Dozens of nurses at Northern California hospital balk at wearing locators

[NRSKarenRN]

About two dozen nurses at Eden Medical Center near San Jose, Calif., have turned in the personal locator devices the hospital had required them to wear. The hospital contends the devices help provide more efficient patient care, but the nurses say they are a Big Brother-like intrusion.

San Jose Mercury News, Sept. 6, 2002

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/4015298.htm

[amylynn]

I don't know much about these "locators"--never have seen them. But I would have loved to have them yesterday. Couldn't seem to ever find the nurse taking care of the two rooms next to me and her call lights, IV pumps, alarms...you name it, were a constant hassel to me while trying to take care of my two sick ICU patients. I would have loved to "locate" her!

[Sleepyeyes]

Originally posted by Youda

Sleepyeyes, you have definitely condensed the entire problem into one sentence: the difference between a tracking device and a communication device. A communication device DOES have all the benefits that NMAguiar mentioned, but does NOT have the negative aspects of a tracking device. I'm certain that there are COMMUNICATION devices that could cost just as much as the tracking devices. So, why did the hospital choose a TRACKING system over a communication system? Oh well, I'm just probably being paranoid.

I don't think you're being paranoid. If it walks like a duck.....

and again, I think it's management that's paranoid--after all, they actually went and spent money trying to figure out what we do all day--like we aren't telling them the truth or something.

[sjoe]

amylynn--probably taking a smoke break.

[cindyln]

We have those locators at the hospital I work at.They are good for one thing,finding a coworker when they have a phone call or visitor.Most of us just leave them in our lockers.

[RNCCHERYL]

Originally posted by Glad2behere

Exactly correct Erdiane,

Then it will tell over a period of time just how long it takes to:

Change dressings

Set up IVs

Pass other meds

Chart

Take medical histories

Every specific function a nurse can do will have an allotment time.

Patients will now be grouped into task/time criteria and the number of nurses required.

Final product...allnurses have to perform at the level of the super

nurses. No allowances for age, experience, and or things that go wrong.

It would have been a lot cheaper if they just make everyone wear NEON SWAZTIKAS, magnetically coded and strategically placed as well.

I sure the devil am not going to wear one of those, and nursing ain't so cool that I would wear a dog collar either...don't believe I need either of them that badly.

Imagine, administration maybe cutting their noses off to spite their face. They will see how much we do and how hard we work. They will also see bathroom breaks are not one of our options on really bad days.....

:roll

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy yall

from deep in the heat of texas

Location devices ehh, sounds neat will they help me find myself when I get lost. I sometimes do get lost, particularly now that Im getting older.

If things get hairy can I tap on it and say, " Beam me up, Scottie" those things just might be helpfull.

Then also the person I feel sorry for, is the person the hire to correlate, and categorize, and assess all that data they obtain from their little locator/ tracker device.

My hospital has been talking about getting cellphones, for communication. I refuse to have one of those brain tumor causing devices.

doo wah ditty

[l.rae]

Originally posted by teeituptom

Howdy yall

from deep in the heat of texas

Location devices ehh, sounds neat will they help me find myself when I get lost. I sometimes do get lost, particularly now that Im getting older.

If things get hairy can I tap on it and say, " Beam me up, Scottie" those things just might be helpfull.

Then also the person I feel sorry for, is the person the hire to correlate, and categorize, and assess all that data they obtain from their little locator/ tracker device.

My hospital has been talking about getting cellphones, for communication. I refuse to have one of those brain tumor causing devices.

doo wah ditty

....Hey Tom...try putting those locaters on your golf balls!..LOL:roll ....LR

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy yall

from deep in the heat of texas

Heya I.rae with a 5 handicap, I generally dont need to.

doo wah ditty

[rebelwaclause, ASN, RN]

Originally posted by shavsha

If I need my charge nurse for anything I just punch a dial and I know the where I can find her for help. That saves me a lot of time asking around "Have you seen ___________". They also have a sensor that automatically turns off the call bell when I enter the room. We too have the ability to audibly page someone in another room but out of courtesy we hardly ever do it. (I may have been paged maybe once in the last year). I don't know if our management is "tracking"...it wouldn't surprise me. But it has never been brought up in any way. And to my great relief there are no sensors in the bathrooms!

EXACTLY! And management tracking people? , they don't have the savvy to download all the information and put it in a file!

I'm thinking here. Is there a fear that nurses can no longer hide, disappear and offer mediocre nursing because the device could "catch you?". Hmmmmm.

[RNCCHERYL]

A cell phone for the charge nurse works just as well. I wear a phone all the time and it works just great.....I wouldn't want to wear a tracking device! I think it is punch in the face to the nursing profession.

[KC CHICK]

We have cell phones and portable tele monitors. If we need to be reached, then we can be reached. No one needs to know my bathroom patterns or my private conversations when I'm on my break. If I care to vent to a co-worker on my own time (i.e. breaks), then I'm entitiled to do so without possible punishment/backlash from Admin that "overhears" such conversation.

Anne:cool:

PS: I noticed that NMAs profile indicates that he's both a writer and an 'RN Student'. Are you still a student at this time, or have you walked in the shoes of those that you're giving advice to?? Having said that....I have a question. Do writers have to wear a tracking device to track productivity??? How about listening in on your private conversations with co-workers, etc.? How many times per day do you pee? Care to share THAT with your boss?

"Stop. Study. Analyze. Respond." (NMA)

[NMAguiar]