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Hi everyone, I'm currently looking to switch from ICU to PACU and would like to get an idea of what everybody's call and weekend/ holiday requirements are. I realize this varies from hospital to hospital but I'd like to get an idea of what to expect. I generally don't like being on call / not knowing if I'm gonna get called in or not but I realize this is part of the field. Just wanted to get a range of everyone's experience so I have an idea of what to expect. Also if you can share how many weekends / holidays you typically cover that would be great as well. thank you!

Hi, Anyone out there that works (or has ever worked) PACU at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, CA?..I'm wondering what the workflow/ environment is like, how you like it (culture/ staff)? What is the Call / weekend/ holiday requirements etc... If anyone can give me an idea of what its like I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi, Anyone out there that works (or has ever worked) in Saddleback Memorial PACU in Laguna Hills, CA?...I'm curious to hear what other people's experiences working on that unit is like. I'd be switching from ICU to PACU, so I'm wondering what the workflow/ environment is like, how you like it (culture/ staff)? Call / weekend/ holiday requirements etc... If anyone can give me an idea of what its like I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Wow thanks for the great feedback! Sounds like an interesting unit, I like how there's 3 parts to it...would you say it's fast paced? How are the nurse / patient ratios? I'm coming from an ICU background so I'm used to have 1-2 patients max, wondering if I could handle the transition. Thanks again!

Hi there, Anyone work in the Same Day Care Unit at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, CA? I'm curious about what the unit is like, the descriptions are a bit vague... i.e. what kind of patients/ procedures you see, what your workflow is like, pt ratios etc...Anything you can share about your experience. Thank you!

Hi, I recently got an interview for a hospice RN position with Seasons Hospice in their Orange County, CA office...I've been doing some research online and have read mixed reviews in various locations across the country... Was wondering if anyone has worked with them, specifically in their OC location, and if they could shed some light on their experience there? Workload, hours, travel etc... I had a bad experience working with a home health owned company in the past and have been debating whether I should apply to hospital vs non-hospital Hospice positions. Any thoughts on that too would be appreciated. Thank you.

Thats a good way to look at it...I personally don't really interact with my manager very much. I work nights, if I see him it's more of a hi/ bye relationship and most of our important communication stuff is done via email I'd say.

What's the best approach when looking to transfer to another department. Should you give the boss a heads up or not? It seems like all the directors talk to each other anyway so they are bound to find out, but if you are talking/ interviewing with another department and have not secured anything does it make sense to do that? I'd like to be considerate and respectful to my boss in giving them a heads up but at the same time I don't want to risk losing my job or him trying to convince to stay either. Any words of advice / ways to approach this touchy matter is much appreciated. Thanks!

Been in ICU for a few years now and looking for a change. I think I am burned out from total patient care and working in a hospital, most days I feel defeated. Also I am tired of working nights, holidays, and weekends all the time. I hear most ICU RNs going to cath lab or PACU after their time in ICU. Any opinions about Cath Lab vs PACU? How do you like these areas of work? What type of things do you do? Workflow? Whats the work schedule / call like? etc... Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.

Hi, I have a background in critical care and would like to become CPR instructor. However, doing some research in my local area, it seems most CPR businesses are not looking to hire so I'd have to work as an independent instructor. But it got me thinking that maybe I should just start a small nursing education business where I could teach CPR, cardiac dysrhythmias and maybe even create workshop for new nurses entering critical care (just to go over basics and help them feel empowered entering into a new field). I think my 'niche' would be new grad nurses/ nursing students with potential to reaching any nurse in the future. And I'd start out teaching in small groups of 8-10 students. Only thing is I have no business background and not really sure how to get started. For one if I wanted to teach cardiac dysrhythmias for instance where would I come up with material to teach with? Would I have to create it myself? Do I need a certification? Second, how would I advertise. It seems there is so much competition out there (at least for CPR instruction). Could I just put up fliers around schools / local organizations and go by word of mouth? Third, where would I put these workshops on? I don't have an office and I don't have much space where I live. If anyone who has ever started their own small nursing education business has any advice or guidance on how to get started I would greatly appreciate it. I enjoy bedside nursing but I also have a desire to get into teaching and empowering others to be the best they can be. Thank you!

Hi, Have been interested in getting into care management and recently interviewed with this company. It seems like they've been around for 6 years on the East coast but are opening up a branch out on the West coast. I got some questions answered but would appreciate some input from any RNs who have worked with them before and how their experience was. It seems like I would kind of be thrown in there and have to navigate these things on my own as there is no official training involved. Also the pay structure would be different. The RN I spoke to said you bill for your time (similar to an attorney) but when I asked if she could put it in terms of an hourly rate she said roughly around $25 /hr (no mileage reimbursement or company phone it seems). But the work itself seems very appealing. It would be a break from the clinical side for me (I work in critical care), you would of course have to use clinical assessment skills if patient required it. Mostly you would be the patient's advocate, take them to Dr.'s appointments, explain what the Dr. is telling them, make hospital visits, take them to the pharmacy, arrange home health services if needed etc... If anyone who has worked with them (or this field in general) could give any input on their experience / advice that would be appreciated. Thanks.

Should I explain the objective facts or just leave them alone...for example "lights had been dimmed" vs. "lights had been dimmed to aid with sleep" or pt was on "x medication" vs " "pt was on x medication to manage agitation/ delirium".

thank you

Yes this is how I'm feeling. I know the patient could very well have fallen even if I had the bed alarm on, but its just one thing I feel like if I had in place might have made a difference. It would have also been easier to accept/ swallow if I had done everything I could on my part to avoid this from happening. The fact that the bed alarm was not on makes me feel responsible. And it happened on my watch. And I know when I put that on paper, that's what everyone will focus on the most.

thank you, this was helpful