Team nursing

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

As a tech at a local hospital and soon to be nursing student, I have noticed a few things. What I like, and hopefully will encorperate into my nursing life ,is the team approach to health care. In the hospital I work in, both individual nursing and team nursing, is used depending on the floor you work on. On the floors that individual nursing is used: I notice a sad trend. Everyone has their own assignment, this includes RN,LPN and techs. If one person finishes their patients first ,they plant themselves in a chair and never offer help to anyone still working. On the other hand, I feel blessed to work on a floor that uses the team concept to healthcare. We all work together. The nurses have no problem empting bedpans,urinals, foleys or answering lights.We work as a team,we do rounds as a group. We start at one end of the floor and work our way around. I can tell you i love it. I hope to be able to encourage the other floors to adopt this form of health care. I guess my question is this. If you have been exposed to both types of care. Which do you prefer and why? Have you noticed if one type of care is better or worse than the other?In your opinion does it really make a difference?Can you imagine this. I was at work last night and an agency LPN was sitting with a wealthy patient. I am wondering if you were a sitter would you just sit and watch people take care of the patient your sitting with? This lady did and didn't seem to be bothered at all by it. Just curious if you have noticed this as being the norm today? I personally though that was a might lazy but maybe I wasn't seeing the big picture, any opinions?

Rhona

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

I would think that any care surrounding and pertainint to the hospitalization would be the responsibility of the staff nurses there at the hospital.

Depending on why she needed the agency nurse sitting with her during her stay, she would only be responsible for those needs, such as reorientation, prevent pulling of lines, caths. preventing the patient from getting up, or just reassurance.

You have to remember she is not a hospital nurse and isnt familiar with your policies and procedures. Such as if it was an ortho(hip) patient, she may not be versed in properly turning, putting a person under a bedpan etc. Im sure the hospital wouldnt want her to do those things either because if there were a problem the liability would be enormous.

[crnasomeday]

I'm a PCA (same thing as a tech really) at a local hospital. Regarding sitting, when I'm assigned to sit with a patient, I take care of all their needs during the night (except of course for meds and such). I agree with you that it does seem sort of lazy to not do patient care while your sitting. As far as the hospital's liability for the LPN you mentioned, if she is an LPN that means she should know how to turn a patient, hip surgery or no hip surgery, put them on the bedpan, etc. That's the kind of skills she learned before becoming an LPN right?

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

Thank you for both of your opinions on this. I can see what you are both saying. For clarification. the patient was male. She was there to sit, I have also had sitting assignments and I have helped the nurse. I never was required to do that but I did.It is always nice to hear what others have to say. I do wonder about the liability issue. I am not sure what the hospital policy is on that.

Thanks a bunch

[RNIAM, BSN, RN]

Thank you for both of your opinions on this. I can see what you are both saying. For clarification. the patient was male. She was there to sit, I have also had sitting assignments and I have helped the nurse. I never was required to do that but I did.It is always nice to hear what others have to say. I do wonder about the liability issue. I am not sure what the hospital policy is on that.

Thanks a bunch