CPAN Practice Exam – Comprehensive Guide for Exam Prep

The primary responsibilities of a post-anesthesia nurse include the crucial tasks of monitoring patient vital signs and assessing the level of consciousness. These responsibilities are fundamental in ensuring the patient's recovery from anesthesia is safe and effective. After surgery, patients may experience a range of physiological changes as they wake up from anesthesia, and vigilant monitoring helps in identifying any potential complications early on, such as respiratory depression, hypotension, or changes in heart rate.

Monitoring vital signs allows the nurse to track the patient’s recovery status, ensuring that they are stable before transitioning to a lower level of care or discharge. Additionally, assessing the level of consciousness is vital in determining the patient’s neurological status and their readiness to be moved from the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). These activities are paramount to the safety and well-being of the patient in the immediate postoperative period.

Other responsibilities like providing surgical assistance, administering anesthesia agents, and conducting preoperative assessments fall outside the scope of a post-anesthesia nurse's duties, as those are typically carried out by surgical staff, anesthesia providers, and preoperative nurses, respectively.