Lack of electrical outlets

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

Luckily some new beds have outlets at the bottom for easy placement of SCDs or scuds as some in our area refer to them ;=0

Otessa, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

Those 12 outlets for 2 beds is more than I remember having for the 'old' part of the hospital where I worked.

otessa

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

I work in a newer building with ample outlets, which is fantastic, but I don't think the placement on some of them was thought out very well! Wish we had the bed outlets- much nicer for SCDs than tripping over the cord as it stretched across the room. Ugh.

Off topic a bit, but I lived on campus in school in a brand new building. They asked students what they wanted changed in dorm rooms, and many had said there were too few outlets in the rooms. I had my own room (they were 4 bedroom apartments) and had THIRTY outlets just in my room. They were in my closet, behind my desk, on the floor, lined up behind the bed. It was fantastic. On hearing advice about buying for dorm living, and based on previous experiences in other dorms, I had brought many power strips. Those never got unwrapped.

Maybe if you start bringing power strips to work admin will catch on? Yeah right.

elprup, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

Yep, seen this. One other thing I always worried about was that the O2 never worked quite right in alot of medsurg rooms. You had to turn it a little crooked for it to work, which I could never figure out....Hello! not safe! and everybody told me, "oh that's the way it's always been". Freaked me out. No, I am not there anymore.

onetiredmomma · Dec 12, 2009

The best unit improvement project I ever saw was our Nurse Manager getting administration to agree to have power strips installed at the head of the bed on all our med surg rooms! Seems there are never enough outlets.

sunnycalifRN · Dec 12, 2009

I have noticed something disturbing on other med/surg floors i have floated to ...Lack of electrical outlets. In a semi private room (telemetry/DOU Unit) only 12 outlets for 2 beds. Consider this for one bed. Bed needs to be plugged in, IV pump needs to be plugged in, PCA Plugged in, SCD's plugged in, Feeding pump plugged in....and for both beds - only 1 standard scooket marked red (for emergency power)!
Am I alone or has this happened at other places

The ICU I work in is relatively new (10 yrs) and we have 24 red outlets at the head of the bed and 12 regular, white outlets. And 4 wall sxn, 6 O2, 2 air, 1 nitrous and a partridge in a pear tree!!!:D:D

p.s. - I counted them once cuz I was impressed . . . my prior hospital was like the OP's.

PAROPPY, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

It doesn't help when the patient wants to plug in their lap top and charge their phone (and the family brings in a light up Christmas Tree) :). My hospital is in desparate need of power strips.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Dec 12, 2009

Heh. We have two outlets behind each bed. Old LTC building.