nurses as the etcetera profession

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

In our hospital we've got all the usual departments that are here during the day, but nursing takes over all duties at night, or if whoever is supposed to do it is unavailable. I am sick of being the only person who can't say "no, that's not my job."

Not that I mind doing what needs to be done, but if we are good enough to do it at 3am on saturday, then we should dump the ancillary department and give nursing their budget, let us do it all the time. My pet peeve is when other depts dictate policies, but nursing has to do the work. Like respitory setting neb times out of sync with regular med times. Or housekeeping deciding they are over budget so they will cut back their hours on weekends and NURSING will do it(!) (No they didn't ask us)

I wonder how other hospitals handle this.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Yes, it is irritating that nursing is the only 24-hour job.

Other departments like nuclear medicine, physical therapy, even the pharmacy goes on a weekend and holiday schedule. Try getting a nutrition consult on a Sunday or a Speech Consult on a Sunday that would expediate a discharge.

I guess we're lucky because we don't do housekeeping. We have an orderly to to run around to get stuff for us in the closed departments like the kitchen and sterile equipment processing at night.

[EastCoast]

For a thousand years I have wondered why the supervisor at nite always had to be a "NURSING supervisior". What the hell happened to the other department sups. after 3pm.

It amazed me especially when the pharmacy was essentially closed at nite and the supervisor ran down for meds for new patients.

[oramar]

You are correct, it stinks.

[chad75]

A nurse can do everyones job, only a nurse can do a nurses job

[MandyInMS]

Originally posted by chad75

A nurse can do everyones job, only a nurse can do a nurses job

So true chad..guess that's why WE are the first blamed for others mistakes as well :/ ..dayumed if ya do/dayumed if ya don't situation lotta times.

[Brita01]

Originally posted by canoehead

I am sick of being the only person who can't say "no, that's not my job."

Me too! Even attempt it, and you get the old "somebody has to do it". But why would the hospital spend the money when they can just consider it 'other duties as assigned' in the nurse's job description?

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

That's another of my pet peeves- the doc can order it, the pharmacist dispenses it, the patient takes it as you stand there and tell them what it is, but if it's wrong it's the nurse who gets written up.

In our policy book it says that the nurses are responsible for transportation of patients, but we have only one ER nurse at night, andshe can't leave her unit. If we call in radiology to do an Xray they come in through the ER and say on their way by "you can bring the patient down" (although they could grab the stretcher and TAKE them). So the ER nurse has to call for someone to come and cover her patients, give report, go down to Xray and come back. I asked radiology why they couldn't take patients down themselves, they said "we have to go turn on the machine." I asked if we could change the policy, they said "you should just use your communication skills." Try communicating with a sleepy tech who'e annoyed about being called in ...

[Rapheal]

Yes this happens at the hospital I work at (only part time now) and it is very hard on the nurses. I think it is so unfair to have to be interrupted while mixing an IV solution (because pharm is closed) to be called to transport a patient. Or you are trying to get a patient into bed or hook up O2 on a new admit and someone is bothering you for transport. It is also tough to have to draw all the evening labs on patients and then take them to the lab when you are worried that your new admit with change of mental status may crawl out of bed. I find it very unfair and unsafe. But hospitals can brag about their outstanding nurse to patient ratios while not admitting that they have cut back on all support staff. It is misleading to the public and unsafe.