Three sets of vitals in a 12-hour shift?

Nursing Students Technicians

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Hello everyone. I have a question. I am a pct at a major hospital. There was just a policy change and now instead of the pct's taking two sets of vitals they are adding a third set right before the shift change which is the busiest time for the pct's. Honestly, all of my co-workers are wondering how we are going to do this with are already busy crazy schedule. Each tech has as many as 14 patients and sometimes it can be up to 19 if the census is low at the hospital. This means that we have to do vitals on all those patients times three. The time that we are supposed to clock out is 7:15 but we aren't supposed to start vitals until 6:30. Personally, it takes me over an hour to do twelve vitals as I help my patients to the bathroom if needed, pick up the room, get fresh water, empty trash, etc while I am in their room as not to disturb them later. I don't know how I am going to accomplish this extra set of vitals without being at work until 8:00 Am. Also, call lights are going off at that time in the morning so what should I do? Ignore the other patients? This is really upsetting to me as I believe I am a really good pct and a hard worker but it seems like too much is being loaded onto the techs. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks for allowing me to vent.

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That is about normal for vital signs. At my hospital my unit is a 26 bed unit and there is usually only 1 pct. We do vitals every 4 hours at 8,12,4 on both night and day shift. It is tough but it can be done. I wish you luck.

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Does your tech do ECG's, blood sugars, help set up new patients after admission, clean the rooms, stock the nutrition room, the supply drawers and boxes on the doors, go get the tele for the heart monitor from another floor, do bed bath's, showers, help patients to the bathroom, answer call lights and do the I&O'S plus hourly rounding logs, filing and help the nurses with whatever the nurses need done? It seems like an overwhelming job that I cannot keep up with. Now an extra set of vitals is another job added to a very heavy work load. I'm wondering how to say no to the nurses when they are piling work on me that they can very well do when I am doing these vitals. Don't get me wrong...there are nurses that have been techs and they help but others that completely take advantage of having a tech and treat me like their slave. I do not know how to get past this and keep my job.:o

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Does your tech do ECG's blood sugars, help set up new patients after admission, clean the rooms, stock the nutrition room, the supply drawers and boxes on the doors, go get the tele for the heart monitor from another floor, do bed bath's, showers, help patients to the bathroom, answer call lights and do the I&O'S plus hourly rounding logs, filing and help the nurses with whatever the nurses need done? It seems like an overwhelming job that I cannot keep up with. Now an extra set of vitals is another job added to a very heavy work load. I'm wondering how to say no to the nurses when they are piling work on me that they can very well do when I am doing these vitals. Don't get me wrong...there are nurses that have been techs and they help but others that completely take advantage of having a tech and treat me like their slave. I do not know how to get past this and keep my job.:o[/quote']

We do all of that on my tele unit except ECG's, and have three sets of vitals to do as well (at 2000, 0000, and 0400). We routinely have 3-4 techs on the unit though and will have anywhere from 8-12 patients apiece. We also unfortunately have several techs on our unit that just won't answer their patients call lights, or help others out if they're in a different room, even if the charge nurse gets after them. So, that leaves the rest of us to answer their lights and help their patients to the bathroom. If we had to do our last set of vitals that close to the end of our night, I don't know that we would be able to leave at 0730. We have to do our daily weights and Q6 finger sticks at 0600, so adding vitals on top of that and everything else is crazy!

Good luck with everything, and hopefully you'll be able to get everything set.

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I work on a 32 bed pediatric unit. Our techs do vitals every 4 hours; 8, 12, 4 on both days and evening shift. Our techs do vitals, accu checks, set up rooms for admissions, clean rooms, take out garbage, stock the nutrition room, do I&O's, hourly rounding, answer call lights, take food trays out of rooms, holding patients for sticks... I mean the list goes on!!! I think it is important to keep reminding yourself that you are only one person, you can only do so much. I would hope that the nurses and managers of your floor would have some compassion and understanding that now that you guys are doing vitals more frequently that they might have to help out some.

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Specializes in hospice.
I would hope that the nurses and managers of your floor would have some compassion and understanding that now that you guys are doing vitals more frequently that they might have to help out some.

Ha. Ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAAAA!! Yeah, good luck with that. Who do you think came up with the policy to add this task?

And IME of being a hospital tech, at least 50% of the nurses are NOT going to help you. You're "just an aide" and they don't do "aide work."

So sorry, OP. Hope you can figure it out. I couldn't. I cried uncle, quit my hospital job, and went to work for a hospice in their inpatient units. It was just the paradigm shift I needed.

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I'm always so amazed at the level of work expected by techs/aides in the US!

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I'm always so amazed at the level of work expected by techs/aides in the US!

I agree! To be quite honest, I'd prefer to do my own vitals, ECGs, fluid balances etc. We don't have respiratory techs either, we do all the resp stuff, plus showering, mobilising and toileting our own patients. This is all with 1 nurse for 5-6 patients.

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When I was a tech in the hospital I was required to do all of that, except ECGs. I was very respectful of Nurses and always helped them if I had a moment. I did not allow them to shove unnecessary work onto me. Don't get me wrong, if I had a moment I would do whatever they needed no questions asked. If I was busy I would say "Im working on suresteps/vitals/etc. I am unable to get to that as these need to be entered by *this time* to make sure they have their necessary insulin/medication on time." One incident sticks in my mind. I was running around trying to get everything done when a nurse stops me at the nursing desk and said "Mr.*insert name* needs assistance walking to the restroom, he told me about 15 minutes ago but I forgot to grab an aide." I had seen her sitting at the desk chatting/on her phones multiple times in the day. I replied "Why couldn't you assist him into the bathroom? It is in your scope of practice." She just stared at me and said "Well that's an aide thing." So I stared at her and said "It's an aide thing to have human decency and take 2 minutes out of your time to assist your patient? How would you feel if your family member's nurse felt that way?" No response. She got up and walked to the patient's room and helped him. By that time he needed a bed change, she assisted me in changing it and apologized to him multiple times and she was great about doing the small simple things herself after that. Now in that instance I was infuriated, simply because the patient had to suffer. I did not intend to be rude to her, but please do not allow them to push you around and risk patient health.

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When I was a tech in the hospital I was required to do all of that, except ECGs. I was very respectful of Nurses and always helped them if I had a moment. I did not allow them to shove unnecessary work onto me. Don't get me wrong, if I had a moment I would do whatever they needed no questions asked. If I was busy I would say "Im working on suresteps/vitals/etc. I am unable to get to that as these need to be entered by *this time* to make sure they have their necessary insulin/medication on time." One incident sticks in my mind. I was running around trying to get everything done when a nurse stops me at the nursing desk and said "Mr.*insert name* needs assistance walking to the restroom, he told me about 15 minutes ago but I forgot to grab an aide." I had seen her sitting at the desk chatting/on her phones multiple times in the day. I replied "Why couldn't you assist him into the bathroom? It is in your scope of practice." She just stared at me and said "Well that's an aide thing." So I stared at her and said "It's an aide thing to have human decency and take 2 minutes out of your time to assist your patient? How would you feel if your family member's nurse felt that way?" No response. She got up and walked to the patient's room and helped him. By that time he needed a bed change, she assisted me in changing it and apologized to him multiple times and she was great about doing the small simple things herself after that. Now in that instance I was infuriated, simply because the patient had to suffer. I did not intend to be rude to her, but please do not allow them to push you around and risk patient health.

Your story makes me feel so sad. That poor patient! How can a nurse have the "that's an aides job" mentality! It's walking someone to the bathroom for goodness sake!

Where I'm from nursing assistants are just that- they ASSIST the nurses with THEIR tasks. They don't have specific jobs that are there's and only there's to do. I feel this mentality is why these forums have so many "just a CNA" "just an LPN" "just an ADN" threads, because so many people in this profession feel they are above others. It's such a shame and in your instance, the patient suffered as a result.

:(

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Your reply was so very helpful to me...I can tell by the way that you handled yourself in that situation that you are a quality tech and a very intelligent person. I hope you are in nursing school...lol. You sound like you would make an excellent nurse!! I see what you mean... we all need to do the best we can and tactfully handle situations that come up in the correct manner. Possibly with my personality I have been a bit of a pushover and then I resent it. It is up to all of us to let others know that abusive behavior and lack of teamwork is not going to be tolerated and there is a fine line in figuring that out. I am going to print your message and use it for reference in the future. Thank you for your help. You are awesome!!!

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I wish I could offer you some advice to help change the fact that you have to take the 3rd set, but I have a feeling management/nurses will not budge on the added responsibility. It would be nice if the nurses could help you out a little, but only you would know the attitude of your nurses on your floor in regards to helping aides. I would suggest waking patients up at 6 in order to get to the bathroom so that by the time 6:30 hits, you can get vitals without getting interrupted. Also, what are the nurses doing from 6:30-7? Can they help with bathroom calls while you get the vitals? Why isn't morning shift getting vitals?

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