[RainDreamer]

Originally Posted by Gompers

I think our unit secretaries are going to be phased out eventually. Well, we need them to answer the phone and greet visitors, but because we do almost everything on the computer now, there is nothing much for them to do.

Our docs enter ALL our orders on the computer. Then we nurses see the orders, hit a key to acknowledge them, and then we can implement them. Pharmacy, blood bank, radiology, respiratory therapy, etc. - everyone gets their orders off the computer so the secretary has nothing to process. This is great because there is no waiting and it's MUCH more safe because there isn't a non-medical staff member trying to decipher physician orders. It's also great because it happens at the same time - while you are reading an order for a new medication, pharmacy already has the info and has started preparing it. Or X-ray is already on the way up before anyone has even picked up the phone to call them. It's great!

But in hospitals where technology hasn't taken over, and most of the orders are hand-written and need to be processed - then yes, there is a definite need for at least one unit secretary at all times. Nurses don't have time to be doing all that.

Wow, that would be great to have the docs just enter the orders on the computer and then they get sent to whoever (x-ray, pharmacy, etc.). I wonder why we don't do that ....? We do all our charting on the computer. The unit secretary orders everything on the computer. So I wonder why they aren't doing it how you described. Hmmmm .....

[greentea]

Usually, my floor has to go begging for a unit secretary on my shift. If we have a gaggle of admissions, we'll get one for an hour or two from a another floor to help us with admissions. Every once in a while, we get lucky and have one for half of our shift which is really all we need. If a hospital doesn't do physician order entry, I think a unit secretary is necessary. I do not really have time to run out patients' rooms to answer the phone, process orders, and coordinate communication between doctors, in addition to passing my meds, doing my assessments, changing dressings, and everything else I'm supposed to do. Ever since our secretary has been gone, I've spent way too much time being a secretary. Oh and don't even get me started on the whole thing where one doctors wants another doctor to call him or her while I have three bells going off and my meds are late. I just politely say, "Well do you have their number? Here it is. Call them." Plus I've been encountering a lot of chicken scratch on physician's orders in addition to MDs clearly not looking at meds or labs the patients ALREADY got or had ordered. A fairly commonplace one (since I've seen this situation a few times in the past month) is to order Lasix (first dose to start "now") without realizing that patient ALREADY got Lasix in the AM. I call up the doc asking, "Did you really want the pt to get 80 mg of Lasix IV today?" Nine times out of ten the answer is no. ARGH. It takes up so much of my time! Ok well I feel better now. Sorry about the rant that got a little off tangent, but really if my floor had a secretary things would be a little better. And physician order entry is a looooong way away at my hospital. *sigh*