I work for a temporary nursing agency, at a local hospital. I am assigned to patients’ rooms, to babysit them if the hospital brass determines a sitter is needed, normally because the patient is hard to manage, or is a threat to himself, the staff, or to those around him.
My main duty is to keep the nurses, who are considered my immediate supervisors, apprised of any changes in patient behaviour. Often I am placed in a room with a person confused because of old age or dementia. The person has trakes in him and other wires. He or she feels that they are uncomfortable, even though the doctors have determined that the tubing is necessary to keep the person alive. Thus the patient begins pulling away at the wiring. The sitter’s job is critical: His or her responsibility is to call the nurses immediately. The nurses’ job, in turn, is to determine what is making the patient so agitated. Sometimes medicine will be administered; at other times an admonition not to pull on the wires any further may be given, and further directions about what to do if it happens again.
Also, I am to, with the OK of the nurses, take patients on walks on the hospital floor. I am not to allow them to travel between floors, or to leave the hospital. I am to accompany them on such walks around the floor, and to make sure they remain safe on the way back to their room.
Another name for my job description is that I am a patient COMPANION. That is, where possible, I am to offer companionship, and caring. I am to be a listening ear. Sometimes patients will vent their frustration with having to be in the hospital to begin with. They will say things like, “I can’t wait to be up outta here!” And I will respond to them by saying, “I can only imagine. It must be no fun spending days in a hospital bed. But we care, and just know we are all here to help.” Sometimes they will tell you personal things about themselves, in confidence. They trust you as the medical professional to maintain confidence, and not to be spreading their business in the streets.
One thing I must avoid doing at all costs is dozing off. I must clearly make sure I have had enough sleep BEFORE reporting to work. If that is not possible, I must find the room where they have coffee, and drink some so that I can stay awake, and alert. Many a sitter has been fired for sleeping on the job. If you are caught by your supervising nurse asleep, you can be terminated, both from your job, and from the temporary agency. A sleeping sitter is a risk factor, because the patient who is unsteady on his feet can sneak out of bed and have a great fall. If that were to happen, of course, that would make the temp agency and the hospital look bad, and set them up for a hefty lawsuit. So I try to make sure I stay awake. If I have to get up and walk around the patient’s room to avoid falling asleep, I will do
that.
To this end, sometimes it helps to watch TV or to bring a book that interests you, one that is engaging enough to keep you awake. For example, if I find a Sports Illustrated or Time magazine, I may pick it up and begin reading it. But I must also remember that I am on the job. I must remember to always keep an eye and an ear on the patient. I must be attentive to their needs. If they are asking me for something, usually they want me to call the nurse. So, I must at all times keep the nurse call switch handy so that I can press it at any time.
Indeed, my position is a job that requires a lot of patience and compassion. I have been presented with many personalities throughout my time there. Some personalities are beautiful and loving, while others are rotten and hateful. I am to treat them all with respect, regardless of how I am in turn treated. It takes a big person who really loves what they are doing to do it. One cannot be in it for the money, for we do not get paid that much to begin with.
