dralbee

Don't panic....I worked in the PACU while I was in nursing schoolas a unit secretary. They took a chance on me and hired me as a new grad. I am only one of two that have been hired right out of school with one having a BSN and I have and ASN (I am 4 classes away from my BSN). We both still work here and love it. It has been 6 years now. I am 41 and nursing was a second career for me. I would not have survived and the floor. The fast pace of the PACU is a perfect fit for me. You will love it or hate it but you will learn a lot. The nice thing about a PACU, especially in the big ones, is you are never alone. It is very much a team environment. It all starts with the basics, ABCs. You don't have to learn it all in a day as long as your learn something everyday. It isn't rocket science...use your nursing process and the critical thinking skills you have learned. Look at your patient and assess them and not the monitors. I wish you the best!!!

After orientation I was on the 11:30 to midnight shift 3 days per week....I absolutely loved it. I could get up at a decent hour, run errands or have Dr Appts, go to work be pretting steady but not for a solid 12 hours and a lot of times I could go home early if I wanted to becasue there were night people and all the scheduled cases were done. It was great. I ended up adopting two boys and needed additional money. One of them was special needs so I needed additional time. My Mom helped a lot and a switched to a 14:00 to 02:30 schedule with call until 07:00. It is sometimes a killer when you have to work the entire 17 hour shift but it doesn't happen often. The shift leaves me with a lot of time during the day. There is a lot of down time late in the shift which has allowed me time to study so I can complete my BSN. There is no way I could do this if I was on a day shift. You will love the PACU....I would rather not work. Being independantly wealthy sounds great to me but if I have to work, there is no place I would rather be!!!

I know you are wanting the magic answer but there isn't one. After a divorce with a young child it is not the time to move away from your support system. Starting YOUR life over is one thing but uprooting a special needs child is another. Have patience and continue to do what has worked well for both of you. Your new life will come to you when you least expect it. I wish you the best!