Vanderbilt Medical Center to have nurses cleaning up

Nurses General Nursing

Published

"Cleaning the room after the case, including pulling your trash and mopping the floor, are all infection-prevention strategies. And it's all nursing, and it's all surgical tech. You may not believe that, but even Florence Nightingale knew that was true," said a hospital administrator to staff in a video obtained by the Channel 4 I-Team."

http://www.wsmv.com/story/23364976/vanderbilt-medical-center-to-have-nurses-cleaning-up

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Does anyone here realize that by having nurses do this housecleaning jobs are taken away from people who do this for a living?[/quote']

We do...but the focus is how allowing nurses pick up another persons job and screw pt safety...out focus is pt safety and the absurdity of the acceptance of this management (lack of a better word) to get to "the bottom line".

We're nurse here...,we are prioritizing a topic here. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I am mopping floors at least a couple times a day. I have staff that follow suit too. I lead by example as a charge/management person. We also have housekeeping staff but they are grossly understaffed and underpaid. I have no issue ever mopping up ponds of blood, pee and irrigation that is on our OR floors. I'm not too proud to do any job of any of my subordinate and support staff. If they had 4 more nurses a shift and no housekeepers, so be it.... More RN staff to work with.... I'm not an almighty entitled RN. I'm another employee getting the job done with a license to practice as an RN.
I am all for nursing pitching in.....and I remember the days we washed beds after hours because housekeeping only worked days. How is an isolation room to have terminal cleaning when that nurse has 7 other patients. I don't think it is a case of "that's not my job" I'm too good for it....it's a I ca'nt do one more thing...let amone mop the floor. There are areas that this could work....for like the OR....but for the floors...its a logistical nightmare.

I think nurses should "tidy" their rooms and remove over flowing trash as a part of their responsibilities. However....on the floors where the nurses have 7-8 patients a piece....adding that they mop floors and clean the toilets as a part of their routine is adding a burden that they should not have to bear. I think that having nursing perform these tasks there will be an increase of hospital acquired infections for you can never get "clean" after moping the floor and scrubbing the toilet. Care WILL suffer. Vanderbilt has NO plans on increasing nursing staff.

I'm all about getting it done ...however there are situations that this is just not prudent...for the patient for the families for the nurses...for no one. I feel it shows a deep disrespect from administration that they think nurses as so lazy with so much time on their hands and nothing better to so......there should be no reason they couldn't mop the floor as well....WHY they think this is a GOOD idea is beyond me.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I am all for nursing pitching in.....and I remember the days we washed beds after hours because housekeeping only worked days. How is an isolation room to have terminal cleaning when that nurse has 7 other patients. I don't think it is a case of "that's not my job" I'm too good for it....it's a I ca'nt do one more thing...let amone mop the floor. There are areas that this could work....for like the OR....but for the floors...its a logistical nightmare.

I think nurses should "tidy" their rooms and remove over flowing trash as a part of their responsibilities. However....on the floors where the nurses have 7-8 patients a piece....adding that they mop floors and clean the toilets as a part of their routine is adding a burden that they should not have to bear. I think that having nursing perform these tasks there will be an increase of hospital acquired infections for you can never get "clean" after moping the floor and scrubbing the toilet. Care WILL suffer. Vanderbilt has NO plans on increasing nursing staff.

I'm all about getting it done ...however there are situations that this is just not prudent...for the patient for the families for the nurses...for no one. I feel it shows a deep disrespect from administration that they think nurses as so lazy with so much time on their hands and nothing better to so......there should be no reason they couldn't mop the floor as well....WHY they think this is a GOOD idea is beyond me.

^^^^^^ EXACTLY ^^^^^

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

^^^^^^ EXACTLY ^^^^^

I second THIS...

We are talking about some SERIOUS cross contamination here...it's not feasible. :no:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

This is in the OR! I hope patients refuse to have surgery there until this policy is changed. I would not want a nurse in the room with my open surgical wound wearing the same clothing that she was wearing while cleaning up who-knows-what from a previous case. I worked in the OR for many years as a surgical tech before becoming a nurse. Taking the linen bag out is one thing, mopping and wiping down the equipment is another. Not to mention that it increases the workload of the nursing and tech patient care providers. I hope the backlash from this forces Vanderbilt to change this policy. Find other ways to cut costs......like trimming management - or have the CEO come in and clean the rooms between cases. That way "everyone" truly can "pitch in". :banghead:

Blue

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
I'm happy to do my nursing job and then rather than sit on my rear between cases, help out the other members on my team. I'm happy to take Home my six figure nursing wage on an associate degree and I'm also happy to mop a floor to do it and have a cohesive team effort at work.

I'm just sorry so many of you don't feel the same.

I work on a med-surg floor and don't have a six figure job and no time to sit on my rear, much less take the breaks and lunch I'm entitled to, so we ARE comparing apples to oranges here, aren't we? And I see that you now agree that you would quit if you worked a floor job and were expected to add "housekeeper" to the long list of non-nursing things that you're already expected to do, so hopefully we're mostly on the same page now and you understand why some of us think it's an obnoxious expectation of a floor nurse!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Precisely. I don't see a lot of nurses who are spending time sitting on their rears at work. I think we'd all help out with whatever we were adequately educated to do if there were no patient care needs pending. But this is not what we have been discussing, the transfer of housekeeping duties to nursing regardless of nursing workload.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

Sadly, this isn't surprising. At my facility, housekeeping can't clean up body fluids. We have to clean up whatever it is and they would just mop over it. It ticks me off. I'm running my butt off and housekeeping comes in nonchalantly and will refuse to even glove up and clean any body fluids. They will hunt us down for the smallest stuff. Dietary is worse.

Sometimes I wonder why they even exist. The nursing staff does everything while other departments sit on their butts and collect pay checks for minimal work. What is the point of having housekeeping if they won't clean???

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CICU.

Where on earth are people making 6 figures at the bedside with an associate's degree?!??!?? And, not working 100 hours per week.

For that kind of jack, not only will I clean rooms I will kiss your behind...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I am mopping floors at least a couple times a day. I have staff that follow suit too. I lead by example as a charge/management person. We also have housekeeping staff but they are grossly understaffed and underpaid. I have no issue ever mopping up ponds of blood, pee and irrigation that is on our OR floors. I'm not too proud to do any job of any of my subordinate and support staff. If they had 4 more nurses a shift and no housekeepers, so be it.... More RN staff to work with.... I'm not an almighty entitled RN. I'm another employee getting the job done with a license to practice as an RN.

Your decision to do that gives the admin no incentive to hire adequate Env. Service staff. It's not about "being too good." It's about staff working in their appropriate roles. Nurses who do as you described contribute to the problem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Public Health.

Your decision to do that gives the admin no incentive to hire adequate Env. Service staff. It's not about "being too good." It's about staff working in their appropriate roles. Nurses who do as you described contribute to the problem.

Exactly!!! Don't be pawned into being a "team player"! It's hurting us, those who need jobs, and the patients! If we ever want to be truly respected, we can not continue this self sacrificing behavior. I didn't choose nursing to be a missionary, volunteer, or because it was my "calling". I chose it as my career and would like to be treated as any other professional.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-Op.

If you ever wan to see management turn a room over feel free to shadow me for a day. I'm management and I have done it since day 1 and will continue to do so.

And seriously.... "Don't be pawned into being a team player"? That's about as selfish a comment as I have ever heard. I'm not pin to let env services struggle so I can chill for an extra 5 minutes. Get over ourselves.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment