Do you have CNAs in your ICU?

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or PCTs, or any kind of nursing support personnel?

Specializes in ICU/ER.

We just hired one, she just started last week. She is only working days though 7-3. She is going to help with baths/call lights/pass trays etc and also I think do some of our order entry/computer stuff--I dont really know what her true role is, part CNA part Ward Clerk somehow-- I hope she does great though so that we can maybe then show the benefit and get some help during the 3-11 hours as well.

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Specializes in Med onc, med, surg, now in ICU!.

In one ICU I work in, we have mainly registered nurses, but we are currently running a pilot project to trial enrolled nurses (same as LPNs) in ICU. It seems to be working out OK; an RN and an EN take two patients together, generally one vented and one non-vented (never 2 vented), and the EN performs care for 'her' patient under the supervision of the RN. Our ENs can't give opioids or critical meds like levophed. We also have 2 float nurses who assist where needed, take new admits and go to rapid response calls, as well as an in charge with no patient load and a transport nurse who purely does retrievals and transports of critically ill patients. There are 2 clinical nurse educators and one nurse educator. We're very well staffed when I put it that way! Otherwise, that ICU has no CNA-type people. They have a ward clerk who is awesome though.

The other ICU is much smaller, and has no ENs. Instead, they have 2 intensive care technicians who seem to be kind of like CNAs - they mostly do tasks like restocking, fetching things, helping with patient turns and managing equipment. They will set up a ventilator for you but can't make any changes at all to the settings (whereas in Australia, RNs can change vent settings - we don't have respiratory therapists like you guys). The techs won't actually wash patients but will help turn them from side to side, for example. They are absolutely awesome. :redbeathe

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During the day we have a secretary who refuses to do ANY form of patient care, including bringing a cup of ice to a pt. At night we have no one but us lil ol nurses to fend for ourselves. Our backs and shoulders suffer because of our morbidly obese population. I would love to have a tech. If mgmt spent a day in our shoes.....

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Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg.

We have PCT's in our 14 bed ICU. There are 2 on Days, 1 on Evenings, and 1 on Nights.

They help with bathing, turning, bed changes, and they do FSBG's and EKG's. The PCT's also do all of our room stocking, and sometimes go along with the nurse on patient road trips.

I'm a secretary in the ICU and am not expected to do any patient care, but as I'm also a PCT in the Emergency Dept, the nurses here do ask me to help out if needed.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

We have PCAs, unit clerks, and the best of all Respiratory Therapists that take care of the vents and breathing treatments.

However, we usually have only one PCA per shift to help a total of 8 nurses do morning turns and baths. When in the rare chance we have two on daylight, it is like heaven. So, complaints have been made, budget looked at, and supposedly we are getting our wish for two aides on daylight, one on evening shift, and one on midnight! I hate nothing more then when on daylight having to stand at my paitents door looking to grab someone to help turn.

As a student I precepted at a VA hospital. They had not one aide to help out. Nurses did vitals, baths plus everything else they had to do in a day. Well as you can imagine, care wasn't so good. Not that they didn't try, but baths were low on the totem pole. It wasn't good. :no:

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I work as a PCT in both a Trauma Burn ICU & Telemetry Unit. Our ICU is only 9 beds and it's just myself. Its a great job as I'm able to enter orders on the computer, buzz in visitors, page people, and then jump in and do the more traditional PCT roles like Glucose, EKG, etc. It takes a lot of burden off the RN's/PA's/NP's on our unit espeically since we don't have a Unit Coordinator on evenings.

The experience for me has been phenominal. I never knew what it was like to be a Critical Care RN, PA, or most of all Acute Care NP. It changed my direction for wanting to be an MD to now going for a BSN. From my perspective as a PCT I found the whole culture of Critical Care Medicine to be different. Its a bit of a more tight nit community vs. my telem unit. As a PCT once the staff got to know & trust me they REALLY get me involved.

I think PCT's can bring a lot to the table especially when they are willing to learn how to assemple charts, phones, and paging. But I noticed you want to hire one that is either in Nursing school interested in Critical Care or who is really motivated & INTO this kind of stuff. I've seen many PCTs get hired who just lounge around and feel their job is just to stock needles the whole time. And thats ok and all because thats what you often get for 12/hour but you don't want that peson working as a PCT in an ICU setting.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

I'm finishing practicum and was placed in the ICU (which I love and am now hooked on critical care) and they don't use PCT's on the unit, the mandatory ratio is 1:2 so while you're always on the move you can get TPC done, they also have rotation beds in every room so that helps with repositioning and preventing skin breakdown

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We have 1 for 24 patients. You might as well say we have none since most nurses don't get any assistance with repositioning patients or baths. All the nurses seems to need the CNA at the same time. I understand the need but after a while I have noticed the CNA has developed ways to avoid all the demands for assistance. I would rather have another nurse than 1-2 CNAs

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