A typical day of an RN

[Anonymous]

I'm looking forward to work as a registered nurse in US but I can't imagine what is a typical 8-hr day for a nurse in the hospital. What are the usual general duties of a Med-Surg RN and that of a nure assistant.From my country, tube/catheter insertions,ABGs are done by medical interns.Hope you could give me a clear picture. Thanks!

[cassioo]

an 8 hr day doesn't happen too often for me and I'm L&D and post partum but PP is alot like med/surg.
get to work at 6:45 change to scrubs
report 7-7:30 with maybe a quick unit meeting thrown in
check crash cart
check meds
assess patients
rounds with docs
take off orders
do new orders
call docs r/t patient assessments
get new orders
answer phone
answer call light
give out a drink
carry out new orders
set people up for showers/baths/change beds
9:00 start over
regroup with rest of staff see what still needs done
give discharge orders
help someone breastfeed (ok not a med/surg job)
change dressing
get patients back from surgery do their assess and vitals
turn surgical patients
start IV
draw labs if lab person can't
teach incentive spiro (CPS stopped that)
stock
evening night shift....we clean our own delivery rooms no housekeeping and also strip discharge beds after 3pm so it saves the limited housekeeping staff time..since I have plenty myself.
call pharmacy for missing meds

In general about everything the interns don't do regular caths, abgs or IV's they do some assessments and write orders or assist in OR.

My unit is almost all RN's we have a few LPN's a secretary sometimes, a student sometimes and CST

[Anonymous]

What could I say? You guys do have a very hectic day. You work very independently too when it comes to carrying out orders. Very much unlike in our country but our nurses also clean patients and change beds. However, we have nurse aides to take over if we have plenty of medications and doctors' orders to attend to. And some units also have ward clerks to take charge of the referrals. Do US hospitals also have the same personnel in a shift and what are the responsibilities of each?

[cassioo]

we have ward clerks (secretary) take off orders to be checked by the nurse, order office supply, answer phones

CST scrub techs who set up the OR and assist in surgery and clean the OR..ours also go to vaginal deliveries.

Nurse aids/assistants/techs patient care ie baths, vital signs, ambulate, we don't have them on our unit.

Monitor tech...read monitor nurse double checks

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Anonymous said:
I'm looking forward to work as a registered nurse in US but I can't imagine what is a typical 8-hr day for a nurse in the hospital. What are the usual general duties of a Med-Surg RN and that of a nure assistant.From my country, tube/catheter insertions,ABGs are done by medical interns.Hope you could give me a clear picture. Thanks!

[/ QUOTE ]what kinds of things do i have to do day afther day

[luv2healwounds]

THIS IS WHY THERE ARE SO MANY PRESSURE ULCERS AND FUNGAL RASHES. TOO SHORT OF STAFF. HAVE I MADE MY POINT? WOUND NURSE FRUSTRATED TODAY

[Anonymous]

It seems that the RNs mostly do the medications, tube insertions and maintenance, decision making and paperwork. What are the things that RNs can delegate?

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
Anonymous said:
What are the things that RNs can delegate?

[/ QUOTE ]

States have nurse practice acts that vary a bit but in general you can delegate things your assitive personel can do that aren't things that a liscensed nurse can do ie:
personal care, ADL's, vitals, computer entry of orders, answering phones, monitoring machines, errands, depends on what kind of assistive staff each unit has. In some states there are pt care techs that hang bladder irrigation, spike IV bags about everything except give meds. Monitor techs read monitors....in the end though the nurse is responsible for anything the delegate to someone so she better know what things can be delegated.

[nursinghumor]

This is what the Idaho Board of Nursing had to say on delegation:

"Unlicensed assistive personnel may be delegated normal activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene, hair and skin care, preparation of food, oral feeding, ambulation and body movement, elimination and maintenance of a safe environment after on-the-job orientation and prior to completion of Board-approved training."
http://www2.state.id.us/ibn/Delegate.htm

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