med/surg patients in Maturnity

[starryx2]

Hello, I wanted to know what anyones feelings were on this. I work on a Maturnity floor which also serves gyne patients whom are considered "clean" patients. We are not suppose to at anytime have patients considered "dirty" CA, Infection.... recently we have had incontinent nursing home type patients that required constant care. We have no problems taking care of these patients but we find it funny that the hospital can just decide to give us these patients one day when it suits them and not allow us to have them on any other day. Would you want your nurse taking care of you and your baby just after cleaning up a horrible mess with an elderly patient with c-diff. I mean we have approched people above our manager and were told that there was nothing wrong with this and that we needed to do our part.So why is it not ok other times??? What do you think of this and what what would you do about it? Also when were taking so much time on one patient which there is only one nurse on post partum that we are not being able to assist new mothers with teaching and education like we usually do that we pride ourselves of being one of the best floors in our facility because we do actually have the time to assist a mom with breastfeeding or teaching them about their new responsibilities with baby are.

What are your feelings on this? :imbar

[webbiedebbie]

Heck, we have a MRSA pt on our unit right now! Scares the heck out of me!

[SmilingBluEyes]

it is totally inappropriate in my opinion. I would have definate issues with this as a new mom. But OB units are increasingly becoming "overflow" floors and this is not uncommon. No one will care, even JCAHO, til a sentinel event occurs to change it. You can take that to the bank, my friend.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

I think the theory is, if you are using universal precautions, it should not matter. Nice theory, but actual practice is something else.

[PeninsulaRN]

Totally inappropriate. Mind you, I don't work OB, never have, but that, to me, is as inappropriate as having a MRSA or C-diff patient on my ward with neutropenics.

[webbiedebbie]

So...regarding MRSA on an OB unit...our manager says we have to gown up, gloves, mask, hair cover. Respiratory goes in the room with nothing on and laughs at us.

[PeninsulaRN]

Well, it depends where the MRSA source is as to what type of isolation is appropriate, you know.

[SmilingBluEyes]

good point, peninsula.

[mother/babyRN, RN]

I feel frustrated when this happens as well but we are all supposed to be able to care for every patient within reason. My problem is when they tweak the rules and send people with fevers or dirty cases to the unit because of a bed shortage and somehow it is then ok.....Or, the alternative in the place I used to work was to float us left and right to med surg....As far as the nursing care goes, I feel we maternity nurses are certainly talented and skilled enough to care for the patients and it shouldn't be about us, but if they are being regulary sent to a maternity ward, then some of the med surg nurses should be floated to take care of them given one has no idea when a patient, critical or otherwise , will come into our specialty area, and that IS what maternity ( all three components, LRDP or split into three, is)...Maybe we should start sending labors or pp patients to THEM when we are full. I have a feeling after a few days or nights of that, the practice might stop....THEY hate all that blood..And who has the time over there to teach breast feeding???Hmmmmmmm.....Maybe they could just recover a few patients as we all have to do vs actually receiving them post op from recovery.......How about having them actually go to the OR with their patients..At the place I came from, med surg overflow also went to pedi, which I felt was ridiculous more for the patients involved and the kids more than the nurses, though I felt for them too...Its one thing to be well rounded but it is quite another to be dumped upon in the interest of increasing business or inappropriately handling overflow...Not long ago we had a dirty case where a wound dehised and the patient had horrible diarrhea out on pp...Also, a temp of 104 ( difinitely outside parameters), but on the night shift, however you argue with the supervisor, or contact administration, no one cares and rarely will they back you, the floor nurse...Turns out the patient had c dificile, which if you have ever smelled it you know when it happens...Hasn't happened again, but not before I was in the office being yelled at for even having questioned the decision..And they say maternity is a low stress area..HA!