What is the importance of patient sitting up in chair?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi,

I'm a new RN, I feel like this is a stupid question...but I wanted to know what is the importance of patient sitting up in chair. I had a patient today that one of the nurses and nursing assistant that was helping me put him on a lift and got him into the chair. I was turning and repositioning him q 2 hrs but they put the work in getting him to the chair. I see other RN who emphasize getting up in the chair. Is this to help them be more awake, breathe better (when he is breathing fine?)

Thanks.

Specializes in pediatrics, public health.
I am sorry you did not like my post. :yawn: I just think sometimes we get far too many nursing students in this world that either slept or texted through important material. The teaching of the need for mobility is a VERY BASIC concept. Would you like to be taken care of by a nurse that missed a lecture that hinges on so many other topics?What else does she not know? I wonder if she is really an RN????? This new RN needs help! Just :twocents:!

I agree with you that this new RN needs help -- and she's apparently smart enough to know that she needs help, and came here asking for it.

My question to you is, how does it help her to express shock that she doesn't already know the answer to her question? Do you think that will encourage, or discourage her from asking more questions?

As for whether I would like to be taken care of by a nurse who somehow missed a basic concept in nursing school -- I would much rather be taken care of by a nurse (or doctor, or any other health care professional you care to name) who knows what they don't know and knows who to ask to find out what they don't know, than by a nurse who is afraid to ask questions about what they don't know for fear of being criticized for even asking.

That is why I am so incredibly glad that as a new nurse myself I have, thus far, only worked in environments where questions were encouraged, not ridiculed. I'm sure I've asked my share of questions that someone else thought were dumb -- thankfully, if anyone thought that, they kept that thought to themselves and simply answered my question.

I really wish Allnurses.com had the same kind of climate but unfortunately, it doesn't. I've seen far too many posts that express shock or fear that the poster doesn't already know the answers, and far too many statements along the lines of "I hope you're never my nurse" or "how did you ever pass the NCLEX"? I believe if people stopped and thought about whether or not such statements are helpful, far fewer such statements would be made (at least I hope so!).

And that's my :twocents:

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It is an interesting mix of threads - one is suggesting hospitals hire new grads and other show the very reasons why hiring new grads is very challenging. There was another thread where a new grad was frustrated because her preceptor expected her to know things like vitals and she was feeling this wasn't fair as she was just starting her orientation.

I think it is very important to know what you don't know. And maybe it is really a failure of the school programs when new grads don't have knowledge of basic concepts. At the same time is there any expectation that nursing school should provide you with a basic skill set or is new hire orientation truly expected to teach you everything from square one? I do think it is not an extreme view to expect that someone graduated and licensed as a nurse would know how to do vital signs or have an understanding of the benefits of mobility.

I have no expectation that a new grad knows how to do everything but I do expect that as they are bringing years of education and clinical practice with them that they bring with them basic skills and foundational knowledge.

I agree bashing anyone for not knowing something serves no purpose but I think the question of exploring why they don't know this is a valid one.

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Specializes in pediatrics, public health.
I agree bashing anyone for not knowing something serves no purpose but I think the question of exploring why they don't know this is a valid one.

I agree that it's a valid question, but I think there may be better, more appropriate ways of exploring it. I get the feeling that nursing education has changed a lot over the years, and it may very well be that some (many, most?) new nurses graduate and pass NCLEX but still have gaps of knowledge that more experienced nurses are surprised by and find distressing. It does seem like more of the burden of education has shifted to new grad orientation vs. nursing school, and that new grads today may be less well prepared to jump in and start working than they were in the past.

But I think the way to have that discussion is to post a separate thread about it (in fact I think there have been a few on this topic). Responding to an individual's question by expressing shock that they don't already know the answer is likely to be upsetting and embarassing to that individual -- I know it would be to me. And if the individual doesn't know, they don't know -- and better that they should ask their question and get it answered, than to be afraid to ask the question in the first place for fear of getting negative responses just for asking it.

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I agree that it's a valid question, but I think there may be better, more appropriate ways of exploring it. I get the feeling that nursing education has changed a lot over the years, and it may very well be that some (many, most?) new nurses graduate and pass NCLEX but still have gaps of knowledge that more experienced nurses are surprised by and find distressing. It does seem like more of the burden of education has shifted to new grad orientation vs. nursing school, and that new grads today may be less well prepared to jump in and start working than they were in the past.

But I think the way to have that discussion is to post a separate thread about it (in fact I think there have been a few on this topic). Responding to an individual's question by expressing shock that they don't already know the answer is likely to be upsetting and embarassing to that individual -- I know it would be to me. And if the individual doesn't know, they don't know -- and better that they should ask their question and get it answered, than to be afraid to ask the question in the first place for fear of getting negative responses just for asking it.

I agree with your post noahsmama. And what you say is very true. ultimately OP needs this knowledge and if not gotten in school then better she get it here than nowhere.

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I am sorry you did not like my post. :yawn: I just think sometimes we get far too many nursing students in this world that either slept or texted through important material. The teaching of the need for mobility is a VERY BASIC concept. Would you like to be taken care of by a nurse that missed a lecture that hinges on so many other topics?What else does she not know? I wonder if she is really an RN????? This new RN needs help! Just :twocents:!

Actually, it was MY post that people responded too. I posted that I was shocked that this information was not TAUGHT to the OP, NOT that she had not LEARNED it. A comment on todays nursing school curriculum, NOT a swipe at the OP.

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I passed the NCLEX on the first time with 75 questions. People like you discourage learning!

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Thanks!

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Thank you so much for this post!! I did pass the NCLEX on my first attempt and did well in school. I take my job very seriously that's why I'm not afraid to ask questions. Some negative responses sound like they come from Nurse Ratchet. I try to avoid asking The Nurse Ratchets questions.

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I am a potential nursing student, I found this thread after googling: "importance of being upright" My son lost his right leg above knee in an accident, his left leg required fasciotomy and the hospital used wound vac/dermaclose for 7 weeks on the left leg. I was with my son 24/7 while he was at the hospital. This was at Yale New Haven. If you are a nursing student and you are asking questions like these, and you aren't afraid to ask questions, I think you are awesome! Keep asking questions!

I will say that I was impressed by the pcas/nurses who cared for my son. I think it is good that anyone would want to know WHY a patient needs to be encouraged to be upright. Well, besides the answers that have been discussed (muscular/psychological), the vascular system/lymphatic system need to be stimulated. And there are issues when time goes by and they are not stimulated by gravity. In my son's case, due to veins,arteries, lymph system needing to heal due to trauma, he was horizontal for quite a while. His left leg, that required fasciotomy, swelled quite a bit, so having him vertical was not even a possibility because it could have meant him losing this limb. So his body became accustomed to the horizontal position. By the 6th week, as the fasciotomy was healing and the swelling reduced, docs/pt decided to try to get him upright. So he could weight-bear and try to walk (yes, in one day after 6 weeks zero upright, ha ha!!! funny to think of this now in hindsight, as a non-professional) Well, it was a huge shock to his body. And as a young person, psychologically he was devastated that he couldn't just get upright.

So, besides the excellent answers other posters have presented (psychological, better swallowing, breathing etc.) veins, arteries, lymph system also benefit/get used to being upright. When a patient is horizontal for a long period of time (couple of days or more) it becomes more important to slowly reintroduce being vertical. (from my experience with a young, healthy, active son) So, I would say that being upright is important, but to look at how long the patient has been horizontal and then slowly get them vertical. For my son, the hospital had him try being upright for a couple days and then he was discharged to Spaulding in where the focus became on rehabbing him so he could regain his mobility.

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