Anaesthesiological department

Peder Pedersen
- nurse at an anaesthesiology department

Working as an anesthesiology nurse I follow the patients in a short time before surgery until they start to wake up after surgery. While the patient is in surgery it is my job to monitor and manage the patient’s vital functions and make sure the patient is free of pain and in a condition where the surgeon can perform his or her job in a proper manner.

If I e.g. observe fluctuations of the pulse and blood pressure it could be a signal that the patient is waking up, has pain or lost so much blood that a blood transfusion is needed.

The job requires extensive professional knowledge, independence, a good overview and the ability to evaluate a situation and quickly interpret the signs of the patient.

I worked as a basic nurse and surgical nurse for about 10 years before I applied for a training position at an anesthesiology ward. Those years of experience have been very useful to me in critical situations and when a decision has to be made fast.

The specialist education as an anesthesiology nurse takes two years and it is a combination of theoretical and clinical elements.

In this job you need to be able to talk to the patients and be very professional. You work in very small teams and concentrate on one patient at a time. I like that. At the same time the working hours fit my family life.