amk7223

I've been a PACU nurse for almost two years. My previous background is ER for 6 plus years. Our PACU nurses are required to go down to OB and care for post c section patients. Usually its when it's emergent and the patient needs sedation/anesthesia but they have us in charge of the entire recovery including the OB assessment. They let me shadow one recovery and then said I was cross trained (oh wait I did a scavenger hunt too). It was over a year until I got called in for OB and I was more of a hinderance than a help as I made the OB nurses check everything I did because I was so worried about doing something wrong. I don't know fundal checks, how much bleeding is normal, how to adjust pitossin, etc. In the ER we ran OB patients to the OB unit and that's my only previous experience. I wrote an email to my managers and now have to have a meeting about what to do from here. I stated it wasn't fair to the patient to have me as a nurse. I also fear loosing my nursing license due to a mistake. If I went to court I would say I shouldn't be taking care of this patient. I need some input into what I can say to not be taking care of theses patients. I don't think its the norm anywhere else that pacu takes care of c-sections with little to no training. Plus no offense to you OB nurses, but I never wanted to do OB. I give you guys all the credit but it's not the type of nursing I'm into :-) Please tell this is outrageous that they think this is ok?!

Hi, I have 12 years of nursing experience. Most of it IMC and ER experience. Recently I started working in pacu. I work weekends which usually means there are only 2 nurses. I recently passed my cpan and capa tests. I understand when a patient is in pacu phase 1 I need 2 nurses. We have a pre op and pacu which is open but the pre op area is around the corner from pacu. My manager who has no pacu experience wants us pre opting in pre op and pacuing in pacu. That means most of the time the two nurses are split up and around the corner. The pre op rooms are literally like rooms. They have sliding glass doors that make them into rooms. Myself and many other nurses don’t feel comfortable with this. What do you guys think? I have only worked in this pacu. Thanks for any input!!!

Hi all! Just wanted some feedback. I started a new position where they mandate you to work about a week in advance if they cannot get anyone to fill the hole. The problem is a bunch of people are quitting (I wonder why) and the holes are huge in the next coming months. I already work every other weekend (weekends are alot of the holes) and do not want to work any more weekends. I am now afraid to plan anything because I am the new person who will be most likely mandated to work. I have been an RN for over 5 years and have never worked at a place that does this. I am wondering if anyone else out there has to deal with this??? I work hard and feel like I deserve to be able to make plans to be off when I have days off. Staffing is not my issue but the hospitals issue. Am I wrong for feeling like this?