Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Skills Checklist

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Skills Checklist

This Skills Checklist is for use by nurses with more than one-year experience in their discipline and specialty. Please be accurate with your assessment.
DIRECTIONS: Please indicate your level of experience by placing a check (X) in the box.
Experience level:
1 NO EXPERIENCE
2 MINIMAL EXPERIENCE - requires supervision/assistance
3 MODERATELY EXPERIENCED - requires initial review, then performs independently
4 VERY EXPERIENCED - proficient

GENERAL

Charge duties*

Primary care*

Team nursing*

Universal Precautions*

Isolation*

Physical assessment/Admission of patient*

Post-Surgical documentation*

Computer use documentation*

PRECAUTIONS

Universal Precautions*

Regular Isolation*

Reverse Isolation*

Respiratory Isolation*

Skin/Wound Isolation*

Dressing Change Isolation*

MONITORING: Cardiac Monitoring

Interpretation of Arrythmias*

Recognition of basic cardiac rhythms*

Troubleshoot monitors*

Peripheral pulses, skin color, temp*

MONITORING: Arterial Pressure Monitoring

ABG Interpretation*

Calibration Care of arterial line*

Discontinuing an arterial line*

Recognition of normal waveform*

Withdrawal of arterial blood*

MONITORING: Central Venous Pressure Monitoring

Set up CVP line*

Care of CVP line*

Obtaining CVP reading*

Recognition of abnormal measurement*

Discontinuing a central line*

MONITORING: Blood Pressure Monitoring

Manual and Doppler devices*

Arterial*

Automatic*

Swan-Ganz Pressure Monitoring*

Intracranial Pressure Monitoring*

Interpretation of Blood Studies*

AIRWAY: Airway Management

Assessment of tidal volumes*

Assessment of breath sounds*

Insertion/removal nasal & oral airways*

Oral, nasal, nasotracheal, & endotracheal suctioning*

AIRWAY: Airway complications and their management

Respiratory obstruction*

Hypoventilation*

Laryngospasm/bronchospasm*

Aspiration*

Atelectasis*

IV THERAPY

Heparin/Saline lock*

Insertion of IV line*

CVP lines and dressing changes*

Operation of Infusion pumps*

Hanging blood/blood products*

Care of Cut Down*

Venipuncture*

Insertion of IV line*

CVP lines and dressing changes*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Care/Management of intubated patients

Assisting with intubation*

Blakemore (MN) for bleeding*

Chest tubes*

Endotracheal tubes*

Extubation*

GI tubes*

Miller Abbott*

Nasogastric tubes*

Tracheostomy care*

Use/selection of mask with ambu*

Ambulation*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Crisis Management

Anesthetic and reversal agents*

Arrest Med Administration*

Cardiac drug administration*

CPR*

Defibrillation*

Hypotensive Crisis Management*

Hypertensive Crisis Management*

IV Additives and IVPB’s*

Pain evaluation*

Respiratory/cardiac emergencies & arrests*

Shock Management*

Vasoactive Drug Administration*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Diagnosis of problems

Fresh MI*

GI bleed*

Renal failure*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Oxygen therapy

O2 Equipment*

Nasal cannula*

T-tube*

Ambu*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Ventilator management

Monitoring parameters/Adjust settings*

Operation/Troubleshooting*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: GU

Foley catheter insertion (male)*

Foley catheter insertion (female)*

3-way Foley*

Suprapubic*

Catheter care*

Discharge of patient*

EQUIPMENT & SKILLS: Miscellaneous

Management of patients with tracheostomies*

Arterial blood gas interpretation*

Drug interactions, incompatibilities, and side effects*

Assessment of peripheral pulses, skin color & temperature*

Patient stimulation and stir-up regimen*

Operation of PCA pumps*

Management of the infectious patient*

Management of the pediatric patient*

Neurological checks*

Operation of Gomco/Emerson suction*

Set up and run 12 lead EKG*

Cast care and observation*

MEDICATIONS & CARE OF PATIENT WITH

Aminophyline*

Bumex*

Chemotherapy*

Decadron*

Demerol*

Digoxin*

Dilantin*

Dopamine*

Hyperalimentation administration*

Intralipid administration*

Isuprel*

Lasix*

Lidocaine*

Morphine*

Nipride*

Pitressin*

Valium*