Does your ICU have techs or aids?

[jnmoore02]

I wanted to know if your floor had techs or aids? or do you provide total care? Also what size is your unit and how many beds are in your hospital?

[RNperdiem, RN]

I work in a 16 bed SICU in a large teaching hospital in the south. I think there are 800 beds.

The CNA is generally a nursing student, and they have a lot of responsibilities for stocking supplies. Our CNA's do not work alone with patients, they assist the nurses with turning patients, baths, cleaning patients up, helping push the stretcher to CT scan.

The patient care is more limited compared to the floors.

We usually have 1 CNA a shift, a unit secretary and a charge nurse without an assignment.

[CoffeeGeekRN]

Similar to what RNperdiem said, my unit usually has only one tech on duty per shift. Some days we don't even have the one. On rare occasions, we will get a "helper" from another unit or floor. Usually they are peds RNs that come over when their census is low. Because they are RNs they can assist more by trouble shooting beeping IV pumps, hanging fluids, witnessing insulin administration, wasting narcotics. I guess they are not assigned to fully care for the adult critical care patients because they specialize in children.

[geekgolightly, BSN, RN]

14 bed MICU. We try to have two techs for day and evening shift. Night shift is usually one tech. They are responsible for stocking and cleaning patients, as well as blood glucose checks. As nurses we help with baths (well, some nurses don't but most do), and ask for help with turns if we need it.

We also triple up frequently and almost never have a 1:1 assignment even if they are vented, CRRT, multiple titrating drips etc etc.

[allthemadmen]

I'm interning in a 15-bed SICU. There are several PCAs every shift though RNs are generally supposed to supervise anything like baths. Some PCAs are certified to do blood draws, too.

[ONCRN84]

12 beds. No techs. Total care for 2 patients.

[CynicallyVexed]

I was a CNA in a teaching hospital in the south that was 24 beds, then went to 32, and now back to 24 when I graduated. I did this for about 4 years.

RN's were responsible for total care cause very few CNA's would want to work in the units unless they were students and working in the units as a nursing student/CNA was a valuable nursing experience.

There was usually only 1 CNA if you were lucky, and that's if they were not being pulled elsewhere. I know there was problems with teams both nights and days where I worked. There was a bad night shift team leader that use to treat their CNA's like crap, and I got crapped on a few times I switched over to other team where they actually worked as a team and got a little respect.

Night shift CNA's on the floor are only responsible of changing, tolieting, and VS I&O's in the ICU, CNA's are responsible for all that, plus bathes, stocking, setting up rooms for new admissions, plus the VS are every hour to two hour depending on the patient and they don't get paid anymore to do this. So it's very hard to keep a CNA in the units to be expected to take on so much more responsibility in a very stressful work environment and not be compensated for it.

Some of us CNA's that were perm staff in the ICU were allowed to be alone with the patient to do total ADL and wound care, 1 nurse had to be present for turning if the patient had multiple lines or a ICP bolt, on CRRT, or just that critically unstable that they shouldn't really be turned anyways.

I know now that I have left out of the four teams, they only have two CNA's and both are fixing to leave cause of being overworked or mistreated and not being compensated for it.

[urbanRN]

16 Bed unit in Trauma hosp in an urban area. Census depends on if we get 1 or 2 tech. No clerks at night. Tech do ECG, Glucose and assist with complete care for pt., accompying nurse to CT scans and set up rooms for new admission. If you have a tech with a good attitude they may go get your meds from pharmacy(non-narcotic) or blood products from lab or run blood work to lab.

[stressgal, RN]

13 bed ICU, 1 nurse per 2-3 patients. Sometimes we have a tech or two, sometimes we don't and provide primary care. Our techs are trained to provide and assist with a lot of tasks and often these tasks are missed during primary care. IMO consistancy one way or the other would be better.

[xtine618]

10 bed MICU. We usually have 1 tech per shift, but half the time it seems like they get pulled. Ours usually do baths and stocking items and answering call lights, putting pts on bed pans and assist with blood sugars (sooooo helpful when you have an insulin gtt!). I work nights so the nurses are really good about helping each other with turning and bathing since we are without a tech so often. Not sure how many beds we have in the hospital, but it's a fairly large teaching hospital with 7 different ICU's.

[stefano]

about 15 bed, no aids to help us out, that's why my back is about to break:(