I Hate Dialysis Message Board

Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Centers => Topic started by: sullidog on June 25, 2011, 06:54:48 PM

Title: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: sullidog on June 25, 2011, 06:54:48 PM
Sounds like a movie, but that's exactly what we are down to as staff at our center, there's 2 techs, and a charge nurse, well we have an FA but she hardly is there, and when she is she doesn't play the roll of a nurse, she is considered a tech. Is it reasonable to have 2 techs in a nurse with all of these patients? No wonder why my center is so slow at getting people hooked up and taken off. Last week they even changed the locks on the doors, but no one was told why. I don't think my center is hiring either.
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: YLGuy on June 25, 2011, 07:25:46 PM
How many chairs?
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: sullidog on June 25, 2011, 07:32:44 PM
24
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: lmunchkin on June 25, 2011, 08:38:03 PM
Wow thats alot of chairs!  Can you do dialysis at home?  Are you on a transplant list?  I don't know but it sounds like your clinic will soon be shut down if it doesnt pick up more help!  Don't know that for sure, just saying!  Can't see it going on much more like that!

Check into NxStage if you can!

lmunchkin      :cheer:  :flower;
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: jbeany on June 25, 2011, 09:10:50 PM
How many people in the chairs?  Are all 24 filled every shift? 

Just curious about that - but regardless, that does seem like a VERY small amount of staffing.  My old D center had a nurse and a tech for every shift - and we only had 3 chairs, all full most shifts.  They've just upgraded to a 6 chair facility, but kept the staff levels, so even that's not bad.
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: HILINE on June 26, 2011, 01:25:23 AM
WOW what would happen if the building had to be evacuated ? Maryland has a 1 tech to 3 patient requirement
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: sullidog on June 26, 2011, 04:07:31 PM
I am totally blind so I'd rather leave it up to in center pros to stick me and stuff.
I don't think all 24 chairs are full, but the majority of them are and there's not just been me complaining.
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: okarol on June 26, 2011, 04:19:16 PM

Is there another dialysis unit nearby that you could visit and see what it's like?
Jenna's unit had 58 chairs, all full, and about 8 techs and 2 nurses per shift (4 shifts per day.)
5AM 9AM 2PM 5PM
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: RichardMEL on June 27, 2011, 02:16:00 AM
Yes, I saw this subject heading and wondered if Charlie Sheen was somehow involved.....  :rofl;

Anyway 2 techs and one nurse for 24 chairs is an insane ratio. My unit we usually had 1 nurse to 3-4 chairs (we don't have techs - the nurses setup, teardown and run the sessions). If all 24 chairs are occupied it's not reasonable to get proper care - what if 10% of the patients are alarming? That's 2.5 - so 3 people!! And then what if one of those is a serious case??? Surely there are regulations on minimum staffing ratios????
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: sullidog on June 27, 2011, 06:38:46 PM
Well today we only had one tech and one nurse, it was horible, They had to move some patients to Tuesday. I think I'm going to investigate this issue and see if this stuff is reasonable. You can't even get immediate help when you are crashing for goodness sake!
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: Stacy Without An E on July 07, 2011, 12:24:05 PM
I'm appalled at the lack of care some of these Dialysis units are receiving.  We have 48 chairs in our unit and the rule is 4 patients per tech max.  I'm on the night shift & there's only about a dozen patients and we have one nurse for the shift.  We don't have a lot of catheters patients, mostly fistula, so her workload isn't that high. 

I've been pretty fortunate to be in a non-profit clinic that is well managed and always fully staffed.  Although they are watching the books, they're not cutting every corner possible like a lot of for-profit clinics. 

I've never quite understood why Dialysis is treated like the ugly stepchild of the American health system. 
Title: Re: 2 techs and a nurse, is this reasonable?
Post by: GraphicBass on July 09, 2011, 04:13:05 PM
48 chairs? Wow! Big center!

Mine has 16 chairs, and usually 2 nurses and 4 techs, with a new schedule of hookups/off staggered.

The only problem is when techs are on vacation or don't show.

g