Anyone have ER techs that work?

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Hello, my post is in regards to emergency room technician/unit secretaries. Do you have both or just 1? We only have 1 and usually they do not do any tech work. They almost never strip beds or clean anything. They don't stock or empty linen bins. Anyone else have problems with this or is this usual? The nurse does just about everything.

Any input would be great. Thanks.:nurse:

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma.

Our techs are very different from our Unit secretaries (HUCs). Our HUCs have no pt contact and strictly enter orders in computer, answer phones, run misc errands. Our techs rock; they do blood draws, foleys, EKGs, splints, VS, D/C pts, transport pts, and CPR in codes. Neither clean or stock; we have other positions (environmental services and stock room people) that do those tasks.

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Our techs are very different from our Unit secretaries (HUCs). Our HUCs have no pt contact and strictly enter orders in computer, answer phones, run misc errands. Our techs rock; they do blood draws, foleys, EKGs, splints, VS, D/C pts, transport pts, and CPR in codes. Neither clean or stock; we have other positions (environmental services and stock room people) that do those tasks.

Our unit secs are the same as yours.

In the city ER where I worked, the tech were awesome. They did everything you mentioned except no foley's as that is a nursing responsibility.

We all help strip beds, make beds. The techs help stock too.

In the rural ER, we have EMT's. They do the same as above.

The techs and EMT's rock in both places!

steph

(I just reread your post . . . nursing discharges patients and does the teaching - not techs.)

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Specializes in Peds, ER/Trauma.

It varies depending on the hospital- some places I've worked have techs/EMT's that will do tons- IV's, blood draws, EKG's, foleys, vitals, plus cleaning beds and stocking. Other places, like where I am currently on assignment, the nurses do EVERYTHING- no phlebotomy for blood draws, no RT to draw ABG's, we do ALL of our own blood draws, IV's, foleys, EKG's, vitals, clean our own beds, stock our own rooms- and this is in a large, busy 65 bed ER!.... we have "MA's" but all they really do is transport patients! Last week I asked one of the MA's to help me boost a patient up in bed, and she looked at me like I was speaking Greek! The secretaries strictly enter orders & answer phones.

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Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.

The ones on my shift are great. They do vs, labs, stock, strip beds, clean rooms/bays. They also do crp in codes,transport pts, apply ace wraps & splints.....heck they even go & get the food! :bowingpur

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.
Hello, my post is in regards to emergency room technician/unit secretaries. Do you have both or just 1? We only have 1 and usually they do not do any tech work. They almost never strip beds or clean anything. They don't stock or empty linen bins. Anyone else have problems with this or is this usual? The nurse does just about everything.

Any input would be great. Thanks.:nurse:

Wow. I have not encountered that. Our techs work their butts off and I could not do my job without them. Our nurse turnover is huge, but many of the techs have been there for years.

Not to mention the fact that I have a bad back and I always have someone there to help me with any heavy lifting or cart steering. (I'm dangerous with a cart even on a good day.)

Maybe you should to be more direct with asking them to do something as opposed to doing everything yourself and resenting them for not knowing what you want from them.

Blee

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Specializes in Rural Health.

My PRN job does not use techs - but we have a US that does not do tech work because they do not have time. We do all our own blood draws, EKG's, clean and stocking rooms, VS on patients, etc.....

My full time job has ER techs and they must be EMT-B's. They do all the ortho stuff, clean rooms, stock rooms, VS and help us out with any other tasks. However, they are not allowed to d/c a patient, start an IV, do a blood draw. They also can not insert foley's or do in and out caths. They also have very limited access to the computer, so RN's must do all the ordering....we do not have a US. RT does EKG's, ABG's and Neb Txs for us.

We also use EMT-P's or Medics and they have a expanded role and they can start IV's, give PO meds, d/c a patient, do blood draws. But we only have a medic part of the time, most are PRN and most are scared of their role in the ER so they tend to hide most of the shift.......

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Specializes in Emergency, outpatient.

I have worked with techs that do nothing and ones that do it all (well, almost.) My last ED had a secretary 11a-11p only, and one tech days and one nights, with 18 beds and 25,000 visits yearly. Usual ED staffing varied from 4-6 nurses, and one of those was out at triage. The techs could do ortho tx, foleys, occasional lab draws, EKGs, set up suture trays, transport, stock, CPR and assisting as needed; their main complaint was that they could not move fast enough to help all the nurses. And we had to guard against one nurse monopolizing the tech.

I always found that the tech was very willing to help you if he/she knew that you would help them with any task you asked them to do (e.g. the stinky bedpan duty, etc.) With one tech at one place, he actively avoided me because he said he knew if I called for help, it was a bad situation (smelly, etc.) ;)

Oh, and I loved getting EMS students or nursing students--:D they have SOOO much to learn!!

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Specializes in Peds Rehab, Informatics.

When i worked as an ER tech I really felt loved! Those nurses kept me busy! I stripped rooms, did blood draws, IV starts, Foleys, EKG's, wound irrigations, order entry, phones, splints, and VS. I was lucky in that I worked at a great facility. If the nurses weren't busy they would do there own stuff. If they were asking me to do it, I knew it was because they were overwhelmed. :nurse:

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Specializes in CNA, Surgical, Pediatrics, SDS, ER.

We have a unit secretary they ansewer phones, stock rooms, enter orders, clean and strip rooms, get old charts for the docs, write down times for us when we're busy for charting. They do absolutly no patient cares. We have lab to do draws, respitory for tx's & EKG's, and the nurse does the rest. For the most part our unit secretaries are great some better than others. That's how it is in every dept though.

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Specializes in Emergency.
Our techs are very different from our Unit secretaries (HUCs). Our HUCs have no pt contact and strictly enter orders in computer, answer phones, run misc errands. Our techs rock; they do blood draws, foleys, EKGs, splints, VS, D/C pts, transport pts, and CPR in codes. Neither clean or stock; we have other positions (environmental services and stock room people) that do those tasks.

I can't even imagine how much time that would leave to do other nursing stuff! Our techs do almost no patient care. We are 4-1 and do all of our own blood draws, IVs, ECGs, foleys, splints, vitals, on & off monitors, crutch fitting & teaching, CPR.....etc. Our secretaries answer phones, enter registrations, admissions, and organize emergency charts for pts who have been admitted/discharged.

We're not supposed to do stocking, but we do anyways, and thankfully we no longer have to clean beds. Our techs are still crazy busy (2 for a 40+ pt department) moving pts between rooms, stocking, handing out food trays, fetching stuff from the floors.

I honestly could not imagine how awesome it would be to have that kind of help!

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