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• "Better check on Mr. Smith soon. His wife is high maintenance!"
• "Better order Prozac IV stat for the Miller family! The message
board for patient relations is lit up!"
2. The anesthesia issues
Our PACU nurses are seasoned veterans who diligently look at
OP records and text me important updates. For example:
• "Mr. Jones had more epi. than an asthma convention. What's up
with that?"
• "This patient is drier than the Sahara. Haven't they heard of lactated Ringer's?"
• "She had more intraop morphine than a pimp! Does the 'ologist
get a cut of the action?"
• "Who did this person's nerve block, Rambo?"
Our PACU nurses are clinical wizards who know their stuff. One
nurse is so tough she could teach the Marines to fight dirty. She has
no problem getting into a doctor's face and calling him about matters of care. She can recite the mikes of epinephrine given intra-op
and school the doctor about the perils of certain orders. Now that's
what I call patient advocacy!
3. The long day
When my day runs long, my PACU friends are quick to remind me
that they have a life with texts like:
A P R I L 2 013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E | 1 5 3
