Do you envy 1:1 sitters?

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I enjoy being a nurse but on some nights I am totally envious of the nursing assistants assigned to be sitters. I see them reading their books, magazines, surfing the web.

I don't know what the process is but I would love to come in and work as a 1:1 sitter one of these days.

I wonder if it would seem weird and if staffing would even accept me since I am a RN.

Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.

Oh my gosh, I think it is often the hardest job in the hospital!! Our sitters aren't allowed to have the lights on or the TV on unless the pt wants it that way. So often they are sitting there in the dark, and if the patient is asleep, trying with all their might to stay awake. I often bypass that rule and let my sitters turn on the TV low or a low light to read by because honest to God I think it is cruel and unusual punishment to make a (tired) sitter stay awake in the dark. I think it is safer to have an awake sitter with a low light, then an asleep one in the dark!! Usually they will switch with the floor aid after 4 hours because it soooo difficult. There are very few that really do it well.

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Specializes in midwifery, NICU.

Our friends have a baby with Jouberts Syndrome, which means she has sometimes constant runs of apnoeas. They have night sitters, so they can sleep. The night sitters have a low light on, so they can at least read. Cant imagine sitting in the dark for a whole night, your body would take over and sleep!

(this is in the home btw)

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Specializes in Med Surg, Hospice.

No way... I need to be out on the floor and checking on patients, doing vitals, passing linens, and helping everyone else out. At my hospital, 1:1 sitting is considered light duty, so if someone is on light duty, they get the assignment, or they pull someone from resource pool. If I have to sit, I will do it, but I'm not going to enjoy it.

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before i got my c.n.a pull by the state. i did a 1 on 1 and i was working for agency. i got call lazy, i got call not being a team player. yea i got caught sleeping. did anyone bother to releave me to take a break during the whole shift, did anyone bother to get me some water or coffee so i could stay awake no they had me fired instead. i try to staying awake.

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Specializes in Travel Nursing, ICU, tele, etc.
before i got my c.n.a pull by the state. i did a 1 on 1 and i was working for agency. i got call lazy, i got call not being a team player. yea i got caught sleeping. did anyone bother to releave me to take a break during the whole shift, did anyone bother to get me some water or coffee so i could stay awake no they had me fired instead. i try to staying awake.

I'm so sorry that happened to you!! That is absurd, how can anyone function in those conditions?

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.

Hi,

I don't envy them becuase at the hospital I just started at they are not alllowed to read or watch TV, they are there to watch the patient and not relax and enjoy themselves. They probably only make 10.00 an hour if that...

Swtooth

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Hi,

I don't envy them becuase at the hospital I just started at they are not alllowed to read or watch TV, they are there to watch the patient and not relax and enjoy themselves. They probably only make 10.00 an hour if that...

Swtooth

That sounds responsible, in theory. The reality is that the human mind cannot sit in near sensory deprivation and not zone out. That's how we were designed. It's foolish and unrealistic to expect anyone, no matter how much they are paid, to sit for hours on end with nothing to occupy them.

Allowing sitters to read or do crosswords/sudoku puzzles or watch a TV turned on low will actually produce people who are more alert and certainly less resentful.

Management should try doing it before putting employees in such an impossible situation.

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Specializes in OB L&D Mother/Baby.

When I worked on the floor there were times that I definately envied the "sitters" on our floor BUT when I was the sitter (especially on nights) I envied those that had something to do besides SIT!!

Now if we have to float to the floors I find 1:1's very boring!!! Especially at night. I haven't had to do one in the psych unit in a long time but I heard that they are not allowed to read or watch tv because it "distracts" them from the 1:1... I remember doing many psych 1:1's when I worked on the floor and the patients often times would SLEEP the entire time because they were medicated... so I can't imagine sitting there with nothing to do!

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Not really, I like to be up and moving. Bathroom breaks and lunch breaks are hard to come by sometimes. Also, if it is really difficult patient you can't get away.

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I get bored if I have patients and its a slow day. I much prefer keeping busy. I cant imagine sitting for 8 hours!

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I don't want to do 1:1 sitting and I really get annoyed when the sitters take off for an hour or more without telling anyone (not all do that but there are 1 or 2 who do it and drive me nuts).

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Specializes in Psych, Assertive Community Resource Team.

I personally HATE sitting on a medical floor. I work on a psych unit and I sit 1:1 all the time there due to psychotic, suicidal, or restrained pts. but that I don't mind because they are medicated immediatly, I know I have back up from other staff if I need it, and people WILL be restrained if they get violent.

On the medical floors on the other hand sitting is a horrific experience. As soon as I get there someone will show you the room and then you won't see anybody for the next 12 hours unless you get nasty and force someone to come relieve you.... or even come provide care to the pt. Last time I sat it was an old psychotic lady with a heart rate in the 30's. The nurse told me this when I came on and then I didn't even see her again for the next 6 hours. Finally I was starting to worry because this lady's breathing was getting labored and I hit the call light like 10x. Of course no one came so finally I just stuck my head out the door and yelled down the hallway until she showed up to check her. It's like as soon as they see a sitter they just assume that is one less pt. they have to care for.

I don't know why anyone would WANT to sit. Imagine being locked in a room with a 180lb 3 year old who takes the greatest pleasure in doing everything you tell him not to do. Don't take out your IV, don't pull on that catheter, no you're too unsteady to get up, no don't pee on the floor.....you get the idea. And then that 180 lb 3 year old decided they don't like you anymore and they start hitting, scratching, biting, and spitting. And then imagine that management tell you that they pt. can't be sedated due to his medical condition and that they "really want to avoid restraints" and that what the point of a sitter is.

I don't understand the mentality that somehow putting a sitter in a room to serve a combative pt.'s punching bag replaces the need for restraints. I guess I'm glad that I work psych. I couldn't work on a floor that is so terrified of restraints that they allow staff to get hit as apposed to having to fill out that extra paperwork.

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