[wooh]

I complained about staffing once, got told that staffing was "appropriate" because they patients weren't "critical" and they accused me of being overly paranoid about my patients going bad because, well, of course, they weren't "critical."
I really think that a lot of administrators think all the floor nurses are doing is babysitting and fluffing pillows and pouring coffee, and that's all we need to do. Then they get mad because we complain we're too busy actually nursing to do the pillow fluffing and coffee pouring.
As long as nurses are too busy fighting each other (RN vs LPN, ADN vs BSN, union vs non-union, ratios vs no ratios, ICU vs ER vs floor, hospital vs nursing home) we're never going to be able to get together on the basic issues of patient safety. Is there a solution? At this point, I don't know. I just pray I stay well enough to stay out of the hospital until the day I die a quick-no-need-to-try-to-save-me death. Because it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

[november551]

Originally Posted by pinoy_guy

lordy.

each nurse is partnered with another nurse, and labelled as "teamwork" and "encouraged to ask for help from your partner."

problem is, all the nurses on the floor have full plates, and it's very hard to ask for help from your "partner" as he/she has a full plate too.

Haha that's what they do at my hospital. What's funny is that from the beginning of my shift at 7pm until at least 10pm or later, I rarely even see my "partner," Just pass them in the hallway or for a few seconds lining up for meds in the med room between patients. Wasting narcotics and double checking insulin/lovenox can be a nightmare on a busy day! We've had times were we have had to help coworkers out, but it's usually just whoever isn't busy on the unit at the time will step up and lend a hand.

[Nurse4years]

Originally Posted by DeLana_RN

... with the pt increasingly SOB (with normal SPO2, however) she decided against notifiying the rapid response team and had RT called instead (fourth mistake). A few minutes later the code was announced.
DeLana

If a single thought goes through your head "should I call the Rapid Response Team?" make the call.
Abuse of RRT, or poor judgement calls can be dealt with AFTER a patient is stable.
This is what was emphasized at the first facility I worked in that had RRTs. It worked out well. Great place. Took care of nursing issues promptly, and requested all staff input. Nurses flocked to work for this DON.
Of course, it was working too well. Consultants came in- Admin changes-DON forced to quit, place went down hill.
Ouch, not where I was going with this...(find a happy place- find a happy place...)

[wooh]

Originally Posted by Mschrisco

If a single thought goes through your head "should I call the Rapid Response Team?" make the call.

You have to be able to see your patient enough to get the thought going through your head. The big problem with understaffing is you don't see your patients enough to catch the subtle signs that you need to call RRT.

[ocankhe]

Failure to rescue, to over simplify, comes down to two basic causes. The first is systemic, not enough staff for the patient acuity (you can't be three places at once but they do expect you to be in two places at once), expirience mix of the staff, et al.
The second is individual knowledge/expirience of a nurse, in that the nurse doesn't recognize a potential problem. Both need to be dealt with in different ways. The goal should be to improve both the resouce base and the knowledge base and not to place blame.

[elkpark]

Originally Posted by ocankhe

Failure to rescue, to over simplify, comes down to two basic causes. The first is systemic, not enough staff for the patient acuity (you can't be three places at once but they do expect you to be in two places at once), expirience mix of the staff, et al.
The second is individual knowledge/expirience of a nurse, in that the nurse doesn't recognize a potential problem. Both need to be dealt with in different ways. The goal should be to improve both the resouce base and the knowledge base and not to place blame.

Very well said.

[Jolie]

Originally Posted by ocankhe

Failure to rescue, to over simplify, comes down to two basic causes. The first is systemic, not enough staff for the patient acuity (you can't be three places at once but they do expect you to be in two places at once), expirience mix of the staff, et al.
The second is individual knowledge/expirience of a nurse, in that the nurse doesn't recognize a potential problem. Both need to be dealt with in different ways. The goal should be to improve both the resouce base and the knowledge base and not to place blame.

I agree. And I believe that both boil down to a single problem: failure to retain experienced nurses at the bedside. Poor staffing and other unaceptable working conditions drive older, experienced nurses away from the bedside, leaving no-one to mentor young, inexperienced nurses, teach them to anticipate and recognize s/s of impending crisis, and act appropriately.

[Spidey's mom]

Originally Posted by Nurse4years

. It worked out well. Great place. Took care of nursing issues promptly, and requested all staff input. Nurses flocked to work for this DON.
Of course, it was working too well. Consultants came in- Admin changes-DON forced to quit, place went down hill.
Ouch, not where I was going with this...(find a happy place- find a happy place...)

I resigned from a place like this last year. Almost the same scenario - except it wasn't about RRT's but adequate staffing and other changes - our awesome DON finally resigned after beating her head against a wall for a long time. Very sad.


steph

[Jolie]

Originally Posted by stevielynn

I resigned from a place like this last year. Almost the same scenario - except it wasn't about RRT's but adequate staffing and other changes - our awesome DON finally resigned after beating her head against a wall for a long time. Very sad.


steph

I wondered why you left your last job. A shame.

[BBFRN]

Originally Posted by santhony44

Probably not at the bedside.

http://www.google.com/search?client=...=Google+Search

Actually, Sean Clarke has done a lot of research with Linda Aiken, and is one of the biggest advocates of safe nurse staffing levels around. His research is what led to CA being able to back up their ratio laws. Too bad the hospitals aren't listening to him. He's on our side, guys.