NurseJR08

Phase I is where the majority of patients come immediately postop. Patients are in Phase I on average about an hour (depends on many, many things). In our hospital, the patient gets to Phase I, we deal with the immediate airway issues (are they breat...

We recover the ACDF patients frequently in our PACU and I agree, most of these patients are chronic pain med users. We find it VERY helpful if they get the "cocktail" PACU Jennifer talked about -- Tylenol, Oxycontin, Celebrex. If we are having troubl...

While I do agree that icu experience IS important and can be helpful for PACU nursing, about half of the nurses in our PACU dont have icu experience, myself included. I do not have to be "babysat" by anyone. I am more comfortable taking the critical/...

Just to let you know, I think you will do well in the PACU. We have a couple nurses in our PACU who came from ER and have done really well since ER nurses already have the critical thinking/decision making in emergencies. The most important new thing...

I am looking into getting my certification as well. I have the book you mentioned (which is obviously HUGE and would be hard to read the whole thing :). Others who have taken it have suggested getting a book with practice questions in it. I bought on...

Perianesthesia Nursing: A critical care approach Cecil B. Drain PeriAnesthesia Nursing Core Curriculum -- this book is put out by ASPAN and is a good resource Edited by Donna M. DeFazio Quinn & Lois Schick Both textbook type resources, but lots o...

This will be a really great experience for you! I was in the PACU during my senior year of nursing school and ended up getting a job there after school. PACU is more than just vomiting (which really doesn't end up happening NEARLY as much as i though...

no problem, i am not the usual PACU nurse, but i love it. (almost) everyone has been so supportive. Another idea for if you want to work in a PACU when you graduate is to take ACLS and PALS if you haven't already.

Does anyone know the actual formula for post op fluid replacement?? I have looked in a couple books but can't seem to find it. Thanks!

i dont think this is in the best interest of the patient at all! Its not fair to them to put them through more stress in what is already a stressful situation. To be waiting to go into surgery next to patients who wake up confused, combative, writhin...

Our PACU gets crash c-sections/c-sections that have had general. We dont go to L/D. They do have their own operating rooms and the nurses their recover if they are epidurals. but if they get put to sleep they are in our OR and then come to PACU. They...

What a mess!!! We run two floors of OR's and Recovery. On our second floor we have no secretary or PCA's and I thought that was bad!! I can't believe you guys have to transport your own patients. We would never be able to do that as there wouldn't be...

haha, loricatus. SO TRUE!!! Sometimes I feel like a broken record. I love PACU though!!!

I did my preceptorship in the PACU and was hired there after I graduated. I was the first new grad they have ever hired as usually they want you to have ICU experience.I did a long residency, 5 or 6 months. I just finished my first year in PACU. I L...

Previously, our PACU only hired people with ICU experience. I was in the PACU in nursing school, so they already knew me and they hired me into the PACU as a new grad and put me through a residency program. So, no, I dont have ICU experience but i ha...

I just started working in Feb and am making a little over $24 an hour in Seattle.

hey, like the other people said, your preceptorship will really help you out. However, you ARE going to still be nervous. I think it is good that you realize that you are responsible for people's lives...I think it would be more worrisome if you were...

Get a good stethoscope like a Littmann! :) Nursing school is really hard, but stick with it. And know that you WILL make mistakes and you will never know everything. Work hard and learn what you can. Try to keep some kind of a life outisde of nursing...

those multicolored pens, danskos and a littman!!!

well, i hate to break it to you...but i'm pretty sure every school starts out their first clinical in a nursing home. Its just kind of how it goes to get those "basic" skills down. I did start out in a nursing home, but that was my only clinical that...

New nurses are often given the night shift, but like the last person said, it depends on what is open. I went into the PACU and I work Mon-Fri 9-6. I dont really have any complaints about it :) I will be on call starting in the fall, but I think its ...

Hey, I dont actually know much about the community college nursing schools. I do know a couple of people who have gone/are going through bellevue cc and haven't had problems with it. I would say go for Seattle schools just because I did my clinicals ...

I'm not a NICU nurse, but I know at most places they have residency programs. If you apply for jobs, or even if you are just talking to the hospitals, ask what kind of orientation they have or if you would be put in a residency. There are quite a few...

I had a couple experiences like that during my clinicals when I was in nursing school. I think sometimes hospitals have a hard time willing to find people to take on students. It seems like a lot of people who get students end up annoyed or bothered....

I graduated in Dec and got hired where I did my preceptorship! There are lots of job opportunities available! UW, Harborview, Swedish, Valley, Evergreen etc. Just depends what you are looking for!