Schedule ideas?

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 13, 2002

:) :) Welcome!! This sub-site isn't used much; the main General Info area is the busiest, as well as the Off Topic and Humor areas. I've posted here and in one other sub-site, and no one else has posted in either place for MANY days; was thinking I was the kiss of death for awhile!! Glad you found allnurses!! Anyway, back to your question: How many nurses in your dept? What kind of schedule are you all on right now? Do you pull call? What area(s) do you cover, and what are the duties of the nurse in each area? Is the dept managed by a tech or nurse? Do you have good MD support? Thanks for the fill-in info. I check back at least once a day, sometimes twice, sometimes I miss a day, so don't get discouraged if you don't get a reply within minutes. Best to you! -- Diana

RADRN59 · Jul 15, 2002

Hi Diana,

Thanks for the reply! Here's the info you requested. We SHOULD have about 12-13 FT RN staff, however, we are down to 5 FT staff along with temporary RN staff filling in the gaps. Our Dept manager is a tech by history, and then each division within the department is headed with the appropriate tech/RN. Nursing staff report to the RN coordinator. RN's cover Angio/CT/MRI/Nuclear/Diagnostic Radiology/Ultrasound

Duties for CT/MRI include obtaining pt hx, IV starts and contrast administration, conscious sedation, as well as adjunct med administration. Nuclear med is much the same, and we have a float nurse within the dept to handle anything else that comes up anywhere else within the dept., such as crashes, other meds, injections etc. Angio RN's assess, and do conscious sedation as well as take call. Right now, there are only 4 RN's taking call, which cab be brutal....and we stand to lose yet more staff. MD's here are mainly concerned with their own contract concerns and see little beyond that! Thanks again,

Diane

Spirit A-glow · Jul 16, 2002

I have just found this site as RadRN59 - so I am new and interrested in different solutions to some problems. I have just come on board to Radiology as the only RN - doing conscious sedation, Iv's, injections and any other need that crops - up emergent and non emergent (noisy pumps etc). Ideal job right now with no call or weekends. - also order angio supplies, insert PICC lines (which I love doing) - and may need to go to Radiation Therapy for pt education.

~ @-

Spirit A-glow · Jul 16, 2002

Originally posted by Spirit A-glow
I have just found this site as RadRN59 - so I am new and interrested in different solutions to some problems. I have just come on board to Radiology as the only RN - doing conscious sedation, Iv's, injections and any other need that crops - up emergent and non emergent (noisy pumps etc). Ideal job right now with no call or weekends. - also order angio supplies, insert PICC lines (which I love doing) - and may need to go to Radiation Therapy for pt education.
~ @-

Editorial Team / Admin · Jul 16, 2002

We have only four FT RNs and two contract RNs who fill in for us in CT (mainly pt screening and IV starts/monitoring for contrast injections). We're losing one RN to the PACU in Oct (she wants a p.m. shift and we don't offer one), and our much-loved, very skilled senior nurse will retire in March. Needless to say, big changes are a'comin'.

We worked staggered shifts a few years ago, to help provide longer RN coverage in the dept. Problem was, we rotated them too. The call person for the week took the 9-5:30, MRI nurse took 8-4:30, and the Procedures nurse (we only had one procedure room then) took the 7-3:30. The next week we all shifted, and then shifted the next week. I didn't like it. With a young family at home, I like predictability; being on call is unpredictable enough without your shift changing every week. Recently we changed to two RNs doing 5 - 8's, and two doing 4 - 10's. The ten-hour people have one day off per week, and schedule the contract people to cover during that day off. If no contract person is available, we work short. Seems to be working OK; don't know how things will work with the new people hired.

I know other depts have part-timers helping fill in. Seems to take a lot of time to train, though, as it's such a different area. One area dept has a RN charge (in charge of the RNs, that is) who schedules contract help one (or is it two???) days/week, to free her up to do inventory, meet w/reps, -- charge nurse stuff.

Perhaps some 10- or 12-hour shifts would be attractive to other nurses, and allow more coverage in the dept.

How often are you on call, and is your call time busy? Get a lot of overtime and call-backs? What a big dept you have! How many procedure rooms?

Thanks for the reply! -- D