You might be a PACU nurse if...

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Specializes in long term care, med-surg, PACU, Pre-Op.

I thought this would be a cute thread to start, bear with me this is one of my first entries and I've been on call for 24 hours.:rolleyes:

1. You look at your patients as they enter the room and can predict if they have sleep apnea

2. You thank the lord for the wonderful drug that is versed

3. You frequently hear the phrase "I gotta pee" sometimes followed by said patient trying to get semicomatose self out of bed.

4. The redirection techniques they teach you in nursing school, do not work with a confused, combative post-operative patient.

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How very true, thanks for the vivid memories. :)

How about the shorter the time for the surgery, the longer the patient will remain in the PACU. Almost always inversely proportional.

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You may be a PACU nurse if all you have to do is give the aneshtsiologist "the look" and they up the dose and frequency of the Morphine for your combative patient.

Also, you have an innate need to slap oxygen on anyone who enters the PACU, awake or not!

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Specializes in PACU, PICU, ICU, Peds, Education.

...Every time you hear an alarm or anything similar you call out "Take a deep breath"....

...Your patient arrives in respiratory distress with low sats and Anesthesia says "They were fine in the back..."

You can hear/see impending emesis from 30 yards...

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...Every time you hear an alarm or anything similar you call out "Take a deep breath"....

...Your patient arrives in respiratory distress with low sats and Anesthesia says "They were fine in the back..."

You can hear/see impending emesis from 30 yards...

I love the one "They were fine in the back"!

I forgot to add "I don't know HOW they pulled out that IV. Just keep an eye on them"

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You can look at a patient & just KNOW they're going to have nausea

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you get zofran(phenergan, anzimet) out of the diebold WITH your morphine...every time.

you have a nasal/oral airway out, loobed and ready to insert, while your resident is still trying to find that "noisy" sound:rotfl:

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MD/CRNA has traveled WITHOUT oxygen AGAIN, and when SAO2 reads 80 something they say " uh... could you hurry up with that face mask?":confused:

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Specializes in Post anesthesia care.

He he he. I love this thread. Made me laugh, but oh so true! :) :) :)

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Your husband wakes you up because you've been saying "take a deep breath" over and over in your sleep.

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Along with the A-line that was also "working fine in the back" which amazingly now has no waveform and unable to flush upon immediate arrival to the PACU.

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Specializes in general surgery/ER/PACU.

My fav. is when the volunteer calls the desk and says the family wants to know how Mr./Ms whoever is doing when the patient has only been in the pacu long enough to be checked in and then continues to call every 30 min.

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