Matrix for Ortho if planning to close each weekend

cjcalimer · Sep 20, 2012

Our situation is a little different as our Ortho unit is actually comprised of 4 individual units all managed/staffed by the same people. Two of our units open and close with patient flow. One 18 bed unit is typically open Mon-Fri (sometimes Saturday if census is high) and the other Wed-Sat (sometimes closes Friday if census is low). One nurse comes in between 7 and 7:30 to open the unit, making sure that chart packs are set-up, kits are in the rooms, equipment is where it needs to be, etc. Ideally there is an aide or clerk there as well to assist. That nurse takes the first few early post-ops. Another nurse comes in at 9am to take post-ops. Then two at 11am to take the rest. The opening nurse leaves at 3:30 and if the unit were full a 3-11 person would come in but its usually not. Our staffing is a combination of 8 hour shifts, 12 hour shifts, and odd part-timer shifts but because our unit is big (70 beds in total) we can easily fill in the holes or bump people to accomodate for admissions/discharges. I'm not quite sure how you'd do it if it was just a single unit. On days the unit closes it's usually 1-2 nurses and an aide after 3pm depending on how many patients are being moved off and then they spend the reminder of their shift locking rooms and putting equipment away. We have to lock our rooms because we've found homeless people sleeping in them before. Oh the joys of the city. We also have cameras on our pyxis because it has a habit of getting broken in to when the unit is closed. I know that's not the most helpful but it's something.