ORIENTATION - Program For Nurses At BAMC

Bay Area Medical Center prides itself in a comprehensive preceptor based orientation program. Each new employee is involved in an individualized orientation under the supervision of a trained preceptor and the department director. Preceptors are experienced nurses who have been trained in the principles of adult learning and in the evaluation of performance. This orientation includes a comprehensive system to assure all necessary components are completed and documented.

PARTNERING - Nursing Care Delivery Model For Medical & Surgical Nursing Floors

To ensure optimal utilization of nursing staff and the knowledge they possess; BAMC developed a new nursing care delivery model. This model called "Partnering" teams a Registered Nurse with a licensed Practical Nurse, while allowing the flexibility to add Unlicensed Assistant Personnel, more commonly known as the Nurse's aide.

The RN is paired with the LPN for a nurse/patient ratio to be determined by the shift worked. If the RN works independently he/she has his or her own patient assignment (with an identified co-worker to assist).

ICU STRUCTURE STANDARDS - Objective of Intensive Care Unit

1. Maintains a high standard of care by utilization of the nursing process in the prevention and intervention in life threatening situations.
2. To provide patient care based upon individual needs; assisting each patient to understand his illness and reach his/her potential.
3. To teach the patient self care, to provide supportive and rehabilitative nursing care to meet his/her individual needs using available resources with the hospital and community.
4. To plan cooperatively with all others who carry responsibility for patient care services and to coordinate the many aspects of patient care in an effort to meet every patients needs including cultural and religious preferences.

ICU - Location & Description

The Intensive Care Unit is located in the southwest corner of the second floor adjacent to the Operating Room and west of the OB/GYN/Nursery. It consists of seven private rooms. Support areas include nurses station with monitors, dictating station, nutritional area, medication area, storage room, clean utility room, dirty utility room, janitors closet, staff lounge, and consultation room. A family visiting room is shared with the OR and OB/GYN/Nursery.

ICU - Scope of Services of the Intensive Care Unit

The scope of the Intensive Care Unit is to provide care to critically ill patients requiring specialized monitoring equipment. These patients include those with a diagnosis relating to chest pain, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, shock, acute gastrointestinal bleeding, overdose, impaired pulmonary functioning requiring mechanical ventilation, trauma, acute compromise of neurological functioning, those requiring cardioversion, vascular surgical case, surgical complications, sepsis, and invasive monitoring for hemodynamic status. All ages are acceptable patients. Continuous telemetry monitoring is also provided for in-patients who do not require Intensive Care nursing.

The Intensive Care Unit staff works with the Pulmonologist, Internists, Pediatricians, Family Practitioners, Surgeons, Radiologists, Orthopedic specialists, Obstetricians, Cardiologists, Neurologists, and Emergency Room Physicians. All physicians can admit patients to the Intensive Care Unit. An Internal Medicine consult is required for all admit patients in ICU within 24 hours of admission to the ICU. All patients admitted to the ICU are to be seen within 2 hours of admission by a physician.

Staff consists of all ACLS trained RN's and LPN's. The staff patient ratio varies according to accuity with the basic pattern being: