in the last newsletter for our nursing unit it read that they will be removing chairs/terminals per "upper management and the expectation is that RNs should chart in patient rooms or in the "hallways" with very limited dedicated space for charting at a workstation...in a time where nurses are stressed, overworked, and facing so many challenges I am surprised Legacy Health, one of Oregon's largest hospital systems is doing this to their beloved RN heroes.... I guess we are not so respected and beloved...and I guess none of them have worked 12 hours straight running their tail off taking care of sick people and cannot realize the importance of focused charting and some time to rest our feet.
Besides the reality that sick patients do not want an RN charting in their patient room for an extended period of time...when a nurse is in the room they expect you to be providing care not typing and disturbing them for over 5 minutes.
Is this really true Upper Management? Is this what you want for your RNs and patients?
When I work on the the floor I have a difficult time doing any charting in the rooms because we have our computers attached to the wall by an articulating arm which neither goes up high enough for me, nor stays up without sinking back down to the lowest level. I have to either kneel or squat on the floor or bend over at an odd angle to type. It makes it really difficult and uncomfortable.
The ideal set up is to provide a variety of spaces, for a temperamentally diverse workforce.
The charting procrastinators like to sit and chart, after the fact. Others like to get their charting out of the way in real time. Still others use a mix of these methods. Also, some shifts are steady, and others are full of drama and crises. When you have a shift where you are frantically trying to keep your patient alive, you have to chart after the fact.
A one-size-fits-all approach is never the best way.
CKPM2RN, ASN, EMT-P
330 Posts
When I work on the the floor I have a difficult time doing any charting in the rooms because we have our computers attached to the wall by an articulating arm which neither goes up high enough for me, nor stays up without sinking back down to the lowest level. I have to either kneel or squat on the floor or bend over at an odd angle to type. It makes it really difficult and uncomfortable.