A&E Transfers By OR

[sukisocks]

I work rotational night in Theatre. After midnight the department is on call for trauma, C-Sections and vascular. We have now been told that fron 4 am to 7 am we must be available to transfer A&E patients to various wards and sites in the hospital.

We (the nurses) feel wholly against this due to the nature of our call and the transfer of patients we have no prior dealings with. We have taken this to the union and they said we can't refuse. On the other hand the Night Sister in charge of the Acute Wards has refused to do A&E Tranfers????? She does however do transfers from Recovery in Theatre.

I am really concerned over this and have voiced these concerns to the Senior Manager who has no evidence to support the decision or oppose it. The only directive we have for this is through a memo sent to Senior Staff and this has been passed down from there.

The transfer calls have taken place for the last few weeks. One member of staff did go to transfer a patient and found A&E Staff booking holidays on the internet in the office on arrival in the department.............?????

Has anyone out there got any helpful suggestions on how we can resolve this:confused:

[witzend]

Reason dictates that if A&E are not busy they ought to transfer, but if they are and another unit is not, then that unit's staff should be utilised. Unfortunately, EVERYONE KNOWS that theatre staff sit around all night laughing and drinking and smoking and sleeping and of course they are all JEALOUS... All that aside, I know its difficult to step outside your comfort zone - ie the theatre unit - but the more you do it the easier it becomes, its good PR, and you just never know what interesting things you might discover. Luckily (!) we hit the floor running on ND, so its not an issue, and quite often we have to drag ward staff into recovery to help nurse the patients with no ward beds to go to.

Important though to notify the IC if you don't feel skilled enough to adequately care for a complex case.

[carcha]

This subject really gets on my nerves!!!!. O.R. nurses are always being abused. I have been in this situation so many times, "will u go to the unit and "sit" with this child, who by the way is very ill", or "just go and answer the phone". My answer is NO, NO NO. May I just ask all of you, how many of you have known a unit nurse to come to the O.R. and scrub for a laparotomy, aneurysm, bypass?. It would never happen. However simply because we all went through the same basic training O. R. nurses are expected to specialise is their own area, plus branch out is various other areas when it suits the admin people. I have always refused to go to other areas on the grounds that I have spent so many years in the OR that I would be a danger to the patients. However for all of u out there who are about to tell me that I should go I have always stated that if the hospital will pay for me to go on a refresher course then I will have the up to date knowledge to perform my duties in a competent manner. Strangely no one has paid and I am never troubled again. Just say no.

[sukisocks]

Thank you carcha, PR exercise does not wash with me either. We do not get support from other departments when we are in crisis because of the nature of OR even from ICU. My obligations are to people needing us Now. I know my role, as does every nurse in every department, if I am 1/4 mile away transferring a patient and I get a crash C-Section I can't dump my transfer and go can I? The reason we were volunteered was to gain brownie points, not for the benefit of the patients we receive into our care

[shodobe]

The only department I would "float" to would be L&D, only because it is within our core of float departments. I agree with you and wouldn't go somewhere I wouldn't feel comfortable in. I do go and do favors for some surgeons when they want me go and check patients, like dressings and such. Mike

[carcha]

sukisocks, I notice u too work in the uk, look at your ukcc guidelines no 4. Use that.