Need advice about Registry or Agency RN's

Nurses General Nursing

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What are the expectations of Registry RN's when they come to a hospital for the first time in the med-surg setting? How do you judge a registry person as able to return?

Is it too much to expect a registry person new to particular hospital to receive various new admits... post ops and transfers...unfamiliar equipment etc?

(this seems like a stupid question) I really enjoy mentoring people, but what should my expectations be when assisting. I have witnessed people after a registry person asks a question.... for the person to answer "You should know this, you are an RN"

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

What kind of questions are being asked? If they are about pt care, then yes, it should already be known. If they are questions about how things are done at that facility, then I see nothing wrong with them.

What are the expectations of Registry RN's when they come to a hospital for the first time in the med-surg setting? How do you judge a registry person as able to return?

Is it too much to expect a registry person new to particular hospital to receive various new admits... post ops and transfers...unfamiliar equipment etc?

(this seems like a stupid question) I really enjoy mentoring people, but what should my expectations be when assisting. I have witnessed people after a registry person asks a question.... for the person to answer "You should know this, you are an RN"

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

The assignment I had before this last one was a hospital that used a tremendous amount of agency and travel staff. (there were often nights where there'd only be one staff nurse on, the rest of us were agency and travelers) In that facility, the agency nurses got the same orientation and skills check-off as the traveler. Not much, but enough for an experienced nurse to get familiar with the flow of the unit and how to work the various pumps, machines, etc. Although other places haven't had the number of agency/travelers that one did, they all pretty much did the same thing. It was a 'hit the floor running' kind of thing.

Are you going to be the one precepting the agency nurse? If you're looking for advice on how to assist them in that short orientation, the most important points for me were to know where things were and how to use their charging system for supplies; a list of phone numbers for ancillary departments; what is their protocol for calling MD's (and how to find out who is on call); how to use the pager system; the general job description/duties of those I work with (do techs do VS and accuchecks, for example); I ask to see any pumps or special equipment used on the unit to make certain I know how to work them...

That's off the top of my head. It's pretty general stuff. Everywhere I've been so far gives me a day in a class, filling out necessary paperwork and going over their charting and med administration systems, and checking me off on POC testing, HIPAA, isolation procedures, etc. When I get to the floor, it's just the basic stuff I need to know as I describe above.

In that one hospital with all the agency and travelers, they had us do a scavenger hunt of various supplies before we went home that first day. At first I thought 'how juvenile', but honestly it did help me figure out where stuff was much faster than I had on other assignments.

The assignment I had before this last one was a hospital that used a tremendous amount of agency and travel staff. (there were often nights where there'd only be one staff nurse on, the rest of us were agency and travelers) In that facility, the agency nurses got the same orientation and skills check-off as the traveler. Not much, but enough for an experienced nurse to get familiar with the flow of the unit and how to work the various pumps, machines, etc. Although other places haven't had the number of agency/travelers that one did, they all pretty much did the same thing. It was a 'hit the floor running' kind of thing.

Are you going to be the one precepting the agency nurse? If you're looking for advice on how to assist them in that short orientation, the most important points for me were to know where things were and how to use their charging system for supplies; a list of phone numbers for ancillary departments; what is their protocol for calling MD's (and how to find out who is on call); how to use the pager system; the general job description/duties of those I work with (do techs do VS and accuchecks, for example); I ask to see any pumps or special equipment used on the unit to make certain I know how to work them...

That's off the top of my head. It's pretty general stuff. Everywhere I've been so far gives me a day in a class, filling out necessary paperwork and going over their charting and med administration systems, and checking me off on POC testing, HIPAA, isolation procedures, etc. When I get to the floor, it's just the basic stuff I need to know as I describe above.

In that one hospital with all the agency and travelers, they had us do a scavenger hunt of various supplies before we went home that first day. At first I thought 'how juvenile', but honestly it did help me figure out where stuff was much faster than I had on other assignments.

Our hospital is relying heavily on travel nurses and registry nurses.. and I know we were training the travelers similar to the way you discussed. They gave her a folder but it looked like she didn't fill it out until late in the shift. So looking back she probably could have been anticipating what was going to happen later in the shift and asking questions about paperwork and routines.. well before I got there. When their hallway was slow.

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