do you team nurse?

[NITEOBRN]

looking for how others are staffing their units and doing team nursing. We are an LDRP unit approximatley 1200 births/year. We are staffed with RNs LPNs and nurse aides. We are trying to do team nursing with our postpartums so that every Mom and baby gets an RN assessment every shift. Our LPNs are limited in what they legally can chart in our computer system altough all of them are very good at assessments. what is everybody else out there doing what works well and what doesn't?

[MarRN2]

I work in a busy ED with a high acuity and we use team nursing. When staffing is good there is 1 tech for 12 patients and 2 nurses for every 6 patients. Each nurse is primary for 3 patients but helps out with the other three. It works really nicely most of the time.

[mitchsmom]

No, we don't team nurse per se. We do of course help each other out as needed to fill in holes. Usually everyone just has their own assignment though. Our LPN's can do assessments with an RN signing off on them (in postpartum, none in L&D). The only other thing they don't do is push meds that I can think of off the top of my head.

[SmilingBluEyes]

No we do LDRP and one RN is responsible for each mom/baby couplet.

[BELCJ]

You have 1 nurse per couplet? So if you have 10 postpartum couplets, you have 10 RNs? Your hospital must have very deep pockets. That would never fly here, but I wouldn't want it to either. That seems too exessive.

[crissrn27, RN]

You have 1 nurse per couplet? So if you have 10 postpartum couplets, you have 10 RNs? Your hospital must have very deep pockets. That would never fly here, but I wouldn't want it to either. That seems too exessive.

I may be wrong but I think smilingblueeyes was talking about during labor/delivery they have one couplet.

[SmilingBluEyes]

No, we take 3-4 couplets each RN, in busy times, 5. If we are caring for a labor patient, we try to be 1:1, or at most 1:2. But once delivered, or doing PP, we do at least 3 couplets each. We also have GYN surgical patients in the mix. Our pockets are no deeper than than the next place, believe me. I am sorry that was not clear.