Imagine my suprise this weekend when I get to work and find out that new policy is that the RN's will make toast for the pt trays!!!!
Yes, that's right, dietary will only send bread up and we are expected to toast it in the toasters provided to the unit. So now, I have to pick up the tray when it is dropped at the desk, take it to the pts room, take the bread all the way back to the convienetly located toaster (NOT) and bring it back.
I work in AICU, anyone think I really have the time for this malarkey??? I was really frustrated over this one and I told the charge nurse they better get some techs up here if this is what they expect. I can only hear the complaints now..."The nurse didnt make my toast right!"
Here's the thing: in certain situations I can understand nurses being asked to make toast (NOT THIS ONE!). For example, home health or private duty nursing, where you are taking care of a person and things like light housekeeping and cooking (because you have to give food to the patient) is needed, that is fine. I have no issues with that because it is part of your job description and is understood when you sign up to take the job.
How can this happen in a hospital? You don't sign up for this and it just isn't fair. That is what the DIETARY department is for! If they are short staffed, then guess what, hire more people, do not, as the solution to every problem management has seems to be, is give another responsibility to the nursing department.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
How can this happen in a hospital? You don't sign up for this and it just isn't fair. That is what the DIETARY department is for! If they are short staffed, then guess what, hire more people, do not, as the solution to every problem management has seems to be, is give another responsibility to the nursing department.
*** I work in the ICU and I would be (and have) very happy to make some toast, or other food for my patient. These poor guys who have been NPO for a procedure and now it's 0300 in the AM and they are no longer NPO and they are starving. I will make them up something to eat.
That is a very, very different thing than having the facility designate RNs as toast makers. Not a chance in hell would I EVER make toast as part of my job. For my hungry patient while the dietary department is closed in the middle of the night? Absolutely.
Specializes in Med/Surge, Geriatrics(LTC), Pediatricts,.
So, what's the difference? An RN who is asked to help out by toasting the bread so the toast isn't soggy from being covered in a steam box, or an RN who doesn't know how to do the job she's trained for?
Let me explain my "vent"...
A friend of mine just got home from the hospital, was in a prestegeous teaching hospital, her nurse was an RN who emphaticaly exclaimed she graduated top in her class, and had experience, and didn't need anyone telling her how to do her job! My friend is an RN, as well, my friends Mom, who was with her, is an RN, however, work/live in a small community, considered "Hicksville" by the folks at the so called prestegeous hospital.
What took place that caused this RN to get up on her high heals...
My friend had half her bowel track removed, and long story short on that one, had to be nourished via TPN, via a Subclavian IV.
This nurse in question, set up her IV TPN, first off, didn't bleed out the tubeing, and when she was questioned on that, exclaimed: "Oh, don't worry about that, the IV pump is so modern it will take care of the air in the tubeing." Then, she pulled the TPN fresh out of the frige, and hung it cold, about 38 degrees F. When asked about that replied: "Look Mrs. J, I don't need you questioning my every move, I do know what I'm doing, I DID graduate top in my class!"
Well, long story short on this one, my friend started turning all sorts of shades of blue then maroon, and started having all sorts of trouble breathing, and could feel some heart palpatations. Good thing her Dr was entering the room about this time,helped her Mom put my friend on her side, put the bed in trendelenburg position, and massaged her back, and kept her talking to keep her alert, and got her threw the crisis.
The RN who graduated top of her class? Well, nothing all that much took place, no dicaplinary action, no remediation, no suspension, nothing except being assigned to another unit at least during my friends stay in the hospital.
So, I'd be cureous, if an RN can't properly hang TPN, then how in the world can an RN properly toast a slice of bread? Shame on dietary for thinking the RN's are capable of doing such a task!
So, I'd be cureous, if an RN can't properly hang TPN, then how in the world can an RN properly toast a slice of bread? Shame on dietary for thinking the RN's are capable of doing such a task!
I am guessing hanging TPN is a skill you could get checked off on. Making toast is not. So I don't care if my nurse burns toast every time. All I want her to do is hang a good TPN. Let dietary do the toast.
I think, while nothing is below ourselves to do a good job. This argument should not be used to pare off payroll expense. RN's of today are highly trained and well payed professionals. It is wasting a company's money, to spend $30 hourly (RN pay) to do what could be done for $8 hourly (dietary pay). Put your RN's to work that justifies their salary.
There is a prominant women's hospital in Houston that required it's nurses to arrange flowers. A lot of nurses were not happy about it. Managers at the hospital, defended it, saying that flowers make the patient's environment more therapeutic. I would say, it was similar to asking the nurses to go mow the lawn because that would make the environment even more therapeutic.
I think, hospitals (that are businessess) will keep doing that sort of thing to trim their bottom lines. It is nurses who have to resist that kind of payroll dumping. They are still doing this because Nursing is still a female dominated profession. I bet if there were more males in this profession, they would not be aske to arrange flowers.
I totally agree that b/c nursing is not male dominated we get stuck doing the things no one else would do.Making toast. Flowers really have no place in the hospital anymore. who cares if they look pretty the pt's can't breathe b/c of them
Wow. I love AN. I love this thread. I was having a bad day and clicked the "What's New" tab to see what was up, and low and behod I find this gem. Between the new JCAHO Toast requirements, the wonderful poetry, and the Toast song I have just about split my scrub pants laughing. What a great bunch this is :)
I love you all. Even those of you who drive me crazy
Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
This thread is often funny, but seriously?
If my beloved husband was sick enough to be in ICU and he had Vtach or some other complication that went on unnoticed because his nurse was down the hall away from the monitors making her other patient toast I would come down on this hospital like a load of bricks. I worked as a tech in ICU long ago and most of the time the nurses were busy in the rooms. That is understandable. Peeing is understandable. Taking off orders at the nurses station is understandable. Sitting down on a break in the break room for 15 minutes while someone else watches your patient is understandable.
But out the door and down the hall making toast? Seriously? UNACCEPTABLE!
Seriously?!?! Your "vent"ing about this??!! Wow. It's toast. Pick your battles. I'm sure there are plenty more injustices being done to RN's than having to toast bread for your patient.
Seriously?!?! Your "vent"ing about this??!! Wow. It's toast. Pick your battles. I'm sure there are plenty more injustices being done to RN's than having to toast bread for your patient.
I see you are pre nursing. You will soon find out that with nursing it's always "just one more thing".... Pretty soon all those "just one more thing"s add up and affect patient care, which leads to patient dissatisfaction (a nasty little necessary evil thorn in all our sides) which leads to mgmt breathing down your neck to try and boost scores, which leads to more stupid things they assign us to do (like toast making!), which takes away from even more bedside care...see a pattern here? I am not even mentioning patient safety. You may think that something as mundane as toast making cannot affect patient safety but it can.
And bedsides, I think the actual toast making is not the issue. It is mgmt stretching the nurse so thin because they won't hire more ancillary staff to care for all these non-nursing needs. Half the time we do not have time for actual nursing stuff let alone all the other garbage they require of us.
Seriously?!?! Your "vent"ing about this??!! Wow. It's toast. Pick your battles. I'm sure there are plenty more injustices being done to RN's than having to toast bread for your patient.
I think it's a legit vent (and not very nice to pick on something that someone needs to vent about).
When I get to work in the morning, we hit the ground running. In no way, shape, or form would I have time to make toast for patients. I'm much more concerned about getting them assessed and getting them their meds, and heaven forbid one isn't doing well, or the assessments and meds get done late. We barely have time to keep up.
I'm not a dietary tech. I appreciate the job they do, don't get me wrong, but it's not my job. I can't do everything.
Seriously?!?! Your "vent"ing about this??!! Wow. It's toast. Pick your battles. I'm sure there are plenty more injustices being done to RN's than having to toast bread for your patient.
I really do not think it is totally about the toast. This is another task nurses are expected to do while...direct patient care, med pass, charting, answering lights, ice water, coffee, juice, snack, blanket, my remote broke, there is nothing on TV, why aren't there more channels, dealing with families, prn meds, watching monitors, new MD orders, MDs, CNAs/techs if lucky enough to have, admissions, discharges, heaven forbid a code....as well as the 50 billion other things we as nurses do. Some of which already can be considered non-nursing. It's not about being to good to 'insert task' or even it's not my job...it's I do not have the TIME.
I get it fresh toast would be nice, however, there are much more important things to be done.
Seriously?!?! Your "vent"ing about this??!! Wow. It's toast. Pick your battles. I'm sure there are plenty more injustices being done to RN's than having to toast bread for your patient.
I would be very interested in seeing your response after you have a few years experience in acute care.
IHeartPeds87
542 Posts
Here's the thing: in certain situations I can understand nurses being asked to make toast (NOT THIS ONE!). For example, home health or private duty nursing, where you are taking care of a person and things like light housekeeping and cooking (because you have to give food to the patient) is needed, that is fine. I have no issues with that because it is part of your job description and is understood when you sign up to take the job.
How can this happen in a hospital? You don't sign up for this and it just isn't fair. That is what the DIETARY department is for! If they are short staffed, then guess what, hire more people, do not, as the solution to every problem management has seems to be, is give another responsibility to the nursing department.