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

[Energizer Bunny]

complete diversion off topic but your sig. quote "When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt!" Is hilarious!!! I LOVE IT!!!

[Energizer Bunny]

complete diversion off topic but your sig. quote "When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt!" Is hilarious!!! I LOVE IT!!!

[leslie :-D]

Could be, but the current thinking is it is the nasty nurses fault for not washing their hands properly. It's always the nurses fault for anything and everything don't ya know?

i'm sure we're to blame, what else is new? but realistically, as op pointed out in this other thread under nursing news, think about all of the cross contamination if bedrails, bedside tables, bathrooms/faucets, equipment....if those aren't cleaned effectively and consistently then it's no darned wonder these infections are so horrifically high.

so meanwhile, we nurses are putting our foot down on general principal (which i agree with 100%) yet housekeeping has such a slower paced mode of working....i don't know how many times i've seen housekeepers (gen'l statement), strolling from room to room, catching what's on tv....and to top it off, i'm not even certain if they understand the implications of not cleaning everything that needs to be cleaned. after all, if it 'looks' clean, do you think it's going to get cleaned???? again, there are excellent housekeepers but their expectations/policies put much of the brunt of it on us......again.

[Nurse GOODNIGHT]

In my hosp houskeeping is called housecreeping-'cause they're so slow-cleaning up cath labs, rooms, etc. but the point is they do clean....what's the point of them being there? But if we see something while with the pt we help out the pt. Also your CNA will remember if you call her while you're right there and could do it. Next time your tushys in a jam, she'll remember. We also have service people that pass out food trays and fresh water in addition to the CNAs,

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

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." [/i]

i want to add that many times the patient needs something to be done and we are barred from doing it because of territorialism, or another dept wants to be able to charge for a service. why is it always the crappy work that falls into "well the patient needs it" argument, but have a nurse step up and do diabetic teaching, or give a neb, and we are not qualified?

[SmilingBluEyes]

good points, canoe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why IS that???

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

good points, canoe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! why IS that???

Because the more time nurses spend on professional tasks, the less time they have to do the $hit that nobody else wants to do.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

In my hosp houskeeping is called housecreeping-'cause they're so slow-cleaning up cath labs, rooms, etc. but the point is they do clean....what's the point of them being there? But if we see something while with the pt we help out the pt. Also your CNA will remember if you call her while you're right there and could do it. Next time your tushys in a jam, she'll remember. We also have service people that pass out food trays and fresh water in addition to the CNAs,

Housecreeping. I LOVE IT!!! :roll

[susanna]

This is yet another discussion that gives me the creeps about nursing. It sounds like slavery-work....

[SmilingBluEyes]

Because the more time nurses spend on professional tasks, the less time they have to do the $hit that nobody else wants to do.

No you misunderstand. I said, why is it we are "qualified" to clean up poop, vomit, etc, but NOT do teaching other depts don't have time for, yet we are perfectly qualified TO DO???????? Why is it dietary, respiratory, lab, etc are so proprietary yet housekeeping is so NOT ???? That is the point canoehead was making, I think.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

No you misunderstand. I said, why is it we are "qualified" to clean up poop, vomit, etc, but NOT do teaching other depts don't have time for, yet we are perfectly qualified TO DO???????? Why is it dietary, respiratory, lab, etc are so proprietary yet housekeeping is so NOT ???? That is the point canoehead was making, I think.

I understood. The comment was made "tongue in cheek".

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Where I work, there is no housekeeping.

Nurse are required as a part of our job desriptions to clean up everything.

Back when I was an LPN, I worked at an inpt hospice unit where pts were allowed to bring their pets. Nurses were required to pooper scoop the pets. I never saw an RN do this. I was an LPN at the time, and this task was delegated to the LPNs by the RNs.