PCTs - How many patients? - Page 2

On my floor we have 22 beds so each tech get 12 or 10 patients depending on which side you have. Sometimes on nights there's only 1 tech for the whole floor. When I come in for day shift she is ususally exhusted. Sometimes in a pinch one of the RNs will be called in to act as a tech. I wish I had 7 or 8 patients is so much more managable especially when there are a lot of labs to be drawn.

Day shift 8 pts.
Night Shift 11 or 12.

If we are short a PCT, nurses required to do their own I&O's and if floor crazy pitch in wherever else they can.

We max out at 42 beds and 4 aides. Frequently have 25-35 beds full, and 3 aides. Overnights is 2 aides regardless of census.

I have duo'd 36 people over a dinner. And i've solo'd 21 w/7 feeders over a dinner. Had a bit of help from my nurse in those cases. Normally not.

That is a work load. Too much for one person to handle but that is the Healthcare field.

I understand. I work dayshift and each tech has up to 10 or 11 patients and it can be exhausting because it is to busy on dayshift. That is why i am back in school working on my ASN because my body wont be young forever. Nursing is a lot of hardwork and patients.

ICU on night shift - usually 10:1, sometimes a little more if census is low. Manageable because the RNs are 2:1 max.

Depends on the facility. When I worked as a PCNA, we were only allowed to have up to 8 patients max on days and up to 14 on nights.

When I worked as a NT, there were times where you would have the WHOLE floor to yourself. My home unit was a busy 24-bed med-surg unit. Most of the time there would be 2 on (whether NT's or NA's), some days we would have 3 (and those were the best!) but other days there would just be one. You would still be responsible for all of the vital signs and everything. On another floor, there were 40 beds, and if you were by yourself, you wouldn't have to be responsible for vital signs; instead they wanted you answer call lights and help out with other tasks.

i have an interview for a great hospital. the position is for a pct (surgical services) days. i have been a cna for 8 yrs but this would be my first hospital job if i get it. i saw that you are a pct on the surgical unit. just wanted to get an idea of what kind of things u have to do working as a pct on that unit. any tips would help also thanks in advance. super nervous and excited !!!

If you're going to be working on an inpatient surgical floor, you will be doing a lot of vital signs. Post operatively, patients require frequent vital signs...as do patients receiving pain medicines through a PCA (patient controlled analgesia), as well as patients requiring blood transfusions.

These patients also have a lot of drains...some are draining blood or other fluids from surgery, like a JP or blake drain. There are also foley catheters draining urine and NG tubes used for draining gastric contents. Accurate measurement of intake and output is paramount.

Also, many of these patients are either not allowed anything by mouth and therefore at risk for low blood sugar...or nothing by mouth and maintained by IV fluids containing dextrose, which can increase a patient's blood sugar. Therefore, it is pertinent to check a patient's blood sugar in a timely fashion per the physician's orders. And if a patient is acting strangely, checking vital signs and a blood sugar will help the nurses and doctors get an accurate picture of what is going on. Sometimes it's something as simple as one of those things.

Also, if a patient is not putting out enough urine, he or she may have an issue with urinary retention, so bladder scanning is important. So is keeping tabs on a patient's bowel movements.

The final thing that is very important is encouraging a patient to ambulate early and often. These patients tend to have pneumatic compression devices (they need to be ON while in bed!), drains, an IV pole and possibly oxygen and a heart monitor, but that means they still must get up and move, so they will need your help!

It sounds like a lot but being a tech on a surgical floor is very rewarding as you can see improvement with your patients. Also, there tends to be less incontinence, turns, et al. But remember incontinent people and those who can't move have surgery also. And sometimes, techs on a surgical floor have fewer patients than a medical floor because there are more tasks to be done.

Hi everyone! I currently work as a CNA in a nursing home. I wanted to switch to a PCT at the hospital. How different are the 2 and has anyone worked at both and can give me any tips? The hospital is hiring for telemetry unit and sugical unit. Which one would be better? Also the bathing care is prob different than nursing home? We bring them to a shower room n help them there. Can anyone give me an idea of care plans for pts in the hospital differ from care in nusing homes?