I work as a care partner/cna at a hospital and often am assigned as a sitter.
I do use my phone often when I am sitting, but I always make sure my patient is calm/asleep, clean, repositioned, etc before I use my phone. It's usually when it's dead quiet in the room and I want to quietly keep myself awake (even after a cup of coffee, graveyard shifts are tough in a dark and quiet room). I keep one eye out for my patient. My hospital has a computer in each room but I don't prefer using that. The screen is big and bright which I can't adjust, and many patients find it a distraction when trying to sleep. The clicking and clacking of the mouse and keyboard can also be distracting. So I just turn the computer off.
It's never been on the other floors I float to, but this one supervisor/charge nurse took my name and told me he will report me for catching me on my phone twice.
Personally, I found it infuriating. It's better than falling asleep. If anyone took one look at my patient, they will see he is comfortable, asleep, and clean. I'd like to believe that I am on my phone responsibly. I didn't argue with him though in my head I did.
What are your thoughts on using a phone? Or reading a book, using a computer, watching a movie, etc?
Last month, a sitter fell asleep. The video clearly showed two nurses at the desk with their faces glued to their phones as the patient walked out of the department. The answer? Instead of new phone rules or restrictions, in addition to several existing flow charts, we now have a mandatory paper QA form to fill out on each patient requiring a sitter. We're not blaming the phone people so, ya, we're progressive, accepting and embracing the obvious need to have a phone ever-present to stave off any moments of boredom . . .
Last month, a sitter fell asleep. The video clearly showed two nurses at the desk with their faces glued to their phones as the patient walked out of the department. The answer? Instead of new phone rules or restrictions, in addition to several existing flow charts, we now have a mandatory paper QA form to fill out on each patient requiring a sitter. We're not blaming the phone people so, ya, we're progressive, accepting and embracing the obvious need to have a phone ever-present to stave off any moments of boredom . . .
I love it, adding a new form to fill out ALWAYS solves the problem.
At my local hospital it's mostly old ladies close to retirement who do that Job. They just sit all day reading magazines and doing crosswords. Makes me so angry. Doesn't look good at all and the pt are neglected.
I have a friend who last year had a pt who was disorientated and noisey so they had sitter with them during the night. She hadnt heard anything coming from his room for awhile and thought that was strange, so went in to check on him. Walked in and he was dead. The sitter didn't even realise and was still sitting there doing crosswords.
Being on your phone when they are sleeping ect may seem innocent, but it's important that you are still doing your job and monitoring the pt. even when sleeping.
I'm not completely against it, as long as your not sitting there all day doing it and your still doing job. But don't think because they are 'fine' you can slack off and not pay attention. But people are against it, and have every right to report you. Just be careful with phone use and distractions.
I'm just going to throw this out there because I haven't seen it mentioned yet... would anyone be concerned about the camera on the phone/patient privacy? I know that in the perfect world every healthcare professional is professional and would never use it that way, but I always thought it was a good standard to not allow camera devices to be out in a patient room.
I worked as a tech and had to sit occasionally, often mandatoried 11-7 after working an 8 hour 3-11 shift, after being up all day before I went in. They would allow us to bring a book or homework on days or afternoons, but for nights they generally wanted the room darker and the TV off so the patient could sleep or at least be less stimulated and rest. Even if the patient wanted the TV or light on, you can only read so long when you are tired. Subsequently I have spent quite a number of hours pacing back and forth so I wouldn't fall asleep. So I do get it; it can be pretty boring or just difficult to stay up like that, especially if you are tired and the patient is quiet or sleeping. However, to be infuriated about someone saying you shouldn't have your phone at work & it is "better than falling asleep?" Congratulations on not wanting to fall asleep but that's your job, you know? You are getting paid right? Not meaning to sound hasty, but honestly, this is not your own time, and you aren't doing anyone any favors for being there. It sounds as though the supervisor got onto you once and then found you on your phone again. If that is the case and you got your phone back out a second time after they told you not to you should get talked to about it. Even if you thought it was wrong for you to be told not to be on your phone, you should have put the phone away and then talked to your boss about the policy regarding phone use and tell them what happened. At the end of the day, you are being paid to sit, regardless of whether or not you are bored or tired, & you aren't entitled to have personal entertainment while at work, even if used responsibly, and the person who told you not to do it was not a fellow sitter, cna, or peer, they were the charge nurse, and you generally should listen to what they say until proven otherwise. I would have been upset for getting in trouble at work vs. being infuriated I was told not play on my phone. All that being said, and I know I sound like The Mean Person saying all that, as a nurse I have zero problems with ppl reading, being on their phone, doing homework, whatever...as long as they have "one eye on the patient" while doing so and are more attentive when patient is awake, fidgeting around, trying to pull at things, etc... We do have some WONDERFUL sitters and I'm always glad to see "the good ones" come through the door, but there are a lot of not-so-good sitters, that is for sure. Coming in too exhausted to do a good job, distracted with movies and phones and not looking at the patient, being generally unconcerned with what's going on in the room, or calling and texting constantly with all sorts of personal emergencies going on during the shift; the list of problems goes on. Once my suicidal patient covered up my sleeping sitter with her blanket and went back to bed. When I came in and she saw me noticing her blanket was on the sitter and she was in a sheet, she told me that she felt sorry for her because earlier she had told her that she was cold and tired, so when she (the sitter) fell asleep she (the patient) decided to go and cover her up. The patient whispered this to me so she wouldn't wake her.
I used to do that when I was a sitter but really on the patients that were so confused they wouldn't know it anyway. But in hindsight it provably wasn't professional
I haven't read the responses yet but I would have to say this isn't a good idea. It only takes a second for a sleeping patient (or seemingly sleeping patient) to get up to trouble.
I remember one patient I had who was assigned a sitter. He had a trach, CVC, and a foley. He was in wrist restraints as he was also confused/combative. I had been working on him all night as he had developed a lung infection and his trach had to be frequently suctioned. He was started on antibiotics, etc.
I was sitting down at the nurses station and charting when I heard a bunch of banging coming from his room and saw him kicking the side of his bed rail and writhing in pain. Somehow, he managed to kick his foley and partially remove it.
The sitter looked away "just for a second." And "he was sleeping" just prior to this incident. If she had been on her phone (or sleeping herself) the management would have fired her in a hot second.
If you ask me, it's not worth it. It puts your patients at risk and your job at risk (especially if it is a rule where you work).
RobbiRN, RN
8 Articles; 205 Posts
Last month, a sitter fell asleep. The video clearly showed two nurses at the desk with their faces glued to their phones as the patient walked out of the department. The answer? Instead of new phone rules or restrictions, in addition to several existing flow charts, we now have a mandatory paper QA form to fill out on each patient requiring a sitter. We're not blaming the phone people so, ya, we're progressive, accepting and embracing the obvious need to have a phone ever-present to stave off any moments of boredom . . .