gentle_ben_RN ASN

med/surg previously....I don't miss 1 doing total care all the time because we were ALWAYS short-staffed 2 I don't miss never getting a meal break or fighting to get one 3 I don't miss post-op patients who stayed on the call bell because they need so...

Hey oncomom! I would like to know what some of the nursing skills and treatments you give to your patients and what a typical day would be like. Thanks for the reply.

It really depends on your facility, but it sounds like you have a strong, well-rounded nursing background and would have no problem working in PACU. You should know however that OR nursing and PACU nursing are as different as night and day. My advice...

Just curious....I met my wife in college and we are both nurses. One of my favorite things about our relationship is that we can talk/vent about our days at work and we always can find understanding in each others success and disappointments. She und...

I'm an RN in PACU working in winston salem. Have been a nurse for 3 years, previously in general surgery. Love my job. Look forward to hearing from everyone. Recently got married with a 1 year anniversary coming up. My wife and I will be spending our...

Is anyone else seeing a trend in all patients with HTN receiving a betablocker during surgery or in PACU whether indicated or not? I've been giving a lot of labetalol and lopressor lately. I believe it is on the way to becoming a new core measure (as...

Thanks for the input everyone. I may post some new threads about some of the latest things we've been doing in PACU where I work.

I graduated 3 years ago from an ADN program. We atarted with about 40 students (only 4 guys) and graduated with 29 (only 2 guys including me). The guy I graduated with was 41 years old and a great friend and excellent nurse. There was a broad age spe...

Thanks for the reply. It's not any specific cases. The patients who have HTN and take a prescribed betablocker (usually Torpol XL) at home are receiving either lopressor or labetalol by the CRNA during the case (even when the pre-op, intra-op, and im...

I went to the ASPAN homepage to research the 24 hour staff issue. If you look under clinical practice and then go to patient classification from the home page, staffing is addressed. According to ASPAN for phase 1 PACU, only the nurse to patient rati...

Our patients only go straight back to ICU if they 1:were already in ICU on a vent prior to surgery and will go back to the same room or 2: are not extubated and don't plan to be extubated and have a ready ICU bed to go to. Otherwise, they will come t...

During regular hours there are always 2 or more RN's in the PACU. I work 12 hours, 11AM to 11PM, and so does one other nurse. He and I usually work opposite days, but some overlap. Another RN works 10AM to 10PM. It has only happened one time that a p...

I know exactly what you mean! I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I bet we could write a book! LOL!

It was developed by one of the RN's I work with. It's a 1 to 4 scale, much like the 0 to 10 pain scale. 1=awake, 2=drowsy, 3=awakens when aroused, 4=unresponsive This way it can be documented quickly what the patients LOC is related to their pain lev...

We have had to dc patients home after SDC closes on several occasions and I agree that it is not a good practice. Especially when it's 1030PM and I'm the only RN on the unit and I have to get this hip reduction dressed and in a wheelchair while there...

Our PACU just developed a new sedation documentation scale for the patients who rate their pain at "10" even when you have to wake them up to ask them.

Hey RN34TX! That resident would really get on my nerves. Luckily where I work we have standing orders for morphine and dilaudid. Either way, the doc is only a beep away. How about when your AAA repair rolls out with Neo, Nitro, 2 IV's with LR, and ...

Congratulations! I know exactly what you mean. It is hard sometimes to give report when you know the nurse on the floor is probably busy, but we have to keep in mind that we can't simply hold the patient. If the OR ever gets backed up then it can rea...

Hey everyone! I'm the new guy. Looking forward to future discussions.

So it's funny to let the PACU RN deal with the patient who has a little too much ketamine huh? It's no big deal. You just leave the patient in our hands and go on to your next case, we'll take care of the rest like we always do.

I've never worked ER before but my wife has been in the ER for over a year now. She and I are often talking/venting about our days at work. The one thing that I can honestly say that we are both frusturated about is bed availability. Holding patients...

I made a transfer from a general surgery/tele floor to PACU in April of this year and I love it. It was intimidating at first (crans, thoracotomy, raging AAA repairs, vents, drips, ect) but I have learned a lot a learn more everyday. They will teach ...

Where I work the anesthesiologist/CRNA and the RN transport the pt to me in the PACU after the RN has called out from the room when the surgeon is closing or pt being extubated. I like receiving a report from the RN because he/she can quickly relay i...

I've been working in Pacu for 8 months now and love it and have learned a lot. Previously I worked on a general surgery/tele floor for about 2 years. ICU experience was not required for me to make the transfer but I was responsible for learning vents...

Also, pain control can be fun when the patient takes oxy IR, methadone, and xanax and home QID and PRN.....and is still wide awake after an heaping dose of dilaudid and versed.......lol!