PACU/Recovery/Same Day Surgery RN's!!!?!


Question: Im doing my internship for school in the PACU- I will work some days in Same Day Surgery and others in recovery. My question is for the the RN's that work in this type of field. WHAT DO YOU DO? I have no clue what to expect. I would like details of your rold from start to finish. Or the general role of a PACU nurse. That would be great.
Thanks in advance!


Answers: Im doing my internship for school in the PACU- I will work some days in Same Day Surgery and others in recovery. My question is for the the RN's that work in this type of field. WHAT DO YOU DO? I have no clue what to expect. I would like details of your rold from start to finish. Or the general role of a PACU nurse. That would be great.
Thanks in advance!

When I was orienting at the Heart Hospital, I spent three days in Day patient and PACU. Here's what I observed and did.

Day Patient Surgery
Admission paperwork
Start IV
Get Lab
Prep for Surgery
Patient Teaching

After Surgery
Recover patient
Vital Signs every 15 mins
Monitor Respiratory status and Heart rate and rhythm
Give Ice chips
Feed patient
Patient Teaching
Discharge Paperwork
D/C IV

PACU
Recover Patient
Monitor patient
Vital Signs every 15 minutes
Monitor Heart rate and rhythm
Do ABG's to ween from vent
Depending on your hospital policy, respiratory will probably d/c vent.
Patient will come back from surgery on IV fluids
Give pain meds
Give ice chips
When patient is stable and awake, send to Step Down Unit until stable to go to floor if you're in a regular hospital.

Where I work, the entire hospital is critical care so patients spend just enough time in PACU to recover then come up to the floor. If the patient is unable to be weened from the vent, they come up to the floor anyway. They don't stay in PACU long. The longer they stay in PACU, the less beds available for the other patients. Get them in, recover them and get them out. Our patients are generally CABG's and Valve Replacements. Cath patients come straight to the floor. We pull the sheath if it wasn't done in the cath lab.

Hope this helps!





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