This is so fascinating to listen to because primary and team nursing is a lot different in my hospital. Your definition of "team nursing" is what we would consider to be primary nursing. One nurse oversees and facilitates care and is overall responsible for the patient. But the care assistants might go in and do ADLs, another nurse with another workload might have a free moment, so does a couple of jobs for another nurse, but ultimately, what we would call the "primary nurse" is responsible for the patients care. But the primary nurse and the other nurses still work as a "team" and help each other out. Team nursing, where I'm from, is no single nurse has assigned patients. Every patient on the floor is looked after by every nurse. Therefore every nurse is responsible for every patient. Mary, John and Sally might be on shift and they would huddle together and decide how to divide up the work for the shift. So Mary might do the antibiotics for all the patients, while John is going to start with the ADLs at one end of the ward and Sally is going to start at the other end of the ward so each patient essentially has 3 nurses assigned to them.
In the hospitals where I am in Ontario, our nursing looks like neither. Most often, nurses are assigned a # of patients. Too many patients are assigned. Quite often there is no PSW or if there is, the PSWs are not assisting one nurse - they are assisting an entire unit. The nurse may or may not have same patients during his or her shifts. Sometimes, patients are deliberately switched around so one particular nurse isn’t stuck with a jerk, tbh. I have only experienced team nursing at one hospital and suspect it's not being used effectively. The unit has 3 teams. RN oversees a team of RPNs (who have broader scope and more education than American LPNs) and PSWs. One team is assigned specific number of patients - 12 minimum. The RN does vitals for the entire unit. Everyone else was doing ADL. Then RPNS and RNs do med pass. I found the team nursing confusing, ineffective, time wasting and unsafe. I have only worked a few shifts in team nursing but if is this disorganised every shift, i will quit. The patients weren't give proper assessments , baths etc were too quick. Really disturbing.
This is so fascinating to listen to because primary and team nursing is a lot different in my hospital.
Your definition of "team nursing" is what we would consider to be primary nursing. One nurse oversees and facilitates care and is overall responsible for the patient. But the care assistants might go in and do ADLs, another nurse with another workload might have a free moment, so does a couple of jobs for another nurse, but ultimately, what we would call the "primary nurse" is responsible for the patients care. But the primary nurse and the other nurses still work as a "team" and help each other out. Team nursing, where I'm from, is no single nurse has assigned patients. Every patient on the floor is looked after by every nurse. Therefore every nurse is responsible for every patient. Mary, John and Sally might be on shift and they would huddle together and decide how to divide up the work for the shift. So Mary might do the antibiotics for all the patients, while John is going to start with the ADLs at one end of the ward and Sally is going to start at the other end of the ward so each patient essentially has 3 nurses assigned to them.
Thanks ❤
In the hospitals where I am in Ontario, our nursing looks like neither. Most often, nurses are assigned a # of patients. Too many patients are assigned. Quite often there is no PSW or if there is, the PSWs are not assisting one nurse - they are assisting an entire unit. The nurse may or may not have same patients during his or her shifts. Sometimes, patients are deliberately switched around so one particular nurse isn’t stuck with a jerk, tbh. I have only experienced team nursing at one hospital and suspect it's not being used effectively. The unit has 3 teams. RN oversees a team of RPNs (who have broader scope and more education than American LPNs) and PSWs. One team is assigned specific number of patients - 12 minimum. The RN does vitals for the entire unit. Everyone else was doing ADL. Then RPNS and RNs do med pass. I found the team nursing confusing, ineffective, time wasting and unsafe. I have only worked a few shifts in team nursing but if is this disorganised every shift, i will quit. The patients weren't give proper assessments , baths etc were too quick. Really disturbing.