GENERAL SHIFT DUTIES: SEMPERVIRENS
1. ATTITUDE: All Duties contribute to the therapeutic environment. Included are
observation, assessment, treatment, 1:1 interactions, activities, meeting immediate
patient needs, and housekeeping.
Attitude toward visitors, patients and staff is also important. Factors that make a
difference are:
. Being courteous
. Providing adequate response…being timely, making sure the response is
understood, and follow-up.
. Providing adequate explanations and reassurances. Examples of occasions when
explanation and reassurance may be helpful: when admitting a patient, when
setting out to perform a level II search, when asking a visitor to turn over knives
cigarettes, etc., when denying a request, and any interaction with the public. Even
if the denial of a request is due to a rule, it is often more effective and
occasionally safer to make the denial sound like a request and provide an
explanation
When incorporated into your daily routine these guidelines require minimal effort. 2. RESPONSIBILITY: In addition to assigned patient and duties staff are responsible
for:
. Completing, appropriately labeling and / or informing the oncoming shift of any
assignments or other tasks that have not been completed due to busy shift etc. It
may also be appropriate to inform the charge nurse. Examples of tasks frequently
incomplete but not labeled are patients’ laundry, cleaning bathmats, and disposal
of used utensils.
. Notifying appropriate personnel of forms needed, of broken equipment, linen
need, contaminated linen pickup needed etc.
. Maintaining an awareness of the mental and physical status of patients, of unit
safety issues and other potential problems.
. Participating in unit duties. Examples: maintaining therapeutic milieu, MAB,
emergency response. When appropriate, assisting other staff: assistance with total
care of patients; rounding patients for groups; meals, medications, etc.; helping
out with assigned duties on an as needed basis.
. As appropriate removing, cleaning and storing personal items such as coffee cups
—and other items used such as pens, personal b/p cuffs, and charts. Do this before
change of shift and as needed during the shift to maintain a functional workspace.
. Continuing education. Attend inservices, use spare time to learn about work
related topics, use the internet for this purpose. New staff may ask about useful
reading. Experienced staff may make suggestions to others. It is useful to review
skills, policies and procedures on an as needed basis. Some relevant manuals of
psychiatric, medical and nursing information are at the nursing station. . Using initiative in performance of duties and when encountering new situations.
. Balancing obligations to others with adequate self-care. Nirvana is the state where
there is no conflict between care of self and others 3. ASSIGNED PATIENTS:
Admission and Discharge: Refer to policies and procedures for completion of
admission/discharge process. Attempt to complete all processes and paperwork; make
a note on each form that is not completed.
. It is especially important to provide reassurance, be aware of special
fears/paranoia and to provide care for patient and his/her property. The patient
may be tired, hungry, and/or afraid. Treat him/her accordingly with care. Be
familiar with policies and procedures for Level I, II, and III searches.
. Wash clothes on with the permission of the patients. Label clothes, shoes,
valuables, property, washer and drier loads. Make a record on the patient’s
property, list all items brought on or taken off the unit at admit/discharge and
other times.
Services: ADL'S – assistance and education as needed; 1:1 for reassurance and reality
orientation to the unit, its schedule and services provided by Sempervirens, County
Mental Health and the community; working with patient’s needs and requests; limit
setting, redirection and MAB.
. Treatments and medications are provided by licensed staff. Special services may
be indicated for minors, D.D., and geriatric patients.
Observation/Intervention/Documentation:
. Introduce yourself to your assigned patients early each shift.
. Change of shift report and the patient’s admission status, progress and problems.
The treatment plan shows the diagnosis, problems, symptoms, etiology, goals and
planned interventions. Tailor you actual interventions according to the planned interventions in the treatment plan, the goals and the patient’s current status.
. A brief 1:1 with carefully considered intervention is essential to provision of
current data on the patient’s status. The 1:1 may be done casually or formally and
as part of a 1:1 for reassurance, orientation and education – or separately.
Other sources of information on the patient’s current status are: casual observation and interaction; 1 hour rounds; observations by other staff; Attention to report, chart review and planned intervention improve the effectiveness and completeness of observation, assessment, intervention, and charting.
Charting: Be familiar with the policies and procedure for charting, the P-I-R format etc.
. Chart in reference to the problems. Chart only the actual interventions done and
the result observed.
. Place all significant information that is not directly related to a
problem/goal/intervention in a narrative section.
Patients on Suicide Precaution or in Seclusion and Restraints
. Be familiar with policies and procedures for these patients. Make sure that all the
safety and patient care interventions are done with the specified frequency.
. Patients on Level I Suicide Precautions (S/P) will be checked for safety every 30
minutes; patients on Level II S/P will be checked every 15 minutes; Level III S/P
patients are on observation at all times.
Seclusion and Restraint patients are observed every 15 minutes for safety and respiration and receive fluid and restroom offers every hour while awake, and, if in restraints, receive range of motion exercise and circulation check for extremities every hour. Patients in seclusion are on audiovisual monitoring; those in restraints are to be on 1:1 staffing. Meals will be provided to secluded or restrained patients at usual meal times—per policy. Patients will be positioned to facilitate swallowing.
The bathroom for a seclusion and restraint patient will be locked unless there is a
M.D order to keep it open.
Access to Property:
. Patients in regular rooms have clothes and non-valuable, non-dangerous items
stored in the lockers in their rooms or in the utility room. These lockers are locked
at all times. Access to razors for shaving and other objects that could be used to
do harm is only with staff supervision. Such supervision should be provided on a
1:1 basis or as part of an ADL’S group. See policies and procedure for special
care to be taken for patients on suicide precautions.
. Valuables, cigarettes, money, ID, sharp objects etc. are not placed in the lockers
in the patient’s rooms. A search / check of all property placed in patient lockers or
given to patient should be done. The purpose of this search is to prevent
inadvertent access to dangerous / counter-therapeutic items. 4. ASSIGNED HOUSEKEEPING AND RELATED DUTIES
A. Nursing Station
Every shift: clear debris, clean desk and counter top
As needed: maintain organization of drawers, replace posted information at desk
B. Medications Room
Every shift: remove garbage
As needed: maintain order, order needed medications
Medications nurse is usually responsible for securing the rands in case of a fire or
other emergency.
C. Staff Kitchen
Every shift: clean coffee machine / brew coffee for next shift, wash your own dishes
or cups—other staff may discard dirty items left after your shift, clean counter tops
As needed: clean refrigerator and discard stale food—more than three days old or
unlabeled—stock with cleaning supplies, soap and paper towels, towels for wiping
and cleaning surfaces
D. Linen and Utility Room:
Every shift
. Bring out/remove/stock linen cart as scheduled.
. Remove soap, cups, towels and other items from shower and bathrooms.
. Remove debris from counter tops. Clean counter tops
. Make sure there is access to all points in the utility room.
. Take out linen bags at change of shift or if more than 1/3 full and during shift as
needed. As needed
. Label all unlabeled clothes “unlabeled.”
. Check with patient and or against their property list to see if there are claims on
unlabeled or unclaimed items.
. Label unclaimed items “unclaimed” and date the label.
. When clothes are donated to the unit sort them, wash those which can be used and
place them in the unit clothes locker. After clothes have been unclaimed for a
sufficient period of time and adequate attempts have been made to return them to
the owner, they may be treated as donated items.
. Label unit cloths that have been loaned to patients returned as “unit clothes.”
Wash these clothes before replacing them in the unit clothes locker
. Stack linen in the closet.
. Maintain a functional level of organization.
E. Meal Monitoring, Snacks, Dining Room:
Monitor patients during meals and note food intake for all patients. Monitor fluid
intake for patients on I/O.
Be alert to:
. choking
. Intrusive behavior; set limits and redirect as needed,
. Situation with actual or potential for isolative behavior and any other situations
which require “MAB” intervention.
Solicit other staff as needed.
. Ensure that all patients receive a meal. Other
. A.M.’S: Prepare coffee for community group.
. P.M.’S: Prepare coffee for dinner and snack. Take out snack, and round up patient
for the snack. Coordinate with video group/popcorn. Begin video if requested by
activities therapist.
. All shifts: Clean tables and counter after all meals, snack and coffee. Return
coffee carafes and condiments to staff kitchen and rags to linen cart.
F. Making beds:
Preference is to assign two staff members for this task
Beds are made for patient who are discharged or have a room change. Patients are
generally expected to make their own beads each day. Patients are given fresh linen
as needed.
Check for beds that need to be made at the beginning of each shift.
Making Beds:
. Take linen carts to room. Remove dirty linens. Use gloves.
. Spray with disinfectant fluid. Turn mattress and spray again.
. Remove all discarded items and paperwork from the area of the bed
. Disinfect sink, bathroom, closets
. Make bed
All staff: assist assigned staff with beds for total care and incontinent patients.
G. Trash: Nursing station, Med. and Exam rooms.
H. Rounds:
A.M.'S and P.M.'S Q 1 hour rounds and Q 30 and Q 15 min as ordered . R.N. makes rounds at change of shift to check unit status.
. Early in shift: check on patient concerns; provide brief reassurance and/or
orientation as needed.
. Check on patient location, activity, status, and specified medical/psychiatric
concerns (agitation, threats, intrusiveness, any unusual behavior, extra-pyramidal
symptoms such as tightening muscles, restlessness,…) and notify the nurse as
needed
. Unit safety check: all rooms, offices including bathrooms.
. As appropriate spend a few minutes at places where patients’ comfort and access
to unit facilities and resources – entertainment and therapeutic.
NOC’s
. R.N. makes rounds at change of shift to check unit status.
. All patients Q 30 min check sleep / awake status and record; Q 15 min as ordered
. Unit safety check: all rooms, offices including bathrooms.
. Respiratory status and other specified concerns.
I. Community Group:
Community group will be held when specified and as assigned. A of 1/1994 this
group is regularly held at 0800 Q day.
Preparation:
. Have coffee, cups, and condiments ready. Have scheduled and meal menu for
lunch and dinner. Have staff assignment sheet.
. Inform all personnel who will attend. Have other staff round up patients as they
approach the dining room or other venue. Group agenda:
. Introductions – all present
. Staff assignments
. Meal menus for the day
. groups to be held that day
. Expectations: part of the discharge process is that patients will have an adequate
level of self-care. This includes: ADL'S including grooming; care of room and
making the bed; cleaning up after self (bathroom, dining room etc.) Encourage
patients perform these activities and to take part in cleanup after meals, snack and
groups
. Encourage patients to come to staff with personal problems and conflicts with
other patients
. Encourage patient to share their experiences of their healing process at
Sempervirens
Encourage patients to share their current concern or ask questions which may be
addressed to any of the staff present.
Enter into activities log
Other groups
See group manual for descriptions of groups
Enter into activities log
J. Vital signs
AM'S: vital signs for all patients after breakfast; enter into log; make an entry into
nursing notes and inform RN of any values out of normal AM'S: weight and height on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
All shifts: vital signs as needed, report to RN, enter into log, enter into nursing notes
if out of normal or otherwise needed
K. NOC Shift Duties
All duties set up by night nurse in consultation with other staff
Med nurse: table, restock, clean.
Treatment room: clean counter and instruments accordingly, change paper of exam
table, scrub sink, and restock alcohol pads, gloves…
Nursing station: see item A
NOC rounds: Q 30 minutes (See item H)
Paperwork:
. Census. Complete original, make and distribute copies per current practice
. Make a new census as of midnight.
. Chart audits
. Stuff charts.
. Take vitals and enter into vitals sheet and into patients’ charts.
. Diet sheet
. Acuity sheet