Med-Surg Telemetry

live4today, RN · Mar 24, 2002

Amen Jules-RN! Good for you! That's the way it should be! :)

Annabell · Apr 10, 2002

I work on a 33-bed women's med/surg unit, and we presently have 8 telemetry beds. We do do not have monitor techs on our floor, but our sister floor does. The techs monitor our patients along with the ones on their floor and notify us of any changes. We have a phone that rings directly to the monitors once receiver is picked up. No dialing necessary. :)

We have ACLS RNs who take care of these pts. Taking care of the telemetry patients isn't really no different than taking care of other patients. The only difference is that u are dealing with the heart. Once I received my ACLS, I felt just as comfortable with them as if with med/surg.

Our floor is used only for monitoring. Our sister floor always gets the positive heart patients or they go to the unit. At first you will feel uncomfortable, but you will get use to it and it will come natural. I kept my ACLS book with me for awhile to get use to the different rhythms. I still carry a small booklet in my lab coat pocket just in case I need it.

Hang in there!!!! The best thing about telemetry "you know when your patient is going bad", and can act fast!!

susanmary · Apr 10, 2002

I work on a 24-bed Vascular-Thoracic Surgical Telemetry unit -- it's a specialized med-surg unit, but we do get alot of med-surg overflow. We are expected to complete arrythmia classes/training shortly after orientation is finished. It's helpful, but often get overflow from other floors who who don't have tele. I think tele is great. My hospital's general med-surg floor (48-bed unit) is also a telmetry unit. Although we do have secretary's at the desk (monitor trained), we are also responsible for monitoring heart rhythms. Because of the high level of training, the secretary's will call us with the important arrythmias -- they pick up on everything. Also the monitors are very high tech and alarm often (too often for benign things -- but that's ok).

It's nice to have the tele on the floor when a patient doesn't look

quite right -- and you place the patient on a monitor to help put the pieces of the puzzle together.

It's one more thing for you to add to your practice.

acarlrn · May 23, 2002

Hi, I work in a community hospital on a medical floor. We have 20 telemtry capibility. I have seen it when almost every unit has been in use. Our hospital uses charge nurses and they are certified by a telemetry coorifice to read the strips and interpret them. ADN nurses also take this class and classes so they may rotate through the charge position. I really like the tele. I have many patients that come in with chest pain r/o MI, or electrolyte imbalances. It gives me the hawks eye to see what cardiac changes a patient is having, then I am able to quickly assess the patient to see just what exactally is going on. there have been instances on the night shift where we have seen acute changed on tele and appropriatly called a code. I feel tele is a great tool for this nurse.

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Aug 15, 2002

Telemetry on Med/Surg is a good thing where I work. I am an ACLS cert'd LPN, and I read my own strips. It has come in very handy on many an occasion, no doubt about it. It also helps give you more clinical evidence of cardiac problems a patient may be having as opposed to only relying on vitals until you can get an EKG or labs ordered. Plus, as busy as we are these days with the shortage, we can keep a closer eye on our patients without being in the room at all times. Never be afraid to learn something new- it absolutely will help you save someone's life one of these days!

shannonRN, BSN, RN · Aug 15, 2002

where i work we have the capacity to have 6 tele beds. rarely do we use them all. not all of our nurses are monitor trained. they are working on it, but don't offer the class very often. i was just recently trained (been there a year) but i took a 3 credit hour ekg class in college. i feel that it can be very useful and i feel more comfortable with it since i have had the hospital's training...to learn our policies and procedures.

it is very frustrating when people just walk by the monitor when it is alarming. they could at least see what patient it is and walk/run to that room and check on the patient.

only one floor in my hospital has a "telemetry nurse." their only job is to watch the monitors for the whole floor and it isn't even our imcu/icu!

BBFRN, BSN, PhD · Aug 15, 2002

Originally posted by shannonRN

it is very frustrating when people just walk by the monitor when it is alarming. they could at least see what patient it is and walk/run to that room and check on the patient.

GEEZ!!! I hate that!!! I don't know how many times that has happened on my shift and someone has actually been in trouble! It just gets my goat. How much time and effort does it take to go check a patient- even if it's not your patient? Don't get me started on that one.