[CaliforniaRN4kids]

I was just wondering if many PICUs use ancillary staff like a tech or nursing assistant. We use techs to assist in burn care and I have not seen anything in the literature that supports the use of tech in the PICU. I may be using the wrong search engine words so I figures I would throw it out there to see what other hospitals are doing. By the way, I love our techs..they are very experienced at what they do and help tremendously with wound care.

Stacie

[janfrn]

Our PICU has nursing assistants, but they aren't allowed to do any direct care. Which is a crime in my mind. They should be allowed to work to their full scope. I think our burn unit may have some that do help with dressings. We only get the burns that are unstable and require intubation; the staff from the burn unit comes over to do the dressings every day but they don't announce what their professional designation is when they arrive. I'll ask around for you.

[dianacs]

Originally Posted by janfrn

Our PICU has nursing assistants, but they aren't allowed to do any direct care. Which is a crime in my mind. They should be allowed to work to their full scope. I think our burn unit may have some that do help with dressings. We only get the burns that are unstable and require intubation; the staff from the burn unit comes over to do the dressings every day but they don't announce what their professional designation is when they arrive. I'll ask around for you.

Curious to know...if your facility has a burn unit, why don't they take the unstable burns???

[marilynmom]

I am a tech in the PICU. I'm a senior nursing student and I plan to stay there after I graduate. Where I work I am called a Nurse Partner and it is kinda set up like a preceptorship...so we are basically there to learn and help out. I love it.

We are expected to be very hands on with the patients. I am assigned to one RN (but I do help all the RN's if I am needed, but I'm usually just with the 1 RN for my 12 hour shift). I help with admits, VS, blood draws (I can draw blood out of all existing lines including art lines), foleys, ETT suctioning, I&Os, I can put in IVs, FSBS, central line dressing changes, I can do most things I have been checked off at school to do (no meds). I also do my own head to toe assessments alongside the RN and listen to heart sounds, neuro checks, etc. That way I'm getting some awesome experience as well as helping the RNs.

[vamedic4]

Originally Posted by marilynmom

I am a tech in the PICU. I'm a senior nursing student and I plan to stay there after I graduate. Where I work I am called a Nurse Partner and it is kinda set up like a preceptorship...so we are basically there to learn and help out. I love it.

We are expected to be very hands on with the patients. I am assigned to one RN (but I do help all the RN's if I am needed, but I'm usually just with the 1 RN for my 12 hour shift). I help with admits, VS, blood draws (I can draw blood out of all existing lines including art lines), foleys, ETT suctioning, I&Os, central line dressing changes, I can do most things I have been checked off at school to do (except meds or IVs). I also do my own head to toe assessments alongside the RN and listen to heart sounds, neuro checks, etc. That way I'm getting some awesome experience as well as noticing things for the RN I'm with.

My job is similar to marilynmom's with slight variations...and I think it's a crime that other places don't have such programs in place. It helps the non nurse to see exactly what's involved, to feel involved in the care of the patient, to help the nurse out when she's only got 2 hands but needs 5...all the while learning what it takes to be a PICU (or med surg, or ortho) nurse.

[mark2climb]

When I worked in a PICU in Dallas as a nursing student, I worked along side paramedics. We acted as RN extenders and did more time consuming tasks like dressing changes, IV placements, and bed changes. Our paramedics also helped with bedside procedures like staying sterile and handing instruments for CT insertions and CVL placements. That way, the bedside RN is free to chart and give meds. It allowed the RNs to take busier patients. The nurse extenders all wore pagers as well.

[MistyBlue]

Our techs basically were assistant secretaries. They were not involved in direct patient care. They filled the supply carts, made sure that the charts had order sheets and blank progress notes. They would place orders in the computer, run specimens to the lab and get formula from the formula room.

[picurn94]

I work in a PICU in NC and have worked in this unit for the past 14 years or so. We have always used a Support Partner that helps with stocking rooms, ordering supplies, etc but they do not perform patient care. We have used them as "sitters" for our suicidal 1:1 patients but it is not in their job description to perform direct patient care. We have Care Partners (Nursing Assistants) that are in a supplemental pool that intermittently work in the PICU. We love our Care Partners. They perform direct patient care, bathing, feeding, VS, etc. which is very helpful on those extremely busy days. They also play a dual role helping stock rooms with supplies, setting up rooms for admissions, answering phones, and call bells.

[Semele]

Our PICU is all RN staffed, but we do occasionally get NA or LPN help from the peds floor to come help with less critical pts when we are busy. They can feed babies etc.

[CaliforniaRN4kids]

Most interesting. We have student nurse externs and they do a lot of patient care and are assigned to a RN to precept them. Usually they all stay after graduation. We also have techs to do big dressing changes, stock supplies, clean the tub room, prep and clean up after major dressing changes. They are great at what they do, done it for long and come well prepared. I learned most of my wound care from them. I wish we did have an aid to feed babies at the PICU I am at. We have a lot of chronic kids and with a 1:3 ratio (they are trached), there isn't much time for social stuff, daily baths, etc.
thanks for the post.
SS