CPAN Roles and Responsibilities 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PACU nurse is orienting a new graduate nurse. Which statement best reflects the professional responsibility of perianesthesia nursing?
- PACU nurses primarily follow orders from the surgeon and anesthesiologist
- Perianesthesia nurses practice autonomously within defined standards to promote safe recovery (Correct answer)
- The PACU nurse's role is limited to monitoring vital signs until discharge criteria are met
- PACU nursing requires less clinical judgment than other acute care specialties
Correct answer: Perianesthesia nurses practice autonomously within defined standards to promote safe recovery
Perianesthesia nursing involves autonomous professional practice guided by ASPAN standards to ensure safe recovery from anesthesia.
Question 2: Which action best demonstrates the PACU nurse's responsibility for maintaining professional competency?
- Attending mandatory hospital safety training annually
- Pursuing CPAN certification and participating in ongoing specialty education (Correct answer)
- Reviewing hospital policies once per year
- Shadowing experienced nurses on complex cases
Correct answer: Pursuing CPAN certification and participating in ongoing specialty education
CPAN certification and ongoing specialty education demonstrate active commitment to maintaining and advancing professional competency.
Question 3: During a busy shift, a PACU nurse is simultaneously caring for two Phase I patients. One patient begins showing signs of malignant hyperthermia. What is the nurse's immediate responsibility?
- Activate the MH protocol and call for additional help while initiating treatment (Correct answer)
- Complete assessment of the stable patient before addressing the MH patient
- Transfer the stable patient to Phase II before managing the MH emergency
- Notify the charge nurse and await further instruction before acting
Correct answer: Activate the MH protocol and call for additional help while initiating treatment
Malignant hyperthermia is a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate protocol activation and team assistance without delay.
Question 4: A surgeon calls the PACU and gives a verbal order for a medication that seems unusually high dose. The PACU nurse should:
- Administer the medication as ordered since the surgeon is responsible
- Clarify the order with the surgeon and verify against references before administration (Correct answer)
- Refuse to give the medication and document the refusal
- Ask another nurse to administer it to avoid liability
Correct answer: Clarify the order with the surgeon and verify against references before administration
The nurse is professionally and legally responsible for any medication administered and must verify questionable orders before proceeding.
Question 5: A PACU nurse discovers that a colleague made a medication error on the previous shift but did not document or report it. What is the nurse's professional obligation?
- Ignore it since it occurred on a prior shift and the patient appears fine
- Encourage the colleague to self-report and, if necessary, report through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly to prevent future errors
- Notify the patient's family directly about the error
Correct answer: Encourage the colleague to self-report and, if necessary, report through appropriate channels
Professional accountability requires supporting reporting of errors through appropriate channels to ensure patient safety and system improvement.
Question 6: Which of the following is within the PACU nurse's independent scope of practice without a physician order?
- Administering a PRN opioid analgesic per standing protocol
- Ordering a chest X-ray for suspected pneumothorax
- Initiating a blood transfusion for anemia
- Prescribing supplemental oxygen titration per ASPAN respiratory protocol (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Prescribing supplemental oxygen titration per ASPAN respiratory protocol
Titrating supplemental oxygen to maintain target saturation per protocol is within PACU nursing scope without requiring a new physician order.
Question 7: A PACU nurse is preparing a patient for transfer to the medical-surgical floor. The receiving nurse is not available for 20 minutes. What is the appropriate action?
- Send the patient to the floor with written documentation only
- Delay transfer until a verbal hand-off report can be given to the receiving nurse (Correct answer)
- Have the transport aide deliver the patient with the chart
- Ask the charge nurse to call the floor and leave a message
Correct answer: Delay transfer until a verbal hand-off report can be given to the receiving nurse
Safe patient hand-off requires a direct verbal report to the receiving nurse to ensure continuity of care and patient safety.
CPAN Roles and Responsibilities 3
A PACU nurse is orienting a new graduate nurse.
Which statement best reflects the professional responsibility of perianesthesia nursing?