preciousnurse

We do our fair share of our job and everyone elses also. We take care of anywhere between 3-6 patients on day shift. MED- SURG nurses are nortorius for taking on a whole slue of responsibilites, especially if they have an aide that does not like to help, or the patient has numerous procedures that go on throughout the day. It sometimes feels like my day consists of nothing but procedure oriented busy work. I wish that there was more time one to one with the patients, but it is the reality of it and i do not think that it could be changed due to increase responsibility, increase patient load and decrease staffing. It is the reality of a TRUE Medical-surgical nurse!!!

Our job as charge nurse from 7a-7p consists of signing off doctor's orders and putting the orders into the computer. We usually do not take any patients however float between and help the other nurses on the floor. We are a resource for others. We round with doctors, if requested as some like to round on their own. We chart VS, do Accu-checks in the morning, run heart monitor strips and do mainly paperwork throughout the day. It does not sound like much, but between answering phones and callbells, dealing with family members and doctors and all the unexpected in between, it can actually be a lot.

Where do the patients go after they leave the ER? DUH, we are busy too!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mito, It is a hard chore sometimes when it comes to room assignment especially for us because our rooms are not private. Like deepoohbear says, keep infectious patients together, etc. We have some private rooms (4 to be exact) and this is bad because it the fartherest from the nurses station and is where we put our MRSA Isolation patients, who 9 times out of 10 are from a nursing home and confused. Sometimes it is hard to make an assigment especially is you are already filled up with patients and then people are moved to accomendate.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: the patients that are cultured are ALL nursing home residents!! Sorry forgot to add that little detail

They have cultures done upon entering our facility and then get a chlorhexadine bath. The cultures have to come back negative three times at 48 hours before the precautions can be discontinued. We were told by our infection control nurse that we did not have to mask if the patient is not coughing. Always mask however until you determine that.

Yes, I have pulled surgical JP drains and removed central lines and staples. I can say that the first time my manager told me I could pull a central line, I was so nervous that I made her do it and now, I do them all the time. I would check with your manager and make sure there is a policy saying that this is allowed and if you are still uncomfortable, have the manager or god forbid the doctor so it.

I work on a 32 bed step down unit and know that it is sometimes a dumping ground. Women's Care cannot take a patient because they are infectious ,however they may only have one patient. I have had ICU nurses however keep patients when they know that are med-surg floor is busy. It depends a lot on the type of hospital you work in. I work in a small community hospital where everybody knows everybody. The key is to working together and not so much a separate units! i know it is frustrating, but it is sometimes the reality>