College of Nursing
University of Missouri St. Louis
N3205 Adult Health Nursing I

REFLECTION ASSIGNMENT FOR OBSERVATION EXPERIENCE

Respond to the following questions/statements about your PACU or ENDO observation experience. This assignment is due the week of the observation experience. Submit this to your clinical instructor and to Debra Connell-Dent.

Date of Experience: __2/22/18 (PACU observation)___

How was the nursing process-assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation-utilized in this area?

Assessment is a fundamental component of any nurse’s role. However, from what I observed today it seems particularly vital to the PACU nurse. While they do provide interventions, the majority of PACU nurses’ time is spent assessing their patients and documenting their findings. Patients in the PACU have undergone the significant stressor of surgery under general anesthesia and they have the potential for very serious complications. It is up to the PACU nurse to observe if the patient is declining and act quickly and appropriately.

Planning - There are a certain number of criteria a patient must meet before leaving the PACU. These are the goals the nurse sets when planning for the patient.

Implementation - The nurse is responsible for providing multiple interventions for patients, including:
Providing the patient with adequate pain and nausea medications, oxygen therapy, and IV fluids
Ensuring the patient is properly positioned and has ice packs, water or ice chips,