How many nurses do their own vitals???

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi all,

Well at my one place they just posted something stating that since they are so short on PCTs that the RNs will be responsible for doing their first set of vitals. This, I feel is insane. Especially since at around the time the first vitals are being done by the PCTs, we are doing assessments, passing meds, and like the other nite I was giving prep for a bowel procedure. And I don't mind helping out, as it was stated on the memo "We will all be expected to accommodate the needs of the unit" but when I see PCTs standing around doing nothing and I'm also doing their vitals it really angers me. I feel like they just keep dumping more and more things on us and they wonder why we have so many lawsuits...

:uhoh3: :uhoh21: :uhoh21:

Just wondering if this is a requirement anywhere else...Amy

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I would also like to add, a good CNA is worth his or her weight in gold!

Somebody say AMEN!!! :)

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Specializes in NICU.

When I was a float CNA on adult floors, I did almost all the vitals during PMs and NOCs. The nurses simply didn't have time. I would write them all down, but anything out of normal range (specifice parameters were given to us on each unit) I would report to the nurses.

Now that I work in the NICU, I do 99% of my own vitals. The only time I don't is when I'm in the step-down room and have 4-6 babies. If it's really crazy, a NICU respiratory therapist is assigned to help out and will vital, bathe, and feed kids. They have been trained by our nurses and it's part of their orientation to the NICU. Anything out of normal range they tell us about, and at least once per 8 hour shift an RN must assess and vital each baby. However, we're all within eyesight of each other so it's not like they're on their own, plus all the kids are on monitors anyways. We don't have any nursing assistants.

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Specializes in OB/GYN.

I know time is precious, but I prefer to do my own vitals. It doesn't take long after all! :)

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I feel we are very lucky its is unusual for us to have such a heavy patient load and we practice TPC so no problem ratio 1:4, come to Australasia it isnt quite so hard.

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I thought part of the assessment was taking the vital signs. For me, personally, I like to take the vitals myself. I have had bad experiences with inaccurate vital signs taking from techs or aides, and it's my license on the line.

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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.

When I worked in Med/Surg, I did my own VS, but it would have been a relief to have the CNA do some of them. I was assessing 16 patients, checking all their labs, calling the docs, taking the orders, charting on all 16; some of the aides were wonderful, some, you wondered where they were. I also would have an LPN working w/ me, who 'had' 8 of those pts, but by hospital policy, she was/is not permitted to do many things, so: I also had to mix all the IVs that needed mixing, do all the transfusions (and there were almost always at least 2), do all the pushes, and all the central lines (about 50% 0f the pts had central lines), and probably 80% got pushes. Plus doing all all the other meds and the FS, and dressing changes and other tx on my own 8 pts. I never ate, and I never got to go to the bathroom. And I never got out on time. ANd that was working w/ a very strong LPN.

Where I am now, I usually have only 8 pts that I am responsible for and I tell the CNA whcih pts. will need VS for cardiac meds at what time, and IF she has the time free to do it then, she does, but most of the time, she is too busy (which is what I expect to happen) and I do them myself. When they ARE done for me, if it was more than 30 minutes ago, I re-do them, or if it was out of the norm, for that person, or very high or low, I always re-do them anyway. Who wouldn't? But I have already done them once myself, earlier in the shift.

Savvy One

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surgical.

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

Right! I totally agree. If I'm running around with eight and nine patients and I'm on a med/surg oncology floor. So I have assessements to do at first, plus blood sugars to check, plus tons of medications to pass and maybe even other things going like blood or bowel preps, then yes I think it would help if the PCTs could help out a little. I don't mind helping out or doing my own VS either. The problem I have is when the RNs are running around like crazy and you see the aides just sitting around. Why, what is their job if they aren't doing vitals? Literally, the other nite I was trying to find a vital sign machine that WORKED. Plus I had a lot of stuff happening at the change of shift. I was left with a bad IV, which the pt's wife was complaining about. Plus the pt had to be moved to a private room, and he had an NG tube and was vomiting all over the place. Plus I hadn't seen any of my other pts until maybe 5-6pm!!! And the aide even walked in the room TWICE with the vitals machine sitting right there. I guess she was so busy she couldn't do vitals? I'm glad that the patient's wife noticed because when the manager walked around later to ask how things were going she said she thought it was crazy that the RN has to do her job and the aide's job. She told her how nuts things were and how I was juggling a million things and that "what does the aide do?" It was pretty obvious that day. And it's easy for all you aides and nursing students to say "OH I'm going to do that" but lets wait till you are on the floor first as an actual nurse and dealing with all this stuff and then let's see how you feel. I was an aide once too and I said the same thing but it's different when you are dealing with multiple responsiblities and VERY sick people. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

Amy

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

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surgical.

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

Right! I totally agree. If I'm running around with eight and nine patients and I'm on a med/surg oncology floor. So I have assessements to do at first, plus blood sugars to check, plus tons of medications to pass and maybe even other things going like blood or bowel preps, then yes I think it would help if the PCTs could help out a little. I don't mind helping out or doing my own VS either. The problem I have is when the RNs are running around like crazy and you see the aides just sitting around. Why, what is their job if they aren't doing vitals? Literally, the other nite I was trying to find a vital sign machine that WORKED. Plus I had a lot of stuff happening at the change of shift. I was left with a bad IV, which the pt's wife was complaining about. Plus the pt had to be moved to a private room, and he had an NG tube and was vomiting all over the place. Plus I hadn't seen any of my other pts until maybe 5-6pm!!! And the aide even walked in the room TWICE with the vitals machine sitting right there. I guess she was so busy she couldn't do vitals? I'm glad that the patient's wife noticed because when the manager walked around later to ask how things were going she said she thought it was crazy that the RN has to do her job and the aide's job. She told her how nuts things were and how I was juggling a million things and that "what does the aide do?" It was pretty obvious that day. And it's easy for all you aides and nursing students to say "OH I'm going to do that" but lets wait till you are on the floor first as an actual nurse and dealing with all this stuff and then let's see how you feel. I was an aide once too and I said the same thing but it's different when you are dealing with multiple responsiblities and VERY sick people. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

Amy

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

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
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

Yep. I swear my hair is falling out.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
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

Yep. I swear my hair is falling out.

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This is a hot topic @ my facility right now. We're a small hospital, we get lots of nursing home pt's so they have to have assit to get out of bed, most need to be fed, cleaned up etc. The RN's were getting their own VS while the CNA's were doing breakfast duty, we just looked @ it as part of the morning assessment, I balked @ first but some busy days this was the only time I spent with families answering questions, giving updates etc. I feel like the families/ pt's appreciate this time spent. I also look prepared when MD's ask VS questions. Well the new DON decided that the CNA's needed to get their own AM VS, now I see that breakfast is getting served cold if the pt is @ the end of the hall, I mean she can only do so much. My VS weren't getting posted till 0930 or later, or reports of abnormals weren't in a timely manner. I've now went back to getting my own when time permits or pt's with monitoring needs I at least get them. I really like the idea of changing the VS times to 0600- 1000- 1400- 1800 etc. The VS would be known @ 1st of shift, rechecks could be done if needed, this doesn't go along with meal time VS, & the CNA's would be free to do breakfast duty when we get out of report in the AM. I'm gonna suggest this to my new DON.

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This is a hot topic @ my facility right now. We're a small hospital, we get lots of nursing home pt's so they have to have assit to get out of bed, most need to be fed, cleaned up etc. The RN's were getting their own VS while the CNA's were doing breakfast duty, we just looked @ it as part of the morning assessment, I balked @ first but some busy days this was the only time I spent with families answering questions, giving updates etc. I feel like the families/ pt's appreciate this time spent. I also look prepared when MD's ask VS questions. Well the new DON decided that the CNA's needed to get their own AM VS, now I see that breakfast is getting served cold if the pt is @ the end of the hall, I mean she can only do so much. My VS weren't getting posted till 0930 or later, or reports of abnormals weren't in a timely manner. I've now went back to getting my own when time permits or pt's with monitoring needs I at least get them. I really like the idea of changing the VS times to 0600- 1000- 1400- 1800 etc. The VS would be known @ 1st of shift, rechecks could be done if needed, this doesn't go along with meal time VS, & the CNA's would be free to do breakfast duty when we get out of report in the AM. I'm gonna suggest this to my new DON.

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