Quelea

Loxam10, good idea, thanks! I'll try to cross post this to PACU. brownbook, well who doesn't want to work at Disneyland?! Sold. Haha. There is an open position that I found in our outpatient pavilion in outpatient ortho surgery. This would allow me to do an internal transfer, which would be way nicer than starting at an entirely new establishment. But I'm open to whatever I have to do, or wherever I have to go, to get in somewhere. It's somewhat difficult to gauge what exactly the job responsibilities are by how vague most nursing job postings are, especially since I do not know anyone working at the clinic I am hoping to apply to. Is it safe to assume that ambulatory surgery center nurses are generally present in the OR as well? That is the only area I do not have specific experience with, other than observing. Otherwise, I do have some clinical, or at least volunteer experience, in pre-op, PACU, and post-op. Your post is so helpful in regards to the skills/experience that apply to ambulatory surgery. I have skills/experience in the following that I will definitely be highlighting in my resume: -Work with a 5:1 nurse to pt ratio on a 32 bed unit, often discharging up to 2-3 pts per day, and admitting 2-3 more. -Proficient in IV starts, administering CAPD to renal pts, tele monitoring/interpretation, pain mgmt, PCA use, and monitoring for alcohol and opioid withdrawal -ACLS, PALS, BLS certified -ECG course -Provide pre-op and post op discharge teaching for pts after I&D of wounds, amputations, and GI procedures and surgeries -Volunteer experience providing perioperative care (including PACU) for children receiving cleft lip and cleft palate repairs -Externship as a student in L&D where we had our own PACU and had to monitor post c-section pts for 2 hours -Further volunteer work providing wellness exams, assessments, and diabetes education in a variety of settings for a variety of demographics -Volunteer work in busy outpatient hem/onc clinic What do you think... any chance the above might give me a shot at an interview? I'll also look into a class on sedation as you mentioned, too.

I have been working as an RN for 1.5 years now at my first job on a medical acute care unit. Without going into the specifics that we all know are experienced in med/surg units around the US, I feel that my job on this unit is not-so-slowly destroying me and my spirit. After looking into my likes and dislikes, I've begun to look into transitioning from med/surg to ambulatory care. I have always loved surgery, and especially love the teaching aspect of nursing, and so I want to get into a same day surgery clinic doing perioperative care. Ortho would be great. However, it appears that many of these job postings require experience in a PACU. I know oftentimes job requirements are flexible. I do have volunteer experience as a student nurse in Mexico providing perioperative care to children receiving cleft lip and cleft palate repairs. My questions to you guys are: 1. Have any of you made a similar transition, with only a year or two of med/surg experience? Did you find it difficult to get an interview? What did you struggle with working in your new environment? Did you get much training? 2. What qualities/skills of a med/surg RN would be helpful for me to highlight in a cover letter for ambulatory same day surgery? Obviously I am a multitasking maniac, for starters! Hah. 3. Any other thoughts/advice/concerns?