sarasa

I was working a shift in an ER and an ER nurse insisted that we needed a filter to reduce the risk of air bubbles. They also wanted to put it on a syringe pump which peds said they do not use them on the pumps. Looking online, I found an article from 1998 that said they didn't see any difference in septicemia and they discontinued the filters for pediatrics. Then one site said that filters should be used on all arterial lines (I have never seen a set with a filter for an adult) and cardiac patients but did not say if it is an adult or pediatric patients. Granted, I am pretty sure this hospital system still rotates IVs every 4 days so I am not sure if they are up on the latest guidelines. Is it still standard practice to use filters?

Well, it varies. In my job as a PCT at a small rural hospital ER, we trained in the lab to draw blood for six hours and did EKGs. We also inserted foleys and straight cathed patients. We didn't really monitor heart activity. They had three of us and I was an EMT finishing up my medic school and first semester of nursing. The other guy was an EMT who may have been starting medic school or something. The other one was a medical assistant. The manager did not hire anyone who was a CNA alone. The 2nd job is as a unit clerk/paramedic at a level II trauma center which isn't really anything special considering we have 3 level I trauma centers in our city. I don't know why since we're small. I think it's the medical university wanted one affilated with the school and the two other healthcare systems both had to have one because the other one had one. Both healthcare systems have helicopters too. They try to do out do each other. There, the people who are PCTs vary vastily in what they are and what they are trained to do. All PCTs do EKGs, hook up the regular monitor leads, transport patients, reposition, etc. However, only the ones who are EMT intermediates insert lines. The paramedics can triage. We do have phlebs that can act as PCTs too. I think two of the older PCTs are CNAs, but the other ones are 1 phleb who was hired in as a pct, 1 nursing student, and 1 EMT intermediate. We think they may be getting rid of the phlebs shift of 1 pm to 1 am and may make them PCTs because they just hired the paramedics last June. The phlebs can start IVs. We also have nurse externs that insert foleys. Technically, it's in my job description to insert foleys and straight caths up here but I'm not one to point that out. Now that I think about it, it's really screwy. It's even more amusing when I come in and find out I am working the other job. On the floor, PCTs do not do the EKGs but the RNs or the EKG techs will do them. The PCTs on the floor are very much like CNAs and they don't draw blood, don't do 12-leads, don't insert foleys. They will hook them up to the monitors, but they aren't trained in the rhythms. They can do "wound care" technically, but they don't. We call them PCTs, the competitor calls them nursing assistants. One of the competitor hospital calls them nurse techs for some reason. Oh, we all do splinting too at both ER locations but not up on the floor. It's been months since I've splinted though. Usually the RN does it and I was sick at the refresher course. There are EKG tech programs which is greatly different than what a PCT does. The pay difference is evident too. They make like 17-22 bucks an hour whereas a PCT makes between 11.50 to 16.00 bucks an hour. I think phlebs start out at 13 something.