Transport and pickup personnel?

Do you have personnel for these things? We are finding that we are at the mercy of the OR. If they are using the orderly, we are out of luck. They expect us to call the orderly to pick up the next cases, then don't allow them to help us. I think they should call for the pt in that case, when they are ready. This backs up PACU when we can't move pts out for lack of transport help. What do you all do?

[pwp1289]

the or has its own orderly for the scheduled cases but we do have an "escort service" that bring us stretchers and w/ chairs and then take pts to and from their appts and tests and even "stat"specimens that have to get to the lab--they are a godsend if there is enough of them on--but if they get backed up so is xray,nuclear med ,ultra sound etc.

[suzanne4, RN]

All of the ORs that I worked in had separate transporters/orderlies for the department. The rest of the hospital used the transportation dept. On weekends when they weren't working, the nurse went to get the patient if there was time, or one of the floor nurses would bring the patient down. Most of the time weekends are emergency cases, and many are from ICU so they have to be transported by a nurse and on a monitor.

[kyti]

We (pacu) share the transporter with the OR. If we call for them and they are up on the floors getting a pre-op pt then we have to wait for them or use 2 pacu nurses to transport.

[sharann, BSN, RN]

Thank you all for the replies :)