It’s Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week (PANAW) Feb. 2-8, 2015, a time to recognize nurses who work in pre- and post-anesthesia care, ambulatory surgery and pain management. Here are some quick facts about these nurses from the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses (ASPAN) and Nurses Without Borders:
- There are more than 60,000 perianesthesia nurses in the United States
- Perianesthesia nurses will administer 40 million anesthetics in the U.S. each year
- Nurses in this field care for patients before and after procedures requiring analgesia, sedation and anesthesia
- Though most work in hospital recovery wards, some perianesthesia nurses also work in outpatient facilities and dentists’ offices who provide sedation
- Certifying as a perianesthesia nurse requires 1,800 hours of experience in perianesthetic nursing within two years prior to taking the exam, administered by the American Board of Perianesthesia Nursing Certification
RNnetwork places post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses around the country. We honor these nurses — along with ambulatory, pre-op and pain management nurses — and recognize the important service they provide.
Learn more about Perianesthesia Nurse Awareness Week on the ASPAN website.