PACU nurse in need of advice

[PACU professional]

Hi all,

I'm a PACU RN who works at a Level I trauma center in South Texas. I work as a contractor in a recovery room that rarely ever sees ICU patients. While I understand that Recovery is considered critical care (per ASPAN standards, and the governing body of the CCRNs), a new development at work has all of us contractors worried.

I new SOP was put out yesterday (feb 6th, 2014) that states that the PACU will also now recovery patients from the Burn ORs and pediatric ICU (PICU) patients. Normally, these patients would go straight from the OR to their respective units and bypass the PACU. But because of staffing issues and because anesthesia does not want to have to walk the patients *all the way* from the second floor to the 5th floor, we are now going to be asked to recover these patients. Also, no additional training will be offered.

I am concerned about my license. I have no ICU training at all. The contracting company stated that we are considered critical care nurses and that we have to take care of them. What do you recommend? Please help!

bonus points to anyone with literature i can use to present my case.

[CWONgal]

If the Joint Commission strolled through there they'd be asking to see your competency checklists! For one things kids and adults are entirely different and critical care units generally don't have kids and adults in the same unit. Not kosher!!

[PACU professional]

Thanks for your reply. Would you happen to have the source of your information?