[cassioo]

We have DO residents...got an order from one yesterday to change dressing NOW which really ticked me off. It was a c-section from abruption at 23 weeks I was giving blood for Hgb of 4 dressing was FINE. We also don't change c-section dressings day after surgery we take it off when they get in the shower but she wasn't getting up to shower. I was already in the mood yesterday so I asked him why change the dressing? he says it's just a petri dish and it needs replaced told him no it didn't it'll get removed later etc etc when her doc came in he asked who wrote that? (we have our routine you know) and just laughed...then I hear today that the little twit "told me off" so he told my co-workers but they just laughed at him too poor thing as I don't get told off. Same yahoo today orders extra labs & test on a 2 day section because she's sore...DUH major abd surgery=sore no S&S of anything else so extra $$$ on labs that weren't needed. No problem if there's a reason but WHY. I know because he could oh well let him do what makes him feel good I guess.

[udali]

[rnsince83]

I am just waiting for them to issue each of us our own personal "johnny mop" so we can add toilet cleaning to our other duties. Come to think of it, I already do a lot of that already. I guess I could use that "johnny mop." I remember one Christmas my poor patient had a Golytely prep and refused my offer of a bedside commode; she made it to the bathroom, but managed to "paint" the floor, walls, etc.
I called Housekeeping who told me "You clean it up and we'll put the finishing touches on it." However, all was not lost--I had one bright and shining moment when a doctor accidentally brushed up against my rear end through the curtain while we were both tending to patients in a semi-private room. I said "Excuse me." He replied, "My pleasure."

[cassioo]

in our L&D after 3pm we do clean our own rooms housekeeping leaves. If there is a discharge anyplace in the hosp the nursing staff strips the room and if the 2 3-11 shift housekeepers get to it they clean it if not it's left for day shift housekeeping...I think hire a few more evening and a night shift housekeeper.

[explorer]

Yes, I think that it would be a good idea to hire more evening and night shift housekeeping.

[rnsince83]

Last night I carried a pager, a locater button and a bulky cell phone. I am not the floor manager, nor was I charging--and I was not working on a particularly large floor. I felt like one of the Three Stooges trying to find out which one was ringing. More than one patient has told me to go tend to the other matter, thinking it was more important than what I was doing at the time. I am beginning to suspect that the inmates have taken over the asylum since some of these decisions must have been made by someone completely out of touch.

[nursinghumor]

You have to wonder just how much floor time, the decision makers have.

Is it that hard to tell, that the people making up the "rules" are not catering to the nurses convenience?

They implement policies that are "cost effective" will "improve morale" and "recruitment/retention." However in my experience, they're much more effective when nurses have some input.

Sometimes I get the feeling it's the "bean counters" making decisions based on strictly financial/public relations issues rather than what will allow the nurse to provide quality care.

I usually have a cell phone and I hate it.

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com

[cassioo]

You have to wonder just how much floor time, the decision makers have.

We have Joint coming next week oh my gosh we're so busy cleaning things up, making sure the right trash bags are in the right places, getting rid of old forms, getting all the policies retyped, not letting staff have a drink in the nurses station, reading little booklets that were printed with questions "they" might ask that I didn't even know we had patients...I just hope when they come to our unit I'm the one scheduled to do OR and recovery and they stay out.. but I know one day I'm in charge and already been instructed no trading that day. Hoops hoops hoops got to jump through a bunch of them.

[rnsince83]

We have the Pyxis and the eMar. The Pyxis is great. The e-Mar is going in the right direction, but there are problems with the programming. For example, we fax the written order to Pharmacy, they put it in the e-Mar, it only stays on the screen a short time (about 1/2 hr). If you were not aware the order was written (unit clerk or doctor didn't tell you, or you didn't get the message), the only way to catch it is do your chart check before your shift ends or sooner.
Otherwise, you are SOL. There are other problems also. I feel that the programmers were not nurses, or were nurses who hadn't actively practiced in a long time or ever. Incidentally, every night I ask God for doctor computer order entry.

[explorer]

We have doctor order entry here in Kansas City MO. The name of the program is CPRS Computerized Patient Record System.