Folks, I’ve been called up to “The Bigs”!! I am excited (and extremely nervous) to tell you this Monday; I will be starting on the PACU unit at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
PACU stands for post anesthesia care unit and is the jump off where most post-op patients come after surgery. It is here that the nursing team monitors your return to earth from the murky clouds of sedation, making sure you gracefully and groggily land on your feet knowing who and where you are. My official job title is Patient Care and Information Associate, which is a fancy way of saying nursing assistant in hospital lingo. Like the patients I will help care for on the unit, I will be hoping to land on my feet sooner than later. I wish I could tell you that I feel like my clinical experiences at the nursing home earlier this year have adequately prepared me for this plunge into the unknown; but the reality is that I don’ think those weeks or anything else can truly prepare me for the door I’m about to walk through. How can you prepare for the fact that you may have to call a “Code Blue” upon finding a patient unresponsive or answer a call light for a patient taking a turn for the worst? It’s one thing to know how to perform CPR, but a whole ‘nother animal knowing the day is coming when that page of the playbook is going to be needed. That heaviness seemed so far off when I started down this path two years ago, heck that idea seemed far off three months ago training as a CNA, but it’s here now, and it’s very real. The difference is that in the nursing home, that knowledge was something nice to have, it was a just in case. In the hospital, it’s something I expect to use sooner than later and is a tool in the bag that has to be ready to go at a moments notice. My biggest fear is not acting soon enough in the heat of the moment or not picking up on signs of trouble early enough. I want to be an expert at saving lives, but don’t have any experience doing so. The only way really, is trial by fire, which sounds nuts saying that out loud because people’s lives will literally be on the line! With anxiousness of course comes excitement. This is what I’ve been working so hard for. This is a liminal moment in my journey and with any fears comes intense curiosity and passion. I know I am walking into a great unit and will have a team of dedicated people willing to answer the million questions I am sure to have. Next week I will be working with a preceptor each day as I learn the flow of the floor. The PACU unit will be an interesting unit to work on. My managers have told me we will see a little of everything from scheduled and routine outpatient surgeries to many emergency procedures. People will either stabilize from their surgeries and be discharged or stay overnight, or they will need to go to the ICU for further help and care. One of my primary responsibilities will be assisting with discharges and transporting patients to other areas of the hospital as needed including the ICU. Right now my position is what is called registry in the healthcare industry. This means that my schedule is not set and I may not be scheduled to work consistently. I am essentially there as needed and to support people on vacation and out sick. Some of you may wonder why I have taken a position that is an hour driving commute with unpredictable hours. As my good friend, the 2dollahalla, likes to paraphrase, “Sometimes you got to go out on limb, cuz that’s where the fruit is.” Let me tell you those are some words to live by. In some ways I feel like I am swimming in the deep end with no lifeguard on duty. My unemployment is about to run out and I am at a crossroads for deciding which way to head with work. But I’m not worried one bit. I’ve been carried along this far on my journey and it’s not over yet. The last two years I’ve been out on a limb with this plan, in fact, I landed on a limb of an idea and followed that branch down to find out there was a thick trunk of passion, focus, and desire below supporting the direction I wanted to head. It’s time to climb back up and see what that new fruit tastes like higher in the tree. My foot’s in the door at Advocate and my intentions are to push the rest of myself right on through. While the pay may not be great, I know the experience I will be stacking with be invaluable. When I get to nursing school next year and am on clinicals I will be a leg up on those around me. When my classmates are worrying about performing CPR or carrying out some other task or skill, I will be there to not only help them on their journeys, but reaffirm my confidence in my own. It’s hard to help others sometimes when you can’t help yourself first. Things had hit a lull in my journey over the last couple months, but I can assure you they are back in full swing with work and summer school. Stay tuned for more posts coming soon about life on a PACU and my nursing pursuits. Cheers.
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Alexander McNaChronicles of my journey into the nursing profession. Archives
September 2018
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