Per Magnet Directives, Nursing first Cleans Bodily Fluids, then Housekeeping

[taraytara]

Hi

I am a nurse and I work at NSLIJ NY. I need to raise an issue to magnet and do not know how to.

If there is a feces or urine on the floor, it has to cleaned first by Nurses or PCA before the housekeeping comes and mop the floor. I found this embarrassing for nurses to do that in this century. If it's on the patient, I understand. But this is on the floor and why nurses has to clean the floor not house keeping. I am sure it's not how it suppose to be. But we have to do it because we are not union and we cannot raise our voice. I have spoke to my manager about it and i was told housekeeping has union and that's their policy.

[Jules A, MSN]

But we have to do it because we are not union and we cannot raise our voice.

I like that you are questioning things that don't sound correct however, and while I don't really have an opinion on this topic either way, if you feel you "cannot raise our voice" then nothing will ever be changed so you might as well just start doing what they have instructed. Change is uncomfortable and often requires showing your displeasure with your feet. Good luck.

I'd also consider editing out the name of your facility.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Really? If there's a puddle of urine on the floor you're not going to address the obvious safety issue and throw a towel over it to soak it up? If these's stool on the floor you're going to just leave it there for someone else? And tell the patient family "Not my job- you'll have to wait for this to be cleaned up?"

Wow, just wow.

PS: What in the heck does this have to do with Magnet???

[loriangel14, RN]

Really? You think leaving stool or urine or vomit on the floor is ok? We clean up the worst of the mess and housekeeping disinfects.

[elkpark]

Everywhere I've ever worked, nursing was responsble for doing the initial, "gross" cleaning of the actual "material" (removal of stool, urine, emesis, whatever), and then housekeeping did the general disinfecting. To me, it makes sense that handling stool, urine, other potentially infectious material is not what housekeeping staff signed up for when they took their jobs; they are there to do general, ordinary cleaning and housekeeping.

[klone, MSN, RN]

This has nothing to do with Magnet.

[Karou]

I work at a magnet facility that requires this. Never thought it was in any relation to it being magnet though.

We throw towels down to soak up to the worst of it, then call housekeeping for a mop up. It's not mr favorite thing to do but housekeeping can take forever to get there and I wouldn't leave it on the floor in the meantime.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I work at a Magnet, and a non-Magnet before that, We had to clean the bodily fluid and housekeeping disinfected.

[elkpark]

Everywhere I've ever worked, nursing was responsble for doing the initial, "gross" cleaning of the actual "material" (removal of stool, urine, emesis, whatever), and then housekeeping did the general disinfecting. To me, it makes sense that handling stool, urine, other potentially infectious material is not what housekeeping staff signed up for when they took their jobs; they are there to do general, ordinary cleaning and housekeeping.

I should add, that was my experience in nursing long before the "Magnet" designation was even invented. This has nothing to do with "Magnet directives."

[OnlinePersona, LPN]

are YOU serious? REALLY?!?!

I am trying to understand what viewpoint this would be acceptable in any realm. If Theres a pool of urine on the floor, obviously dry it up before someone slips and falls... Same thing for fecal matter. Also lets say its in a clients room, your going to leave it there so the room smells and the client feels ashamed of themselves even more?

Here is a tip. Do away with your RN-itis mentality. Please adapt a team orientated work ethic. It takes longer to get on the phone and wait on hold to talk to the housekeeper than just getting a towel and cleaning up the mess yourself...

Lawd jesus * eye rollz*

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Everywhere I've worked we clean up with towels and washcloths to make area safer, then call housekeeping for the finishing touches. We are also responsible for changing all the linen bags and garbage bags every shift in all our rooms. Ahhh, the glamorous side of ER and ICU nursing.

[calivianya, BSN, RN]

I actually agree with OP - I think it's ridiculous that housekeeping can't touch bodily fluids.

I would think if I signed up to clean things in a HOSPITAL, where there are nasty things everywhere, I should expect to come into contact with nasty things. Seriously. If the housekeepers want to work somewhere a little more sanitary, there are hotels for that. I don't understand why they have so many restrictions on what they can do.

Am I going to leave a large spill on the floor? Of course not. But if I cover it up with a towel or something, and I'm in my other patient's room, obviously busy, and housekeeping comes to get me because they don't think I cleaned it up enough before they got there, I'm going to be a little aggravated.

Maybe I'm just not as much of a saint as everyone else here, or something, but sometimes I haven't got time to do just about 100% of the cleaning in all of my rooms before it's clean enough for housekeeping to touch it.