Perianesthesia Nursing Core Curriculum

Unit 1Professional Competencies 1.Evolution of PeriAnesthesia Care 2.Standards for Ethical Practice 3.The Nursing Process 4.Patient and Family Education 5.Nursing Research 6.Legal Issues Unit 2Environment of Care 7.Practice Settings 8.Policies and Procedures 9.Regulatory Agencies Accreditation 10.Safety 11.Continuous Quality Improvement Unit 3Life Span Considerations 12.Human Growth and Development 13.The Pediatric Patient 14.The Adolescent Patient 15.The Adult Patient 16.The Elderly Patient Unit 4Competency of Pre-operative Assessment 17.Preoperative Assessment Programs 18.History Physical Exams 19.Pre-existing Medical Conditions 20.Alternative Complementary Practices 21.The Mentally Physically Challenged Patient 22.Transcultural Nursing 23.Immediate Preoperative Preparation Unit 5Core Competencies of PACU Nursing 24.Fluid Electrolyte Balance 25.Acid Base Balance 26.Anesthetic Agents and Adjuncts 27.Moderate Sedation/Analgesia 28.Thermoregulation 29.Pain and Comfort Management 30.Hemodynamic Monitoring 31.Respiratory Care 32.Cardiovascular Care 33.Neurologic Care 34.Hematologic Care 35.Immediate Postoperative Assessment 36.Perianesthesia Complications 37.PACU Phase I Discharge Criteria Unit 6Surgical Specialties 38.Respiratory Surgery 39.Cardiovascular Surgery 40.Neurologic Surgery 41.Endocrine Surgery 42.Gastrointestinal Surgery 43.General Surgery 44.Renal/Genitourinary Surgery 45.Gynecologic Reproductive Surgery 46.Obstetric Surgery 47.Ophthalmic Surgery 48.Oral/Maxillofacial/Dental Surgery 49.Orthopedic Surgery 50.Otorhinolaryngologic Surgery 51.Peripheral Vascular Surgery 52.Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 53.Podiatric Surgery 54.Trauma Surgery 55.Special Procedures Unit 7Ambulatory Surgical Nursing Competencies 56.Postoperative Assessment (Phase 2) 57.Patient Education in the Phase II Setting 58.Discharge Planning (Home and Phase 3) 59.Home Support/Network 60.Post Procedure Follow-up 61.Phase 3 Settings Appendices A:Certification of PeriAnesthesia Nurses: The CPAN(R) and CAPA(R) Certification Programs B: Certification Concepts and Testing Strategies