Lazy techs!!!!!

Specialties Emergency

Published

Doesn't matter how good of a nurse you are when you get bombarded you get busy. Anyone know the feeling and then all of the sudden you remember you had a tech anyone know or remember those a tech is a person that works in your ER but you don't see it, they have the skills to put and IV or do an Ekg even though you may not know it jejeje.

Please comment a bit about the above subject.

PD: i know there are some tech out there that are terrific thank you very much to those!!

I feel bad for nurses that don't have any good or reliable techs. I'd be totally dead without my techs, so I'm constantly just thanking them for anything they do for me, even if it's just taking a patient to CT or xray because I know there will be nights (like tonight was) that I'll have to ask them for a lot of big things (back to back to back splints, lots of transports, etc). A lot of nurses definitely don't appreciate what these techs do for us on a daily basis. And no, I was never a tech either lol.

Specializes in ER.

I worked in an ER with techs for 6 months, and prefer working without them. Even with a good tech I need to ask them to do a task, make sure it was done, and then review the results. With a bad tech I need to carry dynamite around in my pocket, and try not to get caught when I pour syrup on their phone. (kidding, barely) where I work now we have 1-2 LPN's assigned in low acuity areas, they are responsible for their own actions, and that takes a huge load off me mentally. They are able to take their own assignment, (saves the RN's for sicker people), and will help out in traumas, or if their side is slow. They cost a little more money, but are a lot more versatile.

Even with a good tech I need to ask them to do a task, make sure it was done, and then review the results.

The new techs we have look at the board, identify things they can do, and go do it. They come and ask us what we need them to do, and they stock rooms without being prompted. It's pretty amazing and wonderful, especially after dealing with our former techs who wouldn't lift a finger until you hunted them down and asked them to do X and then dealt with attitude. I wish we could clone them, and have mentioned to management multiple times how awesome they are.

Specializes in pediatrics, ED.

I'm in touch with this emotion! some techs will just disappear, than they make the other techs mad because they don't work.

At my previous job, I actually called a tech out due to her being lazy and I nearly missed EKG time. The tech turned to me in the middle of the hall (in front of patient rooms) and cussed me out and called me everything from a B word to a C word. I was SHOCKED! I had to go to the manager about it.

Where I'm at NOW the MAJORITY of the techs are great(there is the one or two) that disappear, ignore things they could do or other wise do nothing.

So i'm assuming it's a problem across the board

Specializes in Med Surg/Tele/ER.

With so many people out of work....that will work....why tolerate lazy from anyone? This is a pet peeve of mine, and I have no tolerance for lazy people regardless of their title.

The only thing I usually ask my tech's to do is get vital signs and even they can't do that! I do almost everything for my pt from taking them to CT, collecting urine, and even taking my pt's to the restroom. I rarely ask them to do anything for me, but when I check and notice that the last time vital signs were taken 5 hours ago, that really ****** me off to no end. They wait until I have to beg them because I'm running around like a chicken trying to do everything! instead they have their entire family calling every hour for stupid ****.

Now I have my favorite techs who I know that I don't even have to ask and they will get my vitals signs every 2-3 hours (I work in a crazy ER). They truly make my day so much less stressful. Bless those amazing tech's who actually know what teamwork is and show be given an award!

Ok, done with my vent. That felt good.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

As a RN now and former ER Tech I can see this from both sides. As I tech working on nights in a Children's ER I would often be by myself to cover a 26 bed ER which meant that I was expected to: obtain V/S for every patient Q2H; transport patients to CT, MRI, X-Ray, US and to the floors; obtain urine specimens and do urine dips, obtain EKGs, assist the MDs and RNs with various tasks (holding children for IV insertion/sutures/lumbar punctures etc.); apply splints; performing crutch teaching; performing vision testing and cover the trauma room whenever a trauma patient came in.

There were some great nurses who would see that I was all by myself and running around trying to help 26 different patients (while they had 4 patients to care for) and so they would help by getting a set of V/S on a few of their patients and try to ask me for help if they couldn't do something themselves (like transporting patients). On the other hand there were other nurses who would page me repeatedly or run around the ER trying to find me (often while I was in the middle of doing another task like holding a child for sutures/IV insertion) and tell me that one of their patients needed to have V/S because it was almost 2 hours from the last set and then they would go back and sit on the computer looking at Craigslist or Amazon or something. These nurses would waste more time trying to find me to ask me to get a set of V/S then if they just obtained the V/S themselves. I loved my job and I loved working with the pediatric population and their families but at times I really hated working with nurses who saw me (and the other techs) as nothing but personal servants.

As I said, I can see it from both sides. As many lazy nurses as there was in my ER there were also lazy techs. who would sit on a computer or text on their phone while the rest of us were running around and working. I also understand from nursing school that you are encouraged to delegate appropriate tasks to LPNs or CNAs so that the RN is able to focus on tasks that only the RN can complete. With that being said, it has never killed a nurse to obtain a set of V/S or help change a patient's soiled brief if they can see the CNA is busy at the moment.

On the plus side, that experience has really helped me as a nurse by showing me the kind of a nurse I want to be and making sure that I treat my CNA and LPN coworkers with respect and dignity.

!Chris :specs:

I'm confused. What is this "obtaining vital signs q 2 hours" business? All (well, 90%) of our patients are strapped to BP cuffs that automatically inflate q 15 minutes or however often you want them noted. What a complete waste of time and resources to have a tech go around to each room and get vitals.

Really!?!

I'm confused. What is this "obtaining vital signs q 2 hours" business? All (well, 90%) of our patients are strapped to BP cuffs that automatically inflate q 15 minutes or however often you want them noted. What a complete waste of time and resources to have a tech go around to each room and get vitals. Really!?!
When I worked in a children's ER, the kids often don't keep their cuffs on. And at every hospital I've worked at, the machines record BP and HR only, so if you want pulse ox, respirations, and a temperature (and why wouldn't you at least want the first two?) you actually have to go look at the patient's monitor at that time. Getting vitals is within their scope, so if I'm busy with several things they cannot do and bed 6 needs a fresh set of vitals, how is it inefficient for the tech to peak at the monitor?
Specializes in Emergency, Pre-Op, PACU, OR.
I'm confused. What is this "obtaining vital signs q 2 hours" business? All (well, 90%) of our patients are strapped to BP cuffs that automatically inflate q 15 minutes or however often you want them noted. What a complete waste of time and resources to have a tech go around to each room and get vitals.

Really!?!

BP cuffs are often taken off by transporters when pts go to CT scan, XRAY, MRI, and are not always put back on. Also, our monitors do not automatically drop VS into our computer charting system. The expectation in our ED is VS q1hr, and the recorded VS on the monitor don't always show all values such as RR. Techs in our ED do not usually collect VS, so it is up to the RNs to make it to all their pts hourly to collect VS.

I'm confused. What is this "obtaining vital signs q 2 hours" business? All (well, 90%) of our patients are strapped to BP cuffs that automatically inflate q 15 minutes or however often you want them noted. What a complete waste of time and resources to have a tech go around to each room and get vitals.

Really!?!

we have to go back however often we are doing vital signs to manually check the respiration rate, so it doesn't even much help to have them hooked up.

wow, it seems like its the same all over. what i dont get is why neither side is held accountable for their jobs. Management knows from all the complaints who is lazy, ie never gets the vitals recorded, rooms stocked , disapears,etc, who hogs the tech for every little thing...so why is nothing ever done about it.? I'd say those places have lazy poor managers in my opinion., seems like, they are the ones not doing their jobs. :/ I've been a tech, and a nurse, so i know both sides of the coin.

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