Why do I have to call lab to remind them of timed blood draws being drawn, well, on time?
Why do I have to call dietary to make sure the ordered supplements are on the tray?
Why do I have to call pharmacy to refill the Pyxis?
Why do I have to call supply to tell them that they smooshed two types of IVF together in the supply Pyxis and they need to sort it out?
A STAT imaging call to radiology is our job, but why do I have to follow up 30 minutes later?
Even if I'm busy, I have to check orders every 30 minutes because STAT orders are put in without a courtesy call to the nurse!
I wish, as an orientation exercise, every department of the healthcare team was required to shadow a nurse for a day. I think many eyes would be opened.
Specializes in Acute Care - Adult, Med Surg, Neuro.
Does anyone have the imaging staff call and ask questions that you have no way of knowing? I.e. xray calls and asks some technical question about does the doctor was this view or that view etc etc?? I always want to ask them - I have no idea, why don't you call yourself? One time I did ask and the person was stammering on the phone, just saying it was easier for me to do it.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Does anyone have the imaging staff call and ask questions that you have no way of knowing? I.e. xray calls and asks some technical question about does the doctor was this view or that view etc etc?? I always want to ask them - I have no idea, why don't you call yourself? One time I did ask and the person was stammering on the phone, just saying it was easier for me to do it.
I'm too old to play their game. I simply say "I'll let you ask him," and transfer the call. If I can persuade all of my colleagues to do this, it will drastically cut down on unecessary phone calls for the nursing staff. Win!
At my facility, I love how we are always told it's a "universal working place." Universal meaning nursing does our job, along with housekeeping, laundry, and dietary. We are required to help serve in the kitchen, and clear tables when they are done. It's annoying sometimes but I understand we have over 60 residents to serve for only 3 usual kitchen employees so I don't complain too much. But when kitchen staff is hanging out in a corner talking as nursing is doing all their work grinds my gears. Or like the other day, after I just toilets a resident who had a huge BM mess (yes I wore gloves, washed my hands, ect. That's not the point) I had to go help serve. One lady wanted iced tea with lemon, another a grilled cheese. I went ahead and got the iced tea myself, asked where they kept their Lemon and the lady stated "it's in the fridge, you have two arms and the knives are in the back. Cut it yourself, we don't have time. Excuse me? I bit my tongue and cut up the lemon so I wouldn't start drama. I then told the cook about the lady requesting grilled cheese. Her reply? Are you too stupid to make it yourself? Your arms aren't broke. I about lost my mind after that comment. I walked right out of the kitchen and have refused to serve since, and my boss agrees.
Does anyone have the imaging staff call and ask questions that you have no way of knowing? I.e. xray calls and asks some technical question about does the doctor was this view or that view etc etc?? I always want to ask them - I have no idea, why don't you call yourself? One time I did ask and the person was stammering on the phone, just saying it was easier for me to do it.
Im beginning to believe that other departments are afraid of talking to the docs, even if it's a resident. I had an RT ask me if the pt needed Xopenex instead of albuterol due to sinus tachycardia. I was in the middle of doing something, and the doc was on the floor, about 15 feet away from us, in clear view. I pointed out the doc and went on my way. When I saw the RT a few minutes later, I inquired about it. She hadn't spoken to him--she had decided to do an neb on a different patient instead, so I did it. Within a few minutes, I had a more appropriate order.
My favorite so far on my new(isn) floor is when an intern came walking out of the physician's office (a little room behind the nurses' station) and wanted to know why the floor in there was so dirty. We were all giving report and just kinda looked up and stared at him as he asked us to take care of it. I just said, "Dial 0 and ask for housekeeping." But then one of the other nurses did it for him. Sorry, a doctor is not too good to call housekeeping themselves and I'm not a secretary. I think that's why it's so expected sometimes. Nurses just shut up and do it.
My favorite so far on my new(isn) floor is when an intern came walking out of the physician's office (a little room behind the nurses' station) and wanted to know why the floor in there was so dirty. We were all giving report and just kinda looked up and stared at him as he asked us to take care of it. I just said, "Dial 0 and ask for housekeeping." But then one of the other nurses did it for him. Sorry, a doctor is not too good to call housekeeping themselves and I'm not a secretary. I think that's why it's so expected sometimes. Nurses just shut up and do it.
At my facility, I love how we are always told it's a "universal working place." Universal meaning nursing does our job, along with housekeeping, laundry, and dietary. We are required to help serve in the kitchen, and clear tables when they are done. It's annoying sometimes but I understand we have over 60 residents to serve for only 3 usual kitchen employees so I don't complain too much. But when kitchen staff is hanging out in a corner talking as nursing is doing all their work grinds my gears. Or like the other day, after I just toilets a resident who had a huge BM mess (yes I wore gloves, washed my hands, ect. That's not the point) I had to go help serve. One lady wanted iced tea with lemon, another a grilled cheese. I went ahead and got the iced tea myself, asked where they kept their Lemon and the lady stated "it's in the fridge, you have two arms and the knives are in the back. Cut it yourself, we don't have time. Excuse me? I bit my tongue and cut up the lemon so I wouldn't start drama. I then told the cook about the lady requesting grilled cheese. Her reply? Are you too stupid to make it yourself? Your arms aren't broke. I about lost my mind after that comment. I walked right out of the kitchen and have refused to serve since, and my boss agrees.
I would have a very difficult time biting my tongue and taking that. I feel for you!
At my facility, I love how we are always told it's a "universal working place." Universal meaning nursing does our job, along with housekeeping, laundry, and dietary. We are required to help serve in the kitchen, and clear tables when they are done. It's annoying sometimes but I understand we have over 60 residents to serve for only 3 usual kitchen employees so I don't complain too much. But when kitchen staff is hanging out in a corner talking as nursing is doing all their work grinds my gears. Or like the other day, after I just toilets a resident who had a huge BM mess (yes I wore gloves, washed my hands, ect. That's not the point) I had to go help serve. One lady wanted iced tea with lemon, another a grilled cheese. I went ahead and got the iced tea myself, asked where they kept their Lemon and the lady stated "it's in the fridge, you have two arms and the knives are in the back. Cut it yourself, we don't have time. Excuse me? I bit my tongue and cut up the lemon so I wouldn't start drama. I then told the cook about the lady requesting grilled cheese. Her reply? Are you too stupid to make it yourself? Your arms aren't broke. I about lost my mind after that comment. I walked right out of the kitchen and have refused to serve since, and my boss agrees.
We are in the middle of transitioning to this type of work environment and I'm freaking out about it. One unit has opened up already and things are the same as you describe. (Ours are next.) We were told everyone would be trained as CNAs and the CNAs were trained as housekeepers, kitchen aids and given laundry to do as well. Nurses were trained too. Plus we were told to start doing activities with the Residents. All of this would make our environment more homelike, and with everyone trained, it would be like CNAs had only 5 people to take care of because everyone would chip in. Reality though is that everyone did not get trained as CNAs (because they either refused, not enough classes, or we can't pay them the higher rate - or all, rumors abound.) Regardless, remarkably, the other departments can't help with care. And despite Dietary having been trained in housekeeping and having down time of hours of which to sit and talk they refuse to do it. Yet one had the nerve to quote team work at one of the nurses when she brought back dishes without staying to wash them off. The nurse pointed out if this was team work, how exactly had she been helped by that dietary aid, then or ever with her job? (And this particular aid is one of the few certified ones.)
Don't get me wrong, I am not above doing anything to make sure my Resident's are well cared for, happy and safe. Showers, bed making, fixing a loose screw, doing an activity when census was low before they ever thought of asking nurses to do them, etc etc etc. But I don't think i can put up with this. I don't think non medical people ever really get what care givers and nurses do. Or appreciate it. Looking for a new job as we speak.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
What I don't understand is how can they even ask this? If it was just once every so often I could rationalize it to where they had a busy day but it is all of the time. I would love to say please stop wasting your time, my time and the MDs time and just do the darn procedure.
Amen! Why don't these departments use critical thinking skills??
CT/MRI.. Can the stroke patient wait until tomorrow for the CT/MRI? We leave in 40 minutes
Lab: Can the troponins, NOW blood glucose, and stat KCL and every other STAT electrolyte be drawn at the next rounding time? .
Amen! Why don't these departments use critical thinking skills??
CT/MRI.. Can the stroke patient wait until tomorrow for the CT/MRI? We leave in 40 minutes
Lab: Can the troponins, NOW blood glucose, and stat KCL and every other STAT electrolyte be drawn at the next rounding time? .
if they have been in their positions long enough, they already know prioritization of patients with certain problems. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit in their knowledge, but I'm convinced they ask these inane questions so that if a nurse says, "yeah, you can wait," they can throw the nurse under the bus....and go home on time.
I'm bumping this because I have a funny story to add. A long-time attending (one who was recently a patient, if that gives you any indication) stopped two of us during report to ask a general question about AV fistula maturation and removing a permacath. We answered and went on our way, but she stopped us with, "Can you tell the residents to arrange for that?" I replied, "Which patient are you talking about?" She named a patient that neither of us was assigned to. It took a bit of time for me to explain that while we are nurses, we weren't that patient's nurse, and with 40 beds on the floor, we don't know every patient and are actually assigned to certain patients, that she could communicate with the primary resident team through her note or page them. She mumbled, "You guys are good for information but not much else."
The oncoming nurse and I were speechless and had a good laugh over it.
Specializes in progressive care, cardiac step-down.
I especially like when I am given responsibility for things I have absolutely no idea about. A low BP, high BG, strange-colored excrement, or a bath or med refusal documented with the comment "RN aware" or "informed RN". Yes, I am responsible for looking at vitals, etc. recorded by the CNA or student nurse. However, I will almost never look at them as quickly as when you pick up the phone and tell me something is off. LIKE YOU SAID YOU DID. Because it's my job and my license on the line if something goes wrong.
That being said, I actually adore working with students and being an educator is in my 5-10 year plan. It's usually specific students from specific schools with whom I observe this phenomenon.
.
0.adamantite
233 Posts
Does anyone have the imaging staff call and ask questions that you have no way of knowing? I.e. xray calls and asks some technical question about does the doctor was this view or that view etc etc?? I always want to ask them - I have no idea, why don't you call yourself? One time I did ask and the person was stammering on the phone, just saying it was easier for me to do it.