KRN

In my department, if patient is on a monitor, a paramedic or RN may transport the patient to the floor. The RN caring for the patient must accompany patient to ICU or CCU. We had EMT's who took ACLS so they could help but the hospital said NO WAY and wouldn't reimburse them. We now have a small drug box too and must tak a BVM with us. We transport with Zoll's or Lifepaks so d-fib is not a problem. My problem is who's going to manage the airway while I do CPR and push drugs on the way to the floor??? :rotfl:

No extra pay and usually end up with several hall patients. You can usually be assured that you will be grilled and questioned as to why you decided to handle something a particular way by your director who wasn't there at the time. That director thinks she's in charge of the ED on Fantasy Island or something where everything runs smoothly all the time. Want to talk about jaded? :angryfire

We used to use the block system. Each nurse was assigned 4 rooms. Now they're calling it TEAM NURSING and assigning 2 or 3 nurses (Depending on staffing) to every 12 beds. We have 24 beds in our ED. We have been doing it for a week and it has been disasterous. Many mistakes are being made. No charting is getting done and better yet, sometimes there are 2 nurses charting on the same patient. It seems very unsafe to many of us and completely unorganized. Many of our staff are threatening to quit if management doesn't reevaluate the situation. I guess we'll see what happens. Then again, maybe not, I have printed applications to other hospitals too. Let me know if anyone else does it this way and does it work?

We've been using faxed report for some time. I like it and don't have to spend time that I don't have, holding on the phone for someone to be available to take verbal report. As soon as I believe my patient is a potential admission, I take a faxed report sheet to the bedside and begin filling in the blanks as I'm charting. Then when a bed becomes available, I just do a recent set of vitals and fax. Call to the floor to assure report received and the patient leaves the depoartment within 15 minutes. The only floors we do not fax to are ICU and CCU. :)

We have TV's in our ED and they were a god send. They keep the patients occupied and entertained and those that are REALLY sick, usually don't care to watch them anyway. Our TV's are on a long arm and are the smaller ones so the patients can pull them to in fromt of them and there aren't any remote controls to worry about. I have never had anyone bother me for any help with programming or any other silliness. The ONLY problem with them has been looking out for them when moving about the rooms that have 2 stretchers and a curtain between. Doesn't feel good when you hit your head.