Patient Care Techs in Postpartum

Brenda-RN,BSN, WA. · Mar 25, 2004

Congratulations on your interview. I work on postpartum, and we are so appreciative of our techs. We are so sad when we don't have one! The techs. where I work do a lot. Of course vital signs, helping with linen changes, help moms shower if they are a little unsteady, empty catheter bags. Also, they can do vitals on newborns as long as it is not the first set of vital signs. They change diapers (lots!), and we weigh our babies every evening, and the techs are responsible for that. They assist with ambulation for our c-sections, and surgery patients. They also walk our mom/babies to their cars at discharge time, and are allowed to check the car seat to make sure it's safe. Of course they have to take a car seat safety course. That's a big responsibility. So, if I were you, if you're not totally comfortable or "up to date" with car seats, maybe look into a course where you can learn how they work. I hope this helps a little, remember how much we appreciate you, I hoope you get the job, and I hope the nurses are nice to you! Good luck.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 25, 2004

our techs do very little for patient care...they do paper work and assist in csections mostly. and they set up ready rooms for labor. VERY little time for patient care for them; we RN's do it.

Energizer Bunny · Mar 25, 2004

Congratulations on your interview. I work on postpartum, and we are so appreciative of our techs. We are so sad when we don't have one! The techs. where I work do a lot. Of course vital signs, helping with linen changes, help moms shower if they are a little unsteady, empty catheter bags. Also, they can do vitals on newborns as long as it is not the first set of vital signs. They change diapers (lots!), and we weigh our babies every evening, and the techs are responsible for that. They assist with ambulation for our c-sections, and surgery patients. They also walk our mom/babies to their cars at discharge time, and are allowed to check the car seat to make sure it's safe. Of course they have to take a car seat safety course. That's a big responsibility. So, if I were you, if you're not totally comfortable or "up to date" with car seats, maybe look into a course where you can learn how they work. I hope this helps a little, remember how much we appreciate you, I hoope you get the job, and I hope the nurses are nice to you! Good luck.

OOOH...I want this job with you!!! Are you in a big city or a small community?

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 25, 2004

On PM's....our PCT's on postpartum set up rooms, take vitals, help with sitz baths, help get fresh sections/fresh gynes up for hs care (as RN I prefer to do this myself time permitting), pass dinner trays prn, empty trash, assist with showers prn, pass the dessert cart @2100 (yes, we have a DESSERT cart!!!), relieve the secretary for breaks, stock the mini-fridges in each room, etc. If you are assigned to the well-baby nursery, they perform PKU's, put together charts, assist with circumcisions, do weights and help out the techs on L&D prn. Our PCT's on L&D do mostly paperwork, cleaning equipment, etc.

Eventually all our PCT's go through scrub training for c-sections....

Good luck with your interview!!

Energizer Bunny · Mar 26, 2004

Can I ask a question here? What kind of training etc. do you have to have to apply for a patient care tech. position?

Curious....

crankyasanoldma · Mar 26, 2004

Our PCT's take and chart vital signs (and alert us to abnormal ones right away). They set up rooms for new patients. They fill water pitchers, change linens, and deliver snacks, etc. They deliver the patients to the front door at discharge. They also provide pericare to every patient a minimum once per shift.

Our PCTs provide alot of comforts and some real help to our patients. We love out PCT's. They are trained by our hospital.

LauraLou · Mar 27, 2004

Thank you everyone for your help. The interview went really well and they offered me the position! The duties are similar to what you all described. I am so excited!

CNM2B, at this hospital you have to be either a CNA or have completed your 1st semester of nursing school to be a Patient Care Tech.

Again, thank you all for your assistance.

Energizer Bunny · Mar 28, 2004

Congrats!!!

mtnmom · Mar 28, 2004

Hey OP, Congrats on the job!

I am reading these posts in amazement. On my postpartum unit we have no techs; the nurses do EVERYTHING.

We are blessed to have unit assistants who, for the most part, will step in and help set up rooms for new admits or will help us care for babies that are left at the nurses' station overnight (we don't have a nursery staffed to accomodate babies whose moms dont want them rooming in overnight, so we are the nursery)

In reality, though, the unit assistants' primary responsibility is managing call lights, phones, charts and entering orders in the computer/faxing orders, so during busy times they have their hands full already.

Those of you with PCTs - give them a thanks or a hug next time you work and consider yourselves lucky!

BETSRN · Mar 29, 2004

We love our techs and couldn't do without them. We are an LDRP unit. Our techs do not do much with any undelivered patient. However, on delivered patients, they do vitals, help with showers and bag baths, empty foley bags, get patients up, bring babies back and forth, feed babies and sit in the nursery on occasion, draw bloods, pick up patients, take patients off the floor for tests, stock rooms, enter information in the computers, do hearing screenings on babies, change beds, clean rooms (especially when there is no cleaning person on), order supplies and most important, they are our scrub techs for our c/sections. They are a vital part of our unit and we rely on them to be our extra pair of eyes in picking up patient problems. I am sure I am forgetting a ton of other things!

They do not weigh babies or do any vital signs at all on infants. Techs have no part in formal maternal or infant assessments. They have made some very good pick-ups in the past, however, discovering problems before the RN. For that we are very grateful!

When we do not have a tech on, the nurses really appreciate them even more beause we realize how mjuch they do for us to make it batter for our moms and babies!

BETSRN · Mar 29, 2004

Congrats LauraLou. You'll get invaluable experience and have a great time!

Betsy RNC

CT