Any hospital units that DON'T use telemetry?

Boog'sCRRN246, RN · Feb 28, 2015

My acute inpatient rehab unit does not use telemetry. The unit is capable of using it, however, tele boxes really get in the way of doing therapy and, for the most part, dysrhythmias need to be stable before the patient starts therapy.

ParvulusPuella · Feb 28, 2015

At my current facility, medsurg does not use tele. At my previous facility, we had several medsurg and ortho units not on tele. If anyone needed to be monitored, they had to be transferred to a tele floor.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

All of my hospital's oncology units have telemetry or cardiac monitoring, so don't go to oncology thinking you'll avoid telemetry. What do you hate about it?

Nola009 · Feb 28, 2015

All of my hospital's oncology units have telemetry or cardiac monitoring, so don't go to oncology thinking you'll avoid telemetry. What do you hate about it?

Weird as it may seem... I hate the additional beeping (as if non-stop call lights weren't enough), the artifact, the fact that some patients (w/ dementia, etc) pull their leads off a lot and we are responsible... We are a busy med surg unit without any assigned person watching the monitors. I am surprised that my supervisor thought that I could somehow be doing an admission and see a tele change at the same time. Everything got taken care of, I guess, as in I called the dr several times and got new orders for the patient with a new arrhythmia. Long story short --- I don't think tele or maybe even this hospital is for me.

NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN · Feb 28, 2015

I don't think that you are going to be able to find a med-surg unit that doesn't use telemetry, honestly. Cardiac monitoring is huge for people with high risk of having changes which is probably a part of the reason why they are admitted to the hospital in the first place.

K+MgSO4, BSN · Feb 28, 2015

O how different things are! In ireland the UK and Australia telemetry is only used in resus in ED, the chest pain evaluation beds in the short stay unit, CCU, ICU and HDU cardiothoracic beds, out of 400 beds I'd say 60 have telemetry.

Ahh socialized medicine :) Also a culture of not bring lawsuits on everyone.

VANurse2010 · Feb 28, 2015

O how different things are! In ireland the UK and Australia telemetry is only used in resus in ED, the chest pain evaluation beds in the short stay unit, CCU, ICU and HDU cardiothoracic beds, out of 400 beds I'd say 60 have telemetry.
Ahh socialized medicine :) Also a culture of not bring lawsuits on everyone.

I'd consider it more legal framework than culture. I wouldn't assume people in your country wouldn't sue if they thought they could get a big payday.

CryssieD · Feb 28, 2015

Question--how does your boss expect people to monitor tele patients safely without a designated monitor tech or nurse? Without someone watching, how do you catch arrhythmias in time to print strips--indeed, how do you catch them at all?! Is the tech on another unit? I've worked on floors where we handled tele patients, but a tech in PCU watched the rhythms on a monitor bank. If no one's watching the rhythms the tele isn't doing much good, and you are in a scary situation (in my opinion)!

As far as units that don't use tele, peds doesn't, but if you don't like noise you will not like peds at all! Long term care or rehab are your best bets.

SierraBravo · Feb 28, 2015

OP - I don't know where you got the idea that oncology doesn't use telemetry, because in my hospital we use it virtually every day. Our patients are extremely sick. Not only do they sometimes inherently have cardiac issues, but sometimes the chemotherapy can cause cardiac issues, and other times the treatment can cause cardiac issues; hence the need for telemetry. Our hospital does not have a dedicated person to "watch" the telemetry monitors. The alarms are set to sound if something is going on with the patient.

OP - like you said, maybe inpatient nursing is not for you. Luckily, there are plenty of options in nursing to pursue outside of the hospital.

Nola009 · Feb 28, 2015

Question--how does your boss expect people to monitor tele patients safely without a designated monitor tech or nurse? Without someone watching, how do you catch arrhythmias in time to print strips--indeed, how do you catch them at all?! Is the tech on another unit? I've worked on floors where we handled tele patients, but a tech in PCU watched the rhythms on a monitor bank. If no one's watching the rhythms the tele isn't doing much good, and you are in a scary situation (in my opinion)!
As far as units that don't use tele, peds doesn't, but if you don't like noise you will not like peds at all! Long term care or rehab are your best bets.

There's no one watching the monitors... if somebody happens to pass by and see a cause for concern they might say something to that patient's nurse. As busy as we all are, they need someone watching the monitors!

nlitened · Feb 28, 2015

The ONLY unit at my last facility that did not have tele was Med/Surg. But there were talks to change that...so some time in the near future they too will be tele. *Sigh