What is a "Sitter"?

NicInNC, CNA · Nov 28, 2005

One of the women that I work with (she and I are CNA's) gets "private duty" jobs when one of our residents gets admitted to a hospital. The family pays her under the table to "sit" at the hospital. I guess they do it for peace of mind. She's been at our facility since it first opened, so she's well known there. I'm hoping that I can eventually get some "sitting" jobs. That would be a great way to get some extra money!

DusktilDawn · Nov 28, 2005

this is exactly what it meant when i did it in nursing school. my job was more than just sitting with the patient, though. i had to go through non-violent crisis intervention and restraint training. all the other training (appropriate lifting, etc) was also included. i was a glorified pct or cna...however your facility calls it. it was very good experience to have as a student nurse!

grimmy, our sitters don't go through non-violent crisis intervention and restraint training. nor is lifting, turning, positioning, changing, etc included in part of their training. we are not supposed to expect them to do this, although the majority will assist with these things. i'm sure you were a big help as a sitter with that kind of training.

i will say this though, the best sitters i've encountered have usually been nursing students or former/present cnas. i'm glad it was a wonderful experience for you. :)

allnurses Guide · Nov 28, 2005

Oh wow, I wish our hospital actually employed sitters!! In the past when we've had a patient that needed 1:1 monitoring, the supervisor would find an extra tech (or a nurse even, in some cases) who was either on standby, or just hanging around the hospital not really doing anything much, and have them sit with the patient all shift.

Now we aren't even allowed to do that anymore. If we have a patient that needs close monitoring, and there isn't a family member that can come in and sit with them, then our techs have to kind of take turns sitting with the patient (in ADDITION to caring for the rest of their patients). Either that, or we just have to consider restraining the patient. We used to use those "vail beds", but those have been taken off the market.

We also have a new camera that we can put in a patient's room, and then watch them on a monitor at the nurse's station, if they are REALLY bad about getting out of bed unassisted, and we don't have a family member to sit with them.

NJNursing, ASN, RN · Nov 28, 2005

That's the same with my local hospitals - they'll pull techs off the floor or have techs sign up for OT to do 1:1's. They'll also get LPN's or trained members from the escort department do them as overtime. In a REAL pinch, they'll get an RN to do it, but that's really got to be a desperate need situation and very seldomly done anymore. It's just mainly for OT.

grimmy, RN · Nov 29, 2005

it is very sad to me (an ex-sitter) that hospitals don't even try to avail themselves of the many people who need work, who want to work, and can do a good job. are there nursing, pt, ot, or other allied health school in your area? i don't want to toot my own horn, but sitters (good sitters) are worth their weight in gold when it comes to pts with icu psychosis, dts, or sundowners - and any other host of delirium issues. i was well-trained, and i'm sure other students would welcome that training or be already trained. i think i was paid just over 8.50/hour to do the job plus 75 cents/hr nights. it's not lots of money, but when you pay for your own books, its something. i also freed up other staff to do their other work, and gave them peace of mind that 99 year old ms. b. with the broken hip doesn't try to swing her leg over the bedrail to go to pee (even though she has a foley). i learned a lot in that job, and i'm still grateful i did it. plus - here's another good rationale for the admin/hr folks who would naysay the idea - its a way to encourage the students to work at your facility when they graduate.

NWHRNlover17 · May 30, 2010

A "sitter" is a staffer, occasinally, wher I work, a CNA, who stays within arms-length of a Pt. deemed to be suicidal. An MD can put in the order. Some Pt's are on Sect. 12 unvoluntary commitments on a MED/SURG floor. We have 3 locked Psych wards they could be on, but noooooo!!

steelydanfan · Jun 1, 2010

A "sitter", as others have said, is a staff person, usually a CNA, but depending on the pt.s and/or the hospitals staffing needs; may be a LVN or RN. Basically, they are there to monitor the pt. for safety needs, but may also assist the pt. with basic ADLs and offer some observations of the pt's routine and behaviour. That being said, a CNA or LVN may be a sitter for a pt. exhibiting confused, agitated or restless behaviour,; NO sitter may EVER be employed for a diagnosed suicidal or 5150 pt. unless they are a trained psychiatric nurse or technician. If your BON says diferently, I would like to know.

saxton · May 21, 2011

For the last post, I've been a sitter for almost a year now and it is very common when I am sent to the ER to have multiple suicide patients with 1 on 1. I have had up to 4 at a time with 2 in my front view and 2 totally behind me. I've tried telling charge nurses and everyone this can't be right but nobody seems to care. I am a cna but no special training. I picked the patient who I felt needed it the most and crossed my fingers on the others as bad as that sounds. What else can u do?

AgentBeast, BSN, RN · May 21, 2011

It's where you go to take a poo.

Oh wait you asked what a sitter was.

At my facility it's someone who sits in the room with a patient who has threatened to kill themselves and well prevent the patient from killing them self.