How many nurses do their own vitals???

kimmicoobug · Mar 13, 2004

I work med-surg and I often get VS on my patients. Reason being is that there are some senior nurses whose patients always take priority over mine. So, unless I want to wait over an hour and a half to get my pt's VS, I will do them myself. I like to get VS just so I know what they are at that time. However, there are some nights where me and an aide will get teamed together (no sharing the aide with another nurse) and it is great. Easier for the aide, and we will often see the patient at the same time and toilet, or turn the patient together, and I get to see the VS as we go.

redwinggirlie · Mar 13, 2004

We have a tech who does vitals and blood sugars. I am always charting my assessment while they get the vitals. If something's amiss, then I do it myself to be sure.

kimmicoobug · Mar 13, 2004

Ok, I just read my post and realized that I sounded a little snotty in my post. I should say that there is a charge nurse who is notoriously lazy. The other charges are just as hardworking as the rest of us.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 13, 2004

I couldn't consider an assessment complete unless I took the vital signs. I do my own, and I think would find it hard to change.

Blackcat99 · Mar 13, 2004

:) When I work in nursing homes it is usually the responsibility of the CNA's to get the vital signs. I must tell you what happened at a nursing home many many years ago. A patient had died 3 days ago. However, her vital signs were still being charted and they were in the normal range. I went and got the director of nurses and showed her the vital signs sheet. I said "Isn't this amazing the patient has been dead for 3 days but look her vital signs are still normal" I'll never forget how angry she got. Her face was really really beet red :angryfire

I thought she was going to have a stroke! I don't know if she ever found out who did it.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 13, 2004

Was the patient even still in the bed? Jeepers, my boss would blow a sneaker over that one.

nekhismom · Mar 13, 2004

I do my own. In NICU, it would be simply ridiculous NOT to do my own. Our techs help feed and rock babies, will give baths, change beds, etc, but RARELY will they do vitals.

yayanurse · Mar 13, 2004

I work in a small 25 bed facility. We do team nursing so we are fortunate to have an aide do our vs. But it requires good communication between all of us on the team to know when the vitals are out of norm, when it's the machine, what is normal for that particular patient. etc. I think I would rather do my own vitals with assessments, but i'ts a time thing too. The docs want the vitals before rounds and if BP and cardiac meds have parameters that affects the dose, you need to know the vs before administration.

suzanne4, RN · Mar 13, 2004

Dead and vital signs still being charted. Another reason why I always preferred to do my own. :)

pcelest2003 · Mar 13, 2004

Nurses, nurses, nurses! I'm a tech in a busy PICU, and also work as a tech in Rehab. I personally believe that all nurses should at least get there first set of v\s. I work second shift and often come behind PCT's that are totally incompetent when it comes to measuring accurate vitals. For example, I've worked in a neonatal or peds setting for years. Some PCTs that work on an adult floor have charted a 24hr babies resp as 16-18bpm. So, I agree with some of the nurses, and some of you need to stop whining. Really, how can you really do a complete assesment without knowing doing them yourself. When I finish RN school, I'll probably do mine, just because It makes me feel safe and my patient. Hell, even as a pct I go behind some nurses, because lets be honest, we may not have the formal education, but when it comes to beside care we can run circles around some new grads, and it is quite astonishing to find out how many RN's cant do basic assesments. It;s just a shame that there are some very sharp PCT's in some setting, but in other settings it shocks me to see what's going on. Especially, the patient that was dead for 3 days, with normal vital signs. V/S signs are so fundalmental. Why not know how to measure them.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Mar 13, 2004

Nurses, nurses, nurses! I'm a tech in a busy PICU, and also work as a tech in Rehab. I personally believe that all nurses should at least get there first set of v\s..

There are always two sides, and each day is different. Our nurse-patient ratios are high because we have techs on the floor, it's built into the system. When you have six patients or more, it is a big deal to have to take vitals sometimes. If nurses are expected to do total care including vitals, then the ratio should be appropriate to the tasks assigned.

If I have four patients, then yes, it's no big deal. But if I have seven help me out a little.

Too often there is one tech for 30 patients, and the nurses have the same ratio as if there were three techs, then everyone's stressed. :angryfire

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 13, 2004

My motto now, being the only aide/tech/extern on my floor with 35 pts.: You want your vitals done at this exact time on this exact pt.? Then you're going to have to do it yourself, because 3 other nurses just asked for the same darn thing.