Unit secretary turned tele tech

[tokmom]

Our hospital has decided to make our med/surg tele floor unit secretaries into tele techs. The training they got was the assistant manager spending a couple of hours going over strips and teaching them to measure. They are responsible for printing out and measuring the strips. The RN is suppose to come around every 4 hrs at measuring time and sign the strips. I have issues with this.

For starters, the RN would like to use the e-caliper that comes with the tele machine. Why should the secretary measure and then the RN come behind and measure? I'll be darned if I'm going to measure a print out with manual calipers??

Isn't the RN who has those patients responsible for those pre measured strips if they are measured incorrectly?

Those that have tele techs, what is their scope of practice and education?

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

Huh. I bet you could just eyeball the strip over the shoulder without having to take up any real time. Then measure at the end of shift.

I always have calipers in my nursing bag, can't imagine working tele without them.

I do eyeball the strips. HOWEVER...management is saying we have to measure EVERY 4 hrs. No eyeballing allowed.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

We've never had a tele tech, and we measure our own strips. If you want to use the e calibers, just tell the secretary you'll take care of your own. It takes like 45 seconds to run a strip.

We can't. The secretary is required to measure.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I should mention the so called class was the ACU assistant manager trying to teach from a binder while people are coming to the desk for issues and the phones are ringing off the hooks. I literally had two phones in my hand trying to handle the desk while she was 'in class.'

I think they should recognize the basics and if they have problems to turn to the charge (me or my job share RN) and ask us what we think. If the tele triple alarms, then I turn to have a look and will tell the U.S to silence if it's artifact, etc..But for them to just assume responsibility of measuring with no formal training is just plain dangerous.

As for measuring with manual calipers, I found out today it has to be done with the e-caliber so it shows on the print out. Well, it doesn't show HOW the U.S measured, only the results. I saw one the other day measuring R-R from Q to R. The actual caliper lines don't show, so all you get are wacky numbers. This is why I think the RN should be measuring in the first place and the U.S should just silence alarms or raise an alarm if something changes.

[CCL RN, RN]

I do eyeball the strips. HOWEVER...management is saying we have to measure EVERY 4 hrs. No eyeballing allowed.

I know, we do too. I eyeball all day. Then at 1800 I have the strips printed out on one sheet, I correct/remeasure, then sign and chart.

The tele tech (we don't have) would still measure Q4, and you eyeball to make sure it's all good during shift. Sign/measure/chary at end. Can you do that?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

You don't really need a caliber to measure. Just mark it up on a piece of paper and measure using the boxes.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I know, we do too. I eyeball all day. Then at 1800 I have the strips printed out on one sheet, I correct/remeasure, then sign and chart.

The tele tech (we don't have) would still measure Q4, and you eyeball to make sure it's all good during shift. Sign/measure/chary at end. Can you do that?

Nope, in big fat letters: NO END OF SHIFT CHARTING. NO BACK TIMING, ETC..

Assistant manager expects everyone to huddle around the tele machine Q 4 to read, measure, sign (including the secretary whom measures first and then we measure after her) and then we are to go on our merry way.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

You don't really need a caliber to measure. Just mark it up on a piece of paper and measure using the boxes.

Can't do that. Manager wants the measurments on the strip measured and documented using the e-calipers.

I tell ya, it's just plain crazy!

As for paper, that's my best friend. Works well for me, but not for our dear leader.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Can't do that. Manager wants the measurments on the strip measured and documented using the e-calipers.

I tell ya, it's just plain crazy!

As for paper, that's my best friend. Works well for me, but not for our dear leader.

You could use pen and paper to check the secretary's measurements, is what I was saying.

[CCL RN, RN]

Nope, in big fat letters: NO END OF SHIFT CHARTING. NO BACK TIMING, ETC..

Assistant manager expects everyone to huddle around the tele machine Q 4 to read, measure, sign (including the secretary whom measures first and then we measure after her) and then we are to go on our merry way.

That's ridiculous! Your manager needs to pick up a few shifts to re-educate herself on what it's like to be a nurse!

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Could your NM be so silly that, she thinks this will help the RNs and save time? IDK, it sure doesn't make sense to me. Just let me do it with ecalipers, and be done with it. I just don't see the point of a secretary measuring anything if I'm going to have to find a spot, pull out calipers put my glasses on (LOL) and do it myself anyway. I'm not going to sign-off on it unless I do it myself. This is not like working with a CNA or an LPN -- there is some training there that could be enhanced and not wasted as they will have an interest/benefit directly. Not that they have the time, but at least if anybody is going to sit down and offer training, it should be REAL training and be allocated appropriately.

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

Could your NM be so silly that, she thinks this will help the RNs and save time? IDK, it sure doesn't make sense to me. Just let me do it with ecalipers, and be done with it. I just don't see the point of a secretary measuring anything if I'm going to have to find a spot, pull out calipers put my glasses on (LOL) and do it myself anyway. I'm not going to sign-off on it unless I do it myself. This is not like working with a CNA or an LPN -- there is some training there that could be enhanced and not wasted as they will have an interest/benefit directly. Not that they have the time, but at least if anybody is going to sit down and offer training, it should be REAL training and be allocated appropriately.

Some nurses were not printing off until the end of shift. This is her way of putting a stop to it. That's the thing with the RN's. They refuse to sign anything that they didn't do themselves. Why not just do it the first time and be done with it.

Today the secretary took 30 minutes to check and print out the TWO strips because she has no clue on what she is really doing and micro measuring her strips. In the meantime, the RN's were waiting for her to do her measuring so they could then measure and sign. They would have gone ahead and done it themselves but the ACU manager came in today for paperwork and was milling around.

Wait until we have 15 strips to run.

[littleolive]

Im a teletech ..what I don't understand is how our managers want us to put in orders and do all the secretarial duties, answering phones as well as watch 30 patients on the monitor. I find it to be dangerous. And some of our techs have no clue what they are doing but pretend to. It really annoys me, I worry about our patients especially when certain techs are on knowing that anytime something bad could happen and that would be just horrible.. anyways, Within the first hour of my shift, my strips are measured, handed to the nurse, she then puts the diagnosis next to the strip then signs them off. However, some of our nurses don't know rhythms and pretend to..How they past the test? I have no clue. btw I love my calipers...there's otherways but the calipers are the best..Using the calipers on the monitor would take tooo long to measure each one then print them out. naaaa.