You might be a PACU nurse if...

Specialties PACU

Published

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.

Specializes in general surgery/ER/PACU.

1. All PACU nurses do is empty drains, watch monitors, and ride elevators.

2. "eternal hold" when you try to call report.

3. When trying to call report, nurse replies.... "I didn't even know I was getting a patient!!!!" Well duh, you have an empty bed don't you?

4. Moving help......... HA HA HA!!!! What a joke!!!!

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Specializes in PACU.

Don't you just love being oh hold to give report to a nurse while she/he is at lunch, and you haven't even had a break for hours and hours?:o

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

You've contemplated putting in your own Foley because that's the only way you're going to get to pee during your shift.

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Oh pt. has a history of post op n/v, Anesthesia "I gave them 4 of Zofran in back"

Awesome that'll work out great!

Floor nurses that want the floor orders read to them for every last detail even though Im on my way to hand them the chart!

Pt woke up combative in the OR, anesthesia gives versed and THEN brings them to me in the PACU!

other pacu nurses that are conveniently in the bathroom when OR calls to bring the next pt. Thought we were supposed to rotate, or even better pacu nurses that take 2 hours to recover b/c nurse waits an hour to start medicating a 10/10 pain.

My favorite is the so called "report" you get from the OR nurse about the patient especially at the end "oh and the pt. is hep. c positive" Could you have said that first!!!

Vomiting has ensued, anesthesia orders to give another 4 of Zofran! Never has this drug worked in stopping the vomit!

I think I say in through your nose out through your mouth 600 times a day!

Can you cough for me?

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If you have ever told a pt "yes, I know that is yours, but I am resposible for it"

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Specializes in General Surgery & Open Heart Teams; NICU.

You wonder why the CRNA's,who are supposed to have more education than you, bring a pt in without even so much as 2L via NC and yell at you to "give them some oxygen" and their sats in the low 80's. And you get a look like come on stupid. ***

The outpatient department gets upset at you because you bring a pt over with pain rated 2 out of 10 and ask, did you even give them anything, but if someone comes over a little drowsy, they ask , well how much did you give them.

When your husband says you say "take a deep breath" in your sleep.

You wonder what do those OR nurses do with those statlocks that come with the foleys.

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Specializes in General Surgery & Open Heart Teams; NICU.

You get a thrill pulling the leads off a hairy chest. :p

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You give guys a "man-o-lantern" when pulling leads off a hairy chest.

You call the floor to give report and the secretary says, "They're in report right now - she'll call you back." Uh - yeah - I'm trying to give report!

The floor asks in report when the patient's last BM was. (?????)

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

So very, very true! haha!

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You hear vent alarms in your sleep:D

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

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

These sound just like me!!!!! Last surgery i had I punched my nurse, kicked my mother and kept pulling the o2 mask off.

"Oh pt. has a history of post op n/v, Anesthesia "I gave them 4 of Zofran in back"

Awesome that'll work out great!

Vomiting has ensued, anesthesia orders to give another 4 of Zofran! Never has this drug worked in stopping the vomit!"

so its not just me it doesnt work for? good to know!

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Specializes in GI/GU surg,Pacu, ct surg, home care, NH.

The surgeons come out of the OR ranting about why their room is on hold. (Because we are full .)

The same surgeon then randomly goes to a bedside asking very loudly if this patient isnt ready to go to floor. (Sure if you can get the pts floor bed clean and then wait almost 30min to give report to the RN)

The family members question you as to why the patient has to wait 5min for more pain meds. (Because we dont want to medicate the patient to death.)

Or better yet the family member that asks you, why the patient is in so much pain. (Because they just had their stomach cut open, thats why)

The gastric bypass pt asks you why they are NPO and then when can they eat. (Really?)

When you give report, the nurse asks about last BM, or bowel sounds.

People think we just sit on our asses all day.

And the floor nurses feel like we are punishing them when we call to give report.

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