Should RNs do housekeeping job or is it our job?

[Lenap]

:angryfire Wanted to ask if anyone experienced similar situation and how the issue was handled. 1st of all let me mention that I work for a huge hospital that is considered to be one of the top hospitals in the nation, but it seems like there are some holes in the system that no one seem to notice. The issue I have is with the hospital's housekeeping. It appears to me that they make up their own policies. Last weekend I had a really sick patient who had vomited approximately 2.5-3 liters of green bile emesis all over floor and his bed. I had never seen anything like that! He was the 1st patient I saw coming on my shift. I Helped pt get washed and called housekeeping. Well when housekeeping came they refused to clean the room. Making it very clear that they don't clean up messes like that-it's nurses job to clean. What they can do is wipe the floor when it's clean, so it will be disinfected. I spend at least an hour on my knees and used up almost half of our supply of pink pads and towels to dry everything up. It was only after pt had 2 more of episodes of projectile vomiting each approximately 1-2 liters of emesis that the MD gave me an ok to put in NGT. My point is having 8 very sick patients that night and spending all shift cleaning up messes and with no help from anyone else, should it be our job to clean up? I am not talking a little mess here-that takes few seconds to clean up, but a time consuming accidents. I had a similar episode maybe a year ago, when a pt had diarrhea and missed the toilet. The diarrhea explosion was all over the floor and bathtub. I was 9 mo pregnant at that time and was told I have to clean it up myself. I brought that up with management last time and was told its not housekeeping job, but ours. Also we don't have any cleaning supply on the floor and must use pt's bed linen like pink pads and towels to clean up. Anyone had similar situations? I don't think it's fair that other pts have to miss out on hours of care and get their meds hours late because their nurse is cleaning someone's room. Any input is welcome! Thank you.:imbar

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I don't recall anyone saying that cleaning comes before pt. needs.

I also think of this: if the confused pt. rips their IV out, blood squirting on the floor and they walk on through it, creates a wet floor (in as little as 30 seconds). And then after the nurse assesses the pt., gets them back in bed, settled, etc. and leaves that mess on the floor for housekeeping to clean up (putting a 'wet floor' sign up and a towel over the puddle), the pt. in less than 15 seconds (remember, they're confused) gets back up, busts their butt on the blood-towel floor, breaks a bone, etc. guess who's blamed? The nurse, who had gone to the desk to page housekeeping to room 31. And i say 'blamed' because the family of that pt. filed a complaint of negligence, and put her at fault.

This happened back in January on night shift on the floor i used to work on. And the housekeeper had gone up 11 flights of stairs and came thought the fire door a couple minutes later. Anything can happen.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I don't recall anyone saying that cleaning comes before pt. needs.

I also think of this: if the confused pt. rips their IV out, blood squirting on the floor and they walk on through it, creates a wet floor (in as little as 30 seconds). And then after the nurse assesses the pt., gets them back in bed, settled, etc. and leaves that mess on the floor for housekeeping to clean up (putting a 'wet floor' sign up and a towel over the puddle), the pt. in less than 15 seconds (remember, they're confused) gets back up, busts their butt on the blood-towel floor, breaks a bone, etc. guess who's blamed? The nurse, who had gone to the desk to page housekeeping to room 31. And i say 'blamed' because the family of that pt. filed a complaint of negligence, and put her at fault.

This happened back in January on night shift on the floor i used to work on. And the housekeeper had gone up 11 flights of stairs and came thought the fire door a couple minutes later. Anything can happen.

[fergus51]

Marie, I think that's different that a hospital that just has a blanket policy of making nurses clean the mess and housekeeping just disinfecting. In the situation you described, a nurse would have to do some housekeeping duties to keep a patient safe. That's different from expecting nurses to always clean up rather than staffing the hospital with housekeeping personnel.

[fergus51]

Marie, I think that's different that a hospital that just has a blanket policy of making nurses clean the mess and housekeeping just disinfecting. In the situation you described, a nurse would have to do some housekeeping duties to keep a patient safe. That's different from expecting nurses to always clean up rather than staffing the hospital with housekeeping personnel.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

this is another example of the nursing dept picking up the slack for another dept...also note other threads here discussing nurses doing rt and lab duties. too many facilities think nursing's job is to pinch hit for every other dept off hours. but...where is our share of their budget $$$ that's what i want to know.

i agree with the point of our prioritizing of duties...if we are so busy tasking with basic housekeeping duties and other depts work, what are we neglecting on the nursing front?? if we allow other entities to define our profession, they will (and they are)

this is so true mattsmom! and we allow it. nurses allow themselves to be suckered right into it with the "well if your patient needs this to be done, what kind of nurse are you if you don't just automatically do it." my response to this pile of malarky is "that would be why i'm not the only employee in the hospital! if i am the only person in this hospital who will do these things, sign everyone else's budget directly over to me, please. if the other departments are here for a reason, however, please tell them to do their jobs"

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

this is another example of the nursing dept picking up the slack for another dept...also note other threads here discussing nurses doing rt and lab duties. too many facilities think nursing's job is to pinch hit for every other dept off hours. but...where is our share of their budget $$$ that's what i want to know.

i agree with the point of our prioritizing of duties...if we are so busy tasking with basic housekeeping duties and other depts work, what are we neglecting on the nursing front?? if we allow other entities to define our profession, they will (and they are)

this is so true mattsmom! and we allow it. nurses allow themselves to be suckered right into it with the "well if your patient needs this to be done, what kind of nurse are you if you don't just automatically do it." my response to this pile of malarky is "that would be why i'm not the only employee in the hospital! if i am the only person in this hospital who will do these things, sign everyone else's budget directly over to me, please. if the other departments are here for a reason, however, please tell them to do their jobs"

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Marie, I think that's different that a hospital that just has a blanket policy of making nurses clean the mess and housekeeping just disinfecting. In the situation you described, a nurse would have to do some housekeeping duties to keep a patient safe. That's different from expecting nurses to always clean up rather than staffing the hospital with housekeeping personnel.

ITA fergus,

I have no problem with cleaning up a safety hazard (heck, I'd probably be the one to fall in it if I didn't), but just cleaning up a room full of crap or vomit just because housekeeping doesn't want to touch the yucky stuff...not this nurse.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

Marie, I think that's different that a hospital that just has a blanket policy of making nurses clean the mess and housekeeping just disinfecting. In the situation you described, a nurse would have to do some housekeeping duties to keep a patient safe. That's different from expecting nurses to always clean up rather than staffing the hospital with housekeeping personnel.

ITA fergus,

I have no problem with cleaning up a safety hazard (heck, I'd probably be the one to fall in it if I didn't), but just cleaning up a room full of crap or vomit just because housekeeping doesn't want to touch the yucky stuff...not this nurse.

[fergus51]

ITA fergus,

I have no problem with cleaning up a safety hazard (heck, I'd probably be the one to fall in it if I didn't), but just cleaning up a room full of crap or vomit just because housekeeping doesn't want to touch the yucky stuff...not this nurse.

AMEN my NICU sister!!! Maybe that's why us NICU nurses have the reputation of being harda$$ed;)

[fergus51]

ITA fergus,

I have no problem with cleaning up a safety hazard (heck, I'd probably be the one to fall in it if I didn't), but just cleaning up a room full of crap or vomit just because housekeeping doesn't want to touch the yucky stuff...not this nurse.

AMEN my NICU sister!!! Maybe that's why us NICU nurses have the reputation of being harda$$ed;)

[Farkinott, RN]

Ditto!! :angryfire :angryfire

[Farkinott, RN]

Ditto!! :angryfire :angryfire