I am Alexandria Adams, PACU nurse. I’m 26 and a true Memphian. When I’m off the clock, I enjoy cooking and trying new restaurants! I was inspired to become a nurse as a preteen watching a PBS documentary that showed Memphis having the highest infant mortality rate in the US at one point. I knew that as Labor & Delivery nurse I could help change that somehow. Working in women’s health and reproductive health exposed me to GYN surgery and I’ve never looked back!
I attended a 4 year traditional BSN program at Alcorn State University in Lorman, MS. I received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
BLS and ACLS are basic necessities for all nurses, PACU included. PALS is another basic necessity for nurses, If there’s a chance of caring for an adolescent. CPAN is a specialized certification, Certified Post Anesthesia Nurse, tailored especially for PACU nurses. While it is not necessary for some facilities, it does provide a nice foundation to build your PACU knowledge in addition to hands-on care.
There is no typical shift in the PACU! Each day and each caseload can vary tremendously. You can typically expect to start the day by stocking your patient care area, checking crash carts, and performing quality control checks on POC testing equipment. You then work collaboratively with your teammates to divide the caseload based on factors such as patient acuity, type of surgery, and suspected level of sedation. Then you get to the fun part! Patient care!!! This entails all interventions to ensure a patient returns to a baseline level of functioning and arousal after receiving anesthesia in a surgical procedure – I.e. ensuring a patent airway, verifying extremity circulation, administering analgesics, etc. When optimal arousal is obtained using the Aldrete scoring system, we coordinate patients’ transition to inpatient care or to the outpatient setting with their loved ones.
Patient teaching!!! I love helping patients understand their role in their post-surgical care, along with expectations for ongoing healthcare management.
Be confident in your clinical judgment.
