desert_MP

Yeah currently work in this hospital. Evidently it’s because benefits/hr said quality of work/life balance is much better in Pacu so deserves less pay. Good thing they didn’t go by that crap when I transferred to Pacu. I work far more hours in Pacu than I did in any of the ICUs I’ve been in.

I've been a nurse for 10+ years. Have worked inpatient OR, outpatient OR, Adult and pediatric ICU, and PACU. I was talking to a potential applicant coming from a surgical floor to PACU. We work at a trauma 1 hospital, so our OR and PACU are busy! This potential applicant tells me they were offered the job but would have to take a pay cut of .50/hr I'm at a loss for words. By its nature PACU is considered a critical care unit. We aren't talking about an ambulatory surgery center. So this nurse who would now need to have ACLS, PALS, and go through the same competencies of our ICU is being asked to take a pay cut. Maybe I'm missing something but it doesn't add up to me!

Not the hospital I work in. Not sure if that's due to size or what. We have 24 full time PACU nurses. Pre-op and phase 2 have their own staff as well.

I work Wed-Sat off Sunday then work M-W. Not super thrilled about it.

Each program is different. You should know this. The listed requirements are more suggestions which you would discover by getting in touch with different programs. Coworker was accepted into SIUE with no ICU or ED experience. It came down to how she scored on the GRE and her face to face interview. Another program is NKU. If you are wanting to launch from PACU, which is not preferable imo, find one that deals with your pressors and other long term gtts.

Cool story. I spent six year in the Army, 15 months in Iraq. Nursing is a great career choice. I've done OR, ICU, one day surgery, and now PACU. Pay just keeps going up. In the midwest I'm making 40/hr. A gallon of milk is 1.80. With call I made over 85k this past year. I'm not being laid off because of COVID. Sorry you've had such a bad experience. I love this job.

I work at a large trauma 1 hospital. From Sunday night-Thursday night 2100-0700 we have two nurses dedicated to that call only. It's nice because they get paid 40 hours regardless of how much they work (if they work more than 40 hours they get paid of course). So that leaves weekends. On Friday night call is from 2100-0700 Saturday night is 1900-0700. We also have weekend day call which is Saturday from 07-19 and Sunday which is 07-21. Usually have day or night call on a weekend a once a month. We all fight for call because we love money.

Must not have been a trauma hospital. The PACU I work at qualifies for most CRNA programs.

If she doesn't feel comfortable getting out of her car and staying in a very dangerous situation...I don't blame her for not staying and helping. She's not a first responder. Until the scene is secured and traffic completely stopped it's not worth it.

Four 12's in a row is never enjoyable. I'm right now on my 7th day in a row here in PACU. Can't wait for tomorrow ?

Experience-wise I started in the OR. Did 5 years. Switched to PACU...did a couple of years. Went to a surgery center, 8 months. Went to ICU for 18 months. Now I'm back in PACU. It all depends on your facility. I work at a level 1 trauma center. The patients I see may be different compared to other hospitals. We take every patient aside from hearts which are direct recovered. Everything from days old children and older. With that said- I was the "new grad" RN going into pacu after working in the OR. I say new grad because OR nursing is far different than any other kind of nursing. I was overwhelmed initially. Cranis, thoracotomies, triple As, vents, etc. I've seen a few new grads wash out of our department. I do not believe it has anything to do with poor precepting. It's just the skillset you obtain overtime from working at the bedside. More than anything else I've done- the ICU prepared me the best for pacu.

Unfortunately I have. Twice (and once by my dad)- "You're just a nurse? Why didn't you become a doctor." He has regretted making that statement since then.

You mean that "just a nurse" who pulled over on that rainy night and saved a choking toddler? The "just a nurse" who performed CPR on grandpa who's heart had stopped at the wedding reception? Own it. Live it. Be it. Nurse.

I get what you're saying OP. I was chilling at my son's peewee football practice in my scrubs and a burly looking older guy in coveralls sat next to me. "You a doctor or something?" he said, spitting tobacco off to his right. Now I knew this guy had probably grown up his entire life in the fields, working hard to provide for his family. Given the small community we lived in it wouldn't have surprised me if he thought nursing was "girly"- hell I did before I got into it. I told him I was a nurse. He sat there for a minute, started laughing, and said "You probably pull so much a**" I flashed my wedding ring and he started laughing so hard I thought I'd have to put my nursing skills to use. Just have fun with it. Be confident. As my brother in here said (the former Ranger) you know what you are- be yourself.

This. I had just ETS'd out of the military and was working a factory job. 6 12 hour shifts plus they were asking for "volunteer" 5 hour shifts on Sundays. I had two children at home I didn't get to see very much. I was talking with a doc from my former unit one day and we got to speaking about how much I didn't like the monotony of my job. In the military I was a police officer so I got to see different thing all the time. Anyways, he asked me what I thought about becoming a nurse. I told him only girls are nurses. (this was around 10 years ago ok? lol) I clear as day remember him telling me, "All you have to do is give shots and you make a lot of money." I remember class registration was a week from the day we had that phone call. I left my job (my wife was a stay at home mom) and I committed myself to the program. It goes without saying I quickly found out how little doc knew about nurses and nursing school! I have to say, if not for the military I don't think I could have handled living with no job, two kids, a wife, and rent. Only through God did we make it. Worth it though. Now I make good money and my wife has decided to go into nursing.