Post Anaesthesia Nurse Certification

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Download the ACPAN PACU Clinical Criteria Statement, ACPAN PACU Experience Statement and ACPAN reflective log template from the ACPAN website once you have logged in as a member.

Fill in and complete:

• Your employer and consultant anaesthetist must sign and date the ACPAN PACU Clinical Criteria Statement which validates you are competent in certain clinical skills related to airway care, anaesthesia, and safety & practice. This is a standardised statement which you can be downloaded from the ACPAN website. Other statements are not valid.
• Your employer and consultant anaesthetist have to sign the ACPAN PACU Experience Statement. This is a standardised statement which you can be downloaded from the ACPAN website. Other statements are not valid.
• You have completed a minimum 1900 hours of postanaesthesia care practice experience within 3years; and
• You are competent in assisting during CPR, difficult airway, CICO, cardiac defibrillation and cardioversion, massive blood transfusion, anaphylaxis and malignant hyperthermia as per ANZCA PS08 and PS04. This does not mean that you have real-life experience in assisting the anaesthetist during those situations. Training and workshops at your local hospital can be sufficient. You are required to have a thorough understanding of the local policies and you are deemed competent to act in those situations.
• You must complete 3 reflective logs. The reflective logs must relate to postanaesthesia care. The cases should reflect on your professional practice while providing care in the postanaesthesia care unit and should clearly demonstrate the application of theory to practice, decision-making and problem-solving.

Possible topics may be:

• Provision of postanaesthesia care based on sound principles and research evidence.
• Interpretation and utilisation of data obtained from non-invasive monitoring data.
• Recognition and appropriate response to post-anaesthetic complications (including equipment failure) that occur during the postanaesthesia care period.
• The utilisation of appropriate verbal, nonverbal, and written communication in the delivery of postanaesthesia care. Delivery of culturally competent postanaesthesia care.
• Function within appropriate legal requirements, accepting responsibility and accountability for practice.

On the ACPAN website is also a case log APP available that can be downloaded to your smartphone/device. The APP can record information about a specific case which will be stored as a case report.

Complete successfully the online PACU certification exams and download the certificates:

To prepare for the certification exam, ACPAN has study resources available on their website (Resources tab in the main menu) and also courses available at the ACPAN Academy may be suitable for your preparation.

The PACU certification exam consists of four sub-exams:

• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 1: peri anaesthesia nursing + economics & organisation (30 questions)
• PACU sub-exam 2: principles of anaesthesia and emergency management (30 questions)
• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 3: basic science, pharmacology, and pathophysiology (30 questions)
• PACU sub-exam 4: postoperative care + management of complications (30 questions)

Each sub-exam is available on the ACPAN Academy, will take 15 minutes and costs $20. You will have to obtain an 80% pass for each sub-exam. After successful completion, you can download a certificate. You can take each sub-exam as often as you like, but each attempt will cost $20.

Before starting the sub-exams:

• Have pen, paper and a calculator available for the medication questions
• Use common sense and the knowledge you have gained during your 1900 hours experience in postanaesthesia care
• Use the study resources wisely

When passing all four sub-exams the first time, the total costs for PACU certification will be $80.

If you have obtained your anaesthesia certification WITHIN the last year, you do NOT need to do the perianaesthesia sub-exams 1. You do need to upload the certificates of ALL sub-exams, including sub-exam 1 when applying for PACU certification.

Register your anaesthesia certification application:

Register your certification application on the ACPAN website (education tab at the main menu). You will be asked to complete the following details: name, address, email address, phone number, AHPRA registration number, and ACPAN membership number.

Upload all documents to the ACPAN website:

Once your registration details are completed, upload all required documents to the ACPAN website:

• Completed and signed PACU Clinical Criteria Statement
• Completed and signed PACU Experience Statement
• Three completed reflective logs
• All four sub-exam certificates
• CV: clearly state your employment history including the specialty-related positions you have held. Please include the start date, finish date, the employer, position title, brief description of the role, and the total hours you worked in this position.

After uploading all documents to the ACPAN website, your application will be reviewed and you will receive a confirmation email of your successful certification application including your PACU certification certificate. Your name will also be added to the ACPAN certification register which is visible for the public.

• ACPAN PACU Experience Statement: minimal 270 hours of postanaesthesia care within the last three years.

Prepare an overview of your 30 CPD points: you are required to provide evidence of completion of a certain number of hours of continuing professional development in the previous three years, which must incorporate 10 hours per year in peri anaesthesia (this is included in the 20 hours/year required for AHPRA).

Complete successfully the online certification exams and download the certificates:

• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 1: perianaesthesia nursing + economics & organisation (30 questions)
• PACU sub-exam 2: principles of anaesthesia and emergency management (30 questions)
• Perianaesthesia sub-exam 3: basic science, pharmacology, and pathophysiology (30 questions)
• PACU sub-exam 4: postoperative care + management of complications (30 questions)

Update your details

• Personal details
• AHPRA registration number
• ACPAN registration number (or technician certificate number)

Upload all documents to the ACPAN website:

• ACPAN Employment Statement
• CPD overview (in total 30 points): you are required to provide evidence of completion of a certain number of hours of continuing professional development in the previous three years, which must incorporate: 10 hours per year in postanaesthesia care.
• Four sub-exam certificates
• CV

You will receive confirmation of your recertification application including a certification certificate