To best serve the needs of practicing perianesthesia nurses, content from Core Curriculum for PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 4th Edition and Ambulatory Surgical Nursing Core Curriculum were combined into one new core, PeriAnesthesia Nursing Core Curriculum. This new core adds additional key content to provide the most comprehensive reference for perianesthesia practice, from preanesthesia through postanesthesia Phase 3. This one resource provides practicing perianesthesia nurses with the complete scope of practice in line with and as defined by ASPAN.
Unit 1 Professional 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 2 Environment of Care 7. Practice Settings 8. Policies and Procedures 9. Regulatory Agencies & Accreditation 10. Safety 11. Continuous Quality Improvement
Unit 3 Life Span Considerations 12. Human Growth and Development 13. The Pediatric Patient 14. The Adolescent Patient 15. The Adult Patient 16. The Elderly Patient
Unit 4 Competency 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 5 Core 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 6 Surgical 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 7 Ambulatory 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® and CAPA® Certification Programs B: Certification Concepts and Testing Strategies