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?

[Hygiene Queen]

Maybe this speaks to my level of intelligence... but I know I'm no genius so I'm going to say it anyway:

I cannot imagine too many people being able to fully grasp reading strips with a quick "how to" on a busy unit!

I know I would be the twit going, "huh???!!!"

I think, if a person has never done them before, that they are complicated and confusing enough that a person would need more than a quick run through.

But that's just me :chair:

[CCL RN, RN]

..Using the calipers on the monitor would take tooo long to measure each one then print them out. naaaa.

It would take me longer to open the calipers than to measure on the computer. I could bust out the strip using the monitor calipers in seconds. Way, way easier, faster, better, plus the measurements get saved, and printed.

That's how I run strips. We rotated who did them q4. If someone else did my strips, then I'd use the real calipers to verify the measurements.

Like I said, we don't have monitor techs. I use the real calipers if need be, but the online ones are BY FAR more superior, and way easier.

[littleolive]

It would take me longer to open the calipers than to measure on the computer. I could bust out the strip using the monitor calipers in seconds. Way, way easier, faster, better, plus the measurements get saved, and printed.

That's how I run strips. We rotated who did them q4. If someone else did my strips, then I'd use the real calipers to verify the measurements.

Like I said, we don't have monitor techs. I use the real calipers if need be, but the online ones are BY FAR more superior, and way easier.

Yea they are easier to use but I have to have all 30 strips printed at top of the hour and done within the hour..Its easier for me to print my strips all at the same time..then use my calipers. Everyone is different I guess..however, All of the techs I know use the calipers rather than the ecalipers. It can be stressful at times..because not only am I measuring strips on a time limit but Im also taking off orders and answering phones watching the tele and dealing with the docs all at the same time.