Ive been a nurse for 7 years, almost 8.. Before that I was a CNA for 3 years. IVe worked med/surg, tele, been a float nurse, done agency, and now I work in an icu. Ive worked at a multitude of facilites and dealt with all kinds of charting.
Before nursing I obtained an associates in computer information systems, was an A+ certified computer tech, and was well on my way to obtaining my microsoft network engineering certificate.
I know my way around a charting system, and I know my way around computers.... But I see a trend. And I dont like it.
More and more it seems like people who have absolutly no concept or background in bedside nursing are creating programs and dictating charting on us who live, breath and sweat bedside nursing. either that or they worked bedside in the days of 20 patients and blanket warmers for blood.
Im also seeing a "customer" approach to patient care, which is complete pc bullcrap. No customer in the world is allowed to spit, ****, assault, or cause chaos in any business in the world. No customer has the potential of dying at any moment in any business (except planes of course, but people dont fly planes because they are sick as hell)
Add this together and you have more and more charting taking away more and more from patient care.
We had a new system come online today in our hospital and I had an admission. Fairly stable, came to the icu for initial bipap support until lasix and antibiotics get her better.
It took me 2 and a half hours to do her admission assessment, and her regular assesment. If she was busy, it would of been a nightmare. Mind you... I know how to chart. This was a system problem. It should of taken me no more than a half hour.
I am finding more and more as time goes on, we have more and more charting added on to us... expectations that far exceed reality when it comes to charting.. especially in the presence where no overtime is allowed.
I am finding that I have to rush true nursing care like a bed bath, or repositioning a patient because of the amount of charting.
I love my job, but I can not see myself continueing as a bedside nurse much longer if this continues. I dont know how ethicaly I will beable to when my job is turning into 75% charting, 25% patient contact.
Im rambling now, Im tired, and I worked a 12 hour shift then went to the gym before venting this... but I am getting very frustrated with the way nursing is going.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
Our computer team is a nurse and nurses. It has helped because they built the programs. Every month, we (nurses) go to a meeting and attempt to fine tune our program. It still not easy to you, but it's slowly getting there.
Sometimes it's hurtful and awful to overhear a patient tell the aide, "I thought you were my nurse, why you do everything for me! Where's my nurse by the way?"
"Oh, he's on the computer charting, that's all he ever does!":devil::devil:
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:devil:
tokmom, BSN, RN
4,568 Posts
Our computer team is a nurse and nurses. It has helped because they built the programs. Every month, we (nurses) go to a meeting and attempt to fine tune our program. It still not easy to you, but it's slowly getting there.