GirlOnPfizer BSN, RN

Larger hospital = more PACU staff = less call required I work for a large trauma hospital and our usual call requirements are 1 week night and 1 weekend day per month. Might be more if a lot staff out on leave or unforeseen circumstances. Also, ...

Has anyone done “Zone” style PACU nursing and could explain how it runs and is it more efficient or better throughput? How do you like it. No need to comment that you’ve never heard of it. Any description of your hospitals version of this type ...

I’ve never done travel PACU nursing but I know we used them often pre-covid times during our winters due to “snow birds” coming to Arizona for the winters. Then we slow down during the Summer and just use our regular staff. I’m sure every hospital ha...

At my facility (large trauma hospital)… the PACU nurses (2 on-call overnight) stay to recover the patient and send them home or to their inpatient room for the hospital to discharge afterward. The GI procedure nurse is in the procedure only (with the...

Looking for ideas for a Quality Improvement Project in our PACU for a clinical ladder application. It needs to be something measurable over 6 months by chart audit or patient satisfaction surveys, etc. Is there something you have implemented in your ...

I have felt the same at times and have been in the PACU about a year as well. I recently came back from a 3 month maternity leave and my confidence level in this was very low. I think a part of it is we have to feel "comfortable" with shallow breath ...

I think this statement is absolutely absurd. I don't think any nursing student graduates from school knowing how to actually do the job of RN. I have NEVER had a job where I have been given an orientation for only 4 weeks. A hospital that wants to en...

I don't think this is a normal situation at all. You need to find another hospital with better working conditions. A hospital that wants you to succeed and to be safe. When I was a new grad, I had at least 12 weeks for orientation and that was after ...

I recently heard someone reply to the question "What's wrong with the patient?" With the answer... "TMB" = Too Many Birthdays I've also heard a patient who isn't doing well/coding/circling the drain as "krumping".

We call that last one a manifold.

Not necessarily. The last surgery of the day might come out the the beginning of your shift or later. Also, earlier, less stable surgeries might not be ready to extubate. If you do work days, you will land more fresh hearts but we have our share of m...

Yes, the goal is to get the patient extubated as soon as possible if stable. Most people like taking care of immediate post-op patients because they are 1:1 and you stay pretty busy. I think there is a mix of stable and unstable situations. Some pati...

It probably depends on the facility and doctors you work with. Every single one of our post-op open hearts and TAVR's come out with Swan's and we direct a lot of our care based on the patients cardiac output. We even see some manual cardiac outputs e...

You're hospital needs to get with the times! Ours has come with flavor packets for years. They also started calling it NuLytely, not sure if that's any better though.

She gave a pretty good description of an observation unit. The one I work at is a 4:1 ratio with no aide.

I had a friend who had this situation. She basically had to prove that she did not have an alcohol problem with written letters and called and/or take a series of alcohol classes. She ultimately ended up getting her license. Not sure if this helps, b...

Youre in Arizona? Try Chandler Regional Medical Center, they hire new grads and have a great training program.

At my hospital the offical name for our unit is "Definitive Observation" but we all call it "Telemetry". All of our patients are on heart monitors. Basically a stepdown from ICU and more critical than med/surg. We get "stable" patients with chest pai...

Your in-house dialysis nurses can be great resources. If unsure, I will call them and ask which meds they want me to give/hold. I never provide vitamins because they are water-soluble. As for blood pressure meds, you can get parameters from the renal...

I agree with the above poster. I am have been a nurse for just over a year and became a member with AACN. You automatically get Critical Care journals and other subscriptions. They send you hard copies in the main as well as electronic copies your ca...

Chandler Regional is a great hospital to work for, great benefits, coworkers, administration, etc. I work on a tele floor and I am sure that you would be qualified with your experience. Mercy Gilbert is one of our sister hospitals and is just outside...

Hi Candice. I just graduated from ASU and was a part of SNA (not on the board, just a member). It was very helpful. They have quartyly meetings with speakers and great information for your future profession. Another great organization to look into i...

I heard Chandler Regional will be hiring new grads in December. I would constantly check their website a couple months before that.

This is a hard one. I am a senior in ASU's program, do not have kids, and feel that it is very time consuming. If time is all you are concerned about, I would choose the ADN route. I heard from a friend that did a semester at ASU and now at a communi...

I knew that your interview was for a scholarship, but the interviews are probably similar. I am in ASU's nursing prgram and am looking for a summer externship at a hospital. April