Greetings all.I come to you as an experienced CathLab RT. I have a question and hope I can use you as a resource. I have spent hours researching forums and websites with no results. My question is as follows:1. Does a nurse have to be "in the room" during the prepping and drapping of a patient? (RT only, no sedation or meds, prior to case start)Can anyone please help me find any California State Nursing Law that can support either side of this question?Our Lab is incredibly short staffed and our RN's insist they must be present during the prepping phase of a procedure subsiquently delaying nearly every case. I hope you appreciate my attempt in simply attempting to move cases forward and reduce turn around times. I would, also appreciate, any feed back on the subject from the community.Thank You
ann h 172 Posts Specializes in cardiac cath lab. Mar 9, 2006 I am a UK cath lab RN.I would say that an RN should always be with a patient sedation or no sedation.
canoehead, BSN, RN 6,841 Posts Specializes in ER. Has 30 years experience. Mar 9, 2006 If the nurses have respnsibility for the patients- and they do- then they should be the ones to determine when and if the patient can be left unobserved by nursing.
tvccrn, ASN, RN 1 Article; 762 Posts Specializes in Critical Care. Has 20 years experience. Mar 10, 2006 Another reason may be that ultimately the nurse could be held responsible for the monitoring of the sterile technique.
