Post by jerryfriedmanPost by SilvanoI cant speak for usage in Britain but in Ireland, north and south,
sister is mostly limited to the CNM, the nurse in charge of the
ward that day.
Also if that nurse is a man? If not, what do you call him?
Usually his name. Jason, are you the boss here today? Yep. Can we
arrange a blue-light ambulance to Altnagelvin for the gentleman in bed 4,
hes got a STEMI on his ECG and Coronary Care have accepted him.
And what does the patient who doesn't know his name call
him? I'm going to guess that Jason wouldn't really mind
being called "brother", maybe unless a patient or patient's
relative were irritating him in some other way.
Nurse, usually. I dont think Ive ever come across a situation where the
patient has cared who the nurse in charge is, beyond his or her function as a
nurse.
Post by jerryfriedmanThat's an interesting system, by the way. I guess it's
only a slight inconvenience, as above, not to know who
the boss is that day?
Speaking as one who has been a patient and with a patient:
The nurse who attends the patient comes in the room when the patient
is first brought to the room and introduces him/herself. At the
change of shifts, the nurse taking over comes to the room - often
accompanied by the nurse going off-shift - and introduces him/herself.
Further, most hospitals will have a whiteboard on the wall of the room
that lists the name of the nurse, and the aide, currently responsible
for that patient. The nurse and the aide will erase the past times
and add the new time at each visit.
The whiteboard will list the name of the staff doctor on that shift
and some other patient data and instructions.
What some are calling the "charge nurse" is rarely seen by the
patient. That person is in charge of all the nurses and aides in the
group that attends the patients in that wing/ward/floor* or whatever
is involved. That's primarily an administrative role, but he/she acts
in a medical role if the occasion demands.
My wife was a charge nurse for a short time in a hospital. She hated
it! There's little patient contact, no real nursing duties, and a lot
of forms and reports to keep up with. She was forced into the job
because she was a BSN, no other BSN was available, and that particular
hospital required a BSN for the position.
Well, the nurses know it from the nursing handover meeting, and its their
hierarchy. Its often not relevant to me, e.g. if its a day shift and there is
enough medical manpower to be had that Im just seeing minors, the sprained
ankles and the scalp lacerations, where it is not common to need admission or
transfer. Though most of my ED work over the last few years has been nights,
when theres less medical manpower and so more of a mix of acuity for those
working.
Ill know (and care) who the consultant on call is (ED consultants are usually
on call from home over here, a different model from the US), because thats my
hierarchy.