What disciplines make up the Rapid Response Team?

RNDreamer · Sep 4, 2007

Oh, you decided to take the position...congrats!

RachelLVN · Sep 4, 2007

Our rapid response team consists of a respiratory therapist, a nurse who generally has a lot of critical care experience, and the house supervisor usually comes too.

Jo Dirt · Sep 4, 2007

Our rapid response team consists of a respiratory therapist, a nurse who generally has a lot of critical care experience, and the house supervisor usually comes too.

That's all? The way it sounded there was a group of people running all around. I pictured maybe a RT, couple of nurses, pharmacist mixing up drugs...man, what planet have I been on...?

Do they just stand around and wait for you to call for them? Or do they do other things?

I'm a babe in the woods when it comes to this.

Do I just step out of the way when they come?

allnurses Guide · Sep 4, 2007

The hospital that I worked at for 7 years; they had just started the Rapid Response Team just before I left. I utilized it a couple of times. Yes, it was generally a couple of ICU nurses, or nurses with a lot of critical care experience, the house supervisor, and I *think* an RT would show up as well.

I never thought to ask if the hospital that I'm about to go to has one or not. I kinda hope so.

Motorcycle Mama: Good luck with your new job! :icon_hug: Keep us all updated on how you are doing!!

allnurses Guide · Sep 4, 2007

Oh, and you won't necessarily "step out of the way" per se... you'll want to kinda have your ducks in a row, to give the members of the RRT as much pertinent information as possible... you'll want to brief them as to the patient's history, how they have been doing over the past few hours, day, or so.... how their vital signs have been... what the pertinent changes are, what changes caused you to alert the RRT... then the RRT will help to assess the patient and help decide what the course of action should be. Of course, then you'll have to obtain orders from the MD for said course of action. =) In my experience, one of the members of the RRT actually called the doctor to inform them what was going on, and then obtain orders, but that may not always be the case. They may advise you as to what the course of action for your patient should be, but then they may expect you to make the call to the MD, since you are the patient's nurse.

I hope that all made sense. =)

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Sep 4, 2007

congrats on your new job motorcycle mamma i wondered if you took it or not. you'd rather wax your whole body ..hehehe.. i love it.. sometimes i feel that way .. let me know how your job goes.. when do you start? is it 12 hour shifts? how many patients? take care

queenjean · Sep 4, 2007

Our rapid response team includes a lab tech to draw blood, a respiratory therapist, a nurse from the ER and one from ICU, and the nursing supervisor. If the ER isn't too busy, a doc will usually come up and typically a pharmacist checks in, too, since sometimes these things deteriorate to a code.

Our facility has protocols that are in place in the event of a rapid response call--certain labs can be drawn, xrays and CTs (head if symptoms of stroke, chest if symptoms of PE), meds, RT treatments, etc--that the nurse can write for based on protocol. That way we don't need to wait for the PCP to call us back to get orders to do something.

When I call the RRT, I am there to provide information. I step back and let them do their thing, but I stay in the room and help out. Coworkers know to get me the physical chart, a computer, vital signs equipment (if not in the room), page the PCP and then give me the phone, and to get the crash cart out and ready in case of use. They also know to cover my other patients. Usually the charge nurse for my floor stays in the room if she can, and an aide or another nurse hangs out just outside the door, to act as gopher, in case we need supplies that aren't in the room. These are things the coworkers do for the nurse in a RRT or code situation, automatically.

The RRT team members are there to assess your pt, help stabilize him/her, and communicate with the physician their interpretation of what is going on (this last part is usually done by the ICU nurse or the nursing supervisor, unless it is a respiratory thing, then RT usually discusses it with them. If an ER doc comes up, he/she talks to the other doc). Then the pt is either moved to ICU or stays on the floor, depending upon the situation.

I know each facility has a different means of implementing and utilizing the RRT. I used to be scared to call them--what if they got there, and it just wasn't important enough? Now I am over that--it's better to call them and not need to than to wait too long and have to call a code. I think we use it more on nights, simply because the docs aren't around as much and our resources are a little thinner. It's still pretty rare that it gets called--I think the stats right now are between 3-5 a month for a census of 75-95, hospital wide. But our code calls have diminished from 1-3/month to 0-1 per month, average. It's made a big difference. Now you don't have to wait for someone to code before you can get resources and help. It's awesome.

allnurses Guide · Sep 4, 2007

I used to think that too... that I was getting all worried over nothing. =) But you are right, it's better to be safe than sorry.

queenjean · Sep 4, 2007

Oh, and no, they aren't just standing around, waiting for you to call. They are pulled from their units and their patients--so you do need to mean it if you call them. The nurses have to dump their pts on someone else, the RT, lab tech, and pharmacist all have to drop what they are doing and come running, as does the nursing supervisor. So it's not a call to be made lightly--but at the same time, you don't hesitate to call if you need to.

I've only called a couple of times--once I felt like maybe I shouldn't have called, but everyone was super cool, and the pt DID end up getting transferred to ICU, his situation had deteriorated. He was just mucus-plugging something fierce--I thought maybe he had thrown a PE or something. In either case, he was pretty sick.

Zookeeper3 · Sep 4, 2007

My hospital has a critical care nurse, who has no patients and a resp. therapist (supervisor) who carry the beeper. Both show up. If the patient is really sick, the lead charges from the ICU may show as well to lend the team a hand.

The nurse may not have patients, but she is called for IV starts and helps the ICU's when they have crashing patients.

If you need to call rapid response have the chart in the room and have the latest labs if you can. They need your input so don't be intimidated by a bunch of questions. Our code rate has supposidly dropped quite a bit on the floors with the early intervention of rapid response. So don't hesitate to call them.

Christie RN2006 · Sep 4, 2007

Well to be completely honest I'm not sure who all is in the RRT... I believe it is the charge nurses from the ICU, RT, a hospitalist, and I believe the nursing supervisor goes also. I work in the ICU, so I never have to call the RRT, but we do get the patients from the calls if they are bad enough.

Having a RRT has cut down on the number of codes drastically where I work.