RN56123

OR and PACU are both fun areas to work in. If you like assessing patients, giving pain meds, anti-nausea meds, closely monitoring pt and working with pts short term you may like PACU. PACU phase 1 is very short term, the time immediately after the OR. Phase II is when they are more awake and you will spend time helping the pt get dressed and giving the patient and family the discharge instructions. So ask if the PACU job is for phase 1 or phase II, or a phase 1 and II combined PACU. Some PACU's accept patients on ventilators while awaiting ICU bed, some don't. So you may care for an ICU pt for hours waiting for ICU bed to become available. Also in the PACU you encourage pts to deep breathe and cough. You will be sitting close to them while they cough and many places no longer do COVID testing or require masks, some people may care about this, others may not. In the OR, you will walk even more steps per day than PACU, back and forth to get supplies, go to pre-op to interview patient, bring pt to PACU, lot of heavy lifting of surgical trays (ex. 25 Lbs each), heavy patients being moved to/from OR table, positioning them on the OR table, pushing heavy bed back to ICU, lot more standing time and also sometimes exposed to XRay radiation, fluoroscopy in the OR. So you have to wear a heavy lead apron and also sometimes run and get supplies while wearing that. So if you have back pain, the OR may not be good for you. Also sometimes exposed to lasers and must always wear eye protection specific for that type of laser. In the OR, you don't give any IV meds, anesthesia handles that, no head to toe assessments and shorter charting. OR has a longer orientation time, usually 6 months, because there is equipment and issues specific to the OR and so many different types of supplies used, and different tasks for different case types. Some places have nurses "circulate" and "scrub", hand instruments (lot of standing in one spot for hours, maybe while wearing a heavy lead apron). Some places the nurse only "circulates". Neither PACU or OR is "easy". It depends what type of tasks you prefer, if you prefer working with patients when they are asleep in the OR, or just waking up in the PACU and if you are OK with the more physical labor and hazards in the OR.

I have never heard of a job requiring 4 weeks notice! That is crazy. It sure sounds like retaliation to me, but again, crazy them. However, unfortunately, a hospital system can obviously control their EHR however they feel like. I would find a better job elsewhere far away from their network.

Were you forced to sign a contract-TRAP (Training Repayment Agreement Provision) in order to be hired? Commit to a certain number of years of work or else repay training costs, sign on bonus, for new grad or experienced nurse new to a specialty. What do you think about that? What state are you in? HCA has stopped using TRAPs Nursing union NNU critical of TRAPS California legislature reaffirmed that New Grad contracts are unlawful in the state. AB 2588 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on September 30, 2020, clarifying that, under existing law, nurses and other hospital employees cannot be held liable for the cost of their own training except under limited circumstances... https://www.regulations.gov/comment/FTC-2021-0036-0275 TRAP stories... https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/994868?form=fpf

You will regret working for HCA and you will be sorry you got locked in by the bonus

Djmatte, LOL, no excrement has been lost. This mishmash of terminology, so many different acronyms, its confusing to people, especially to the public what the various roles are. Standardization would help. I think APP, with the word "advanced" in it, is certainly preferable to a term with "mid". But if you prefer being called mid something then go for it.

Hospitals I know of refer to NPs and PAs and APPs, Advanced Practice Providers. To be referred to as a "midlevel" says something about the organization. What state are you in?

Don't let age stop you from ever doing something you want! Of course you are not too old. There is a lot of diversity, including diversity of age, in all fields.

Why is the pay so low at Sutter Hospitals in the bay area, San Francisco areas? Compared to other hospitals in this region