What would y’all say are pro’s and con’s of being a PACU nurse? I have been a MedSurg nurse for two years and want to try something new.

PACU is awesome. I work at a small hospital so many days we have 40 or less patients. We take care of surgical and GI patients. I love being able to have a patient for a couple of hours instead of all day. The days are always different and you learn so much about pain control, breathing, cardiac , and the different types of surgeries. Of course the call shifts are not fun but I average about 6-7 per month. Some surgeons are very good to the nursing staff while others are horrible. Many hospitals will insist on you having critical care before they will hire you. Due to our hospital being on the smaller side I was hired with 2 years med/surg. I also had an amazing preceptor and charge nurse who loved to teach along with some great anesthesia doctors. You need to have a good base of fundamentals and remember to always assess the patient and not what the monitor says. Many times patients will come to PACU and not breath well even though the monitor says they are. You learn to listen and observe minor clues that the patient’s present with to determine the best care.

I loved the variety of patients. The various ages. From C sections to elderly. The the autonomy especially when on call, your it. The money was good when on call . Always learning new things. Several nurses I knew got certified and then became a travel nurse in recovery
Cons. Call sucks. In 14 years in PACU I experienced one whole 24 hour without being called in. Usually limited staff. Need good working relationships with anesthesia, surgeons, OR staff, and coworkers .
Hope this helps. JJ