I work part-time as a patient safety attendant. We sit with patients who are suicidal, confused, depressed, fall risk, etc. I know we literally "sit" at times, but it is still a job and I took this job to help me during nursing school. I work at different floors all the time. One shift, I overheard the nurse say that all she does is watch the tv. I was with a patient who was a fall risk at a cancer floor. He had the news channel on even from the night before and when I asked him if he wanted me to turn it off, he said no, he likes that channel. He slept most of the time while I was there, so since the tv was in front of me, I saw it at times. At another shift, the nursing assistant told the nurses in behind the counter where they sit in front of the computers that she was going to relieve me for lunch, and they said,"go relieve her from her chair and giggled." I just went on my break, but I was very offended. I know we can't do much, but it is still a job, and if the nurses think it's so worthless, why call the sitters to sit with the patients?
