Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: I Need a Bed NOW!!!!!!

  1. #1

    I Need a Bed NOW!!!!!!

    Ok I confess, I have pretended I had a patient in a CCU bed to keep from getting floor crap which will get transferred out a 0200 that night to make room for a critical patient.

    But I have never tied up a critical care bed when a critical patient needed the bed. Was working in PACU the other day, had a very critical pt that needed to get to the unit. Well I could not get a bed. There was a dead person in the bed and he had to stay there till family viewed him. They were going to arrive in 2 hours. Called the supervisor to have the body transferred to a single room. He told me I was mean to do that to the family. I bluntly asked the supervisor, " Ok, are we giving nursing priority to dead people or people who need a critical care bed. Once again, he thought I was so mean
    Hocky PUCK. The ICU did understand. They had a critical care pt. with their help got the patient transferred and they cleaned the nurses cleaned the room. KODOS the ICU staff. They know when to tie up the room and when to open it.

  2. #2
    Member Extraordinaire
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1,587

    Re: I Need a Bed NOW!!!!!!

    we get it too on OB anyone that's pregnant they think has to come to us.... 8 weeks with gastro, 12 weeks with a broken leg then we don't have room for 37 weeks with abd pain.

  3. #3

    Re: I Need a Bed NOW!!!!!!

    Good topic

    But here's the long and short of it... When a critical pt needs the kind of help that is only available in the ICU... then that pt needs to get there ASAP!!! Go over someones head... do whatever it takes, no matter what time it is.

    There is nothing mean at all about moving a lifeless body to another room or even another floor for the family to view them... and I'll just bet that the family would fully understand if someone were to diplomatically explain the situation.

    We try our best to save lives in the ICU, and when our best efforts fail, it is our job, no our duty, to move on to the next patient who may need us.

  4. #4
    Member Extraordinaire
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Posts
    1,587

    Re: I Need a Bed NOW!!!!!!

    we have the same long and short of it but it's the difference of putting a term ob with vag bleeding on the unit or a 6 weeks on the unit. We've had term women in comas on our unit instead of them going to ICU. That woman did deliver while on the vent too and the baby went home before she did.
    I've also worked on peds and when we were low we'd get adult patients. There was a "limit" and "type" of patient we could get but those limits would get pushed and then it came to crunch time and needing more peds beds pts had to move in the middle of the night.
    Last week had 2 post op patients in seperate semi-private rooms without room mates and they refused to move together so we could put someone with a fetal demise in the room alone (no private rooms at the inn) it took patient rep and promises of all kinds to move them together.
    I know I'm invading in the critical care forum but it happens everywhere I think. WE had low patient census last night so the house supervisor gave off a medical nurse who had worked 18 12's (her choice) to pull a OB nurse. And should OB get busy that nurse would be pulled back and Medical would then work short.

  5. #5
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Posts
    1

    wonder how you feel about boarders?

    we divide our units by specialty ... however each one has developed reps of their own ...ie.. the cvicu tells their pts the micu is basically a step down for them to make their pts feel like they are well enough to get out of the cards area but still needin the individual attention ..the micu gets he glut of all the icus as the others have no expertise in weaning off a vent, as an example... they tell the family of mr. boarder that the surgury was a success .. but the pt. developed a problem while on the vent.. next thing you know they are here and not the cvicu's problem anymore ... and you know who looks bad then ... its just te circle we live in .. seems there needs better comm bet. units then farming out problems ... you need a bed?? take my boarder .. please ... I'd much rather get someone who belongs here than a farmed out problem. ..

  6. #6

    Re: wonder how you feel about boarders?

    Understand what you mean about "boarders". We have a CABG patch that we water every day. Our ICU gets our infected s/p cabg's. They hate that and feel they have been dumped on. Basically not because of the type of patient, but the heart surgeons go down there. Most of the nurses would rather cut off their little finger than deal with them, rightly so.

    One thing nice about this hospital is, the nurses (most of them) do not talk bad about other units and we try to have good communication.

  7. #7
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Posts
    11

    Re: wonder how you feel about boarders?

    I HATE THE BED SITUATION IN THE HOSPITALS AS WELL. BUT AREN'T PACU NURSES CRITICAL CARE NURSES. I FEEL YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO MANAGE THE PATIENT. SORRY. I DO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM. I AGREE THE PATIENT NEEDED THE BED. BUT ONE OF THE PROBLEMS IN THE ICU NOW IS HOW INSENSITIVE MEDICINE IS BECOMING. NO LONGER DO THEY TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION FAMILIES FEELING.LIKE WHEN A PATIENT HAS TO LET GO.. THEY DON'T EVEN WANT TO GIVE THE FAMILIES A CHANCE TO SAY GOODBYE BUT INSTEAD "PULL THE TUBE" BECAUSE THERE IS A PATIENT NEEDING THE BED. REMEMBER WE DEAL WITH DYING EVERYDAY IN CRITICAL CARE, FAMILIES DO NOT,. THEY ARE THEIR FATHERS, HUSBANDS , DAUGHTERS AND SONS. . THERE HAS TO BE A BALANCE. NURSES SOMETIMES ADOPT THIS" THEY'RE DEAD" WHAT DOES IT MATTER ATTITUDE. SOMETIMES FAMILY DOESN'T GET IT AND YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THEM TO UNDERSTAND. THATS PART OF BEING A NURSE. YOU WANT TO LEAVE A FAMIL WITH THE FEELING THEY MADE THE BEST LOVING DECISION FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBER. I WOULDN'T WANT TO KNOW MY FAMILY MEMBER WAS MOVED WHILE THEY WERE DEAD UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. THE PATIENT COULD HAVE BEEN MOVED TO THE MORGUE IF THE HOSPITAL HAD A VIEWING ROOM THERE ADN THE CHAPLAIN COULD HAVE BEEN WITH THE FAMILY THERE. MOST HOSPITAL MORGUES HAVE VIEWING ROOMS FOR FAMILY IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT.

  8. #8
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    18

    Re: wonder how you feel about boarders?

    Working in the ED I hate it when I call report and the nurse is busy, the room is not clean, someone has to Fart!
    At my hospital a room # is not assigned unless, the room is clean. It takes 2 minutes to give report. Yes you hating getting admits. It is hard, but that is floor nursing, the ED is full and we need a bed.

    Thats my 2 cents, fill free to spend it on what you wish. or save it to call someone who cares!

  9. #9
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    225

    Re: wonder how you feel about boarders?

    Know what I hate. . .ER nurses that think us Unit Nurses are just sitting around waiting for their phone call. We're
    busy too, and we don't have a doctor right there to figure out and solve all of our problems.

    Regards,
    O_S

  10. #10
    Moderator
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    2,548

    Re: wonder how you feel about boarders?

    Another frustrating habit is when people on the floors are discharged, but no one takes them out of the computer till after change of shift.

    Have seen that trick on a lot of different floors, units. It's amazing how many beds tend to open up after the change of shift.

    Andrew Lopez, RN
    http://www.nursinga2z.com

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •