Pros
Very friendly and helpful staff in the main PACU. Overall great teamwork between nurses and nursing techs, NPs, and PAs. 3% yearly raise has made pay competitive thus far. Charge nurses were excellent at leading the staff and were accommodating to schedule requests for schooling. Most patients generally see that you are working hard for them.
Cons
Over the years my work turned from nursing to factory worker/waiter. The volume of surgeries over the years increases as well as the level of the patient's acuity. The number of staff, however, has not increased to accommodate this. It currently remains at a 3:1 patient/nurse ratio and I find that I'm still dressing the patient myself as well as pushing them out the door for discharge. The number of nursing ancillary staff is dismal. Nursing staffing is low that newer nurses can hardly get their vacations approved. Be sure to bring a Drs note for calling out sick on a Friday or if you didn't look sick the day before. Nursing administration should heed the advice of their CNIIIs and nursing managers but now speaking up seems to put you on their black list. CEO doesn't seem to know what's going on with the nursing department and their dissatisfaction. Recovery room will always be a revolving door for new grad nurses or newly hired RNs who leave very shortly after, which drive the critical care team of PAs and NPs crazy.