does it happen often? I haven't heard of anyone switching over. I think I would like the pacu area cause I will be around co workers that I like. Rapid turn around like the OR, and I will know what has gone one before the pt gets to pacu. I know the critical thinking and nursing medical skills that we don't use in the OR are going to be hard to learn.

What would an appropriate training orientation length be?

Thank you,

Adam

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Can you do a bit of circulating/anaesthetics before you switch? In my experience, nurses accustomed to assisting the anaesthesia provider and who have a good knowledge of the drugs used have a pretty good concept of what's needed in PACU.

[RNSOCAL]

I was an OR nurse for 5 years, where I scrubbed and circulated. I did many specialties... general, thoracic, cardiac and trauma cases. The patient acuity is much higher and the patients either transfered to the PACU in critical condition vented or transfered straight to ICU. I recently switched over to PACU and I think that you should really get some more experience as an RN before you switch. I think that basic nursing skills, let alone the critical care skills you will need and cardiac/ECG/medication classes you will require are very important. Your experience as a ST will be of no help, its the time you spend giving patient care that will help you. I think you will like the change and the PACU is a great place for an OR nurse... you understand how they've been manipulated, the stages of anesthesia, intubation/extubation and how the lines are placed, and what to do in a code blue. Another reason why I think all OR nurses should be ACLS certified. Best of luck :)