Contacting the frontline care team about an active patient alert are (left) Susan Martin, a five-year employee with 30 years of EMS experience, and (right) Nichelle Runnels, a 30-year hospital employee.
Telemetry’s role in the patient care journey is crucial. The White Rock Medical Center telemetry team recently moved to a new, expanded space with additional monitoring units in order to better meet patient needs. Our telemetry team now has 60 monitors to closely keep tabs on patients across the inpatient care units on multiple floors.
The telemetry unit remotely monitors patient vital signs, such as heart rate. Telemetry staff keep watch over the real-time patient data and alert frontline healthcare providers if they detect that a patient requires medical attention.
“We were so pleased to move the team so that we could place them in an expanded space while also reducing the number of patients who are being monitored per each tech or nurse. This helps ensure our patients are safe during their stay with us,” explained Jenny Humpal, chief nursing officer.
While patients may never know their telemetry caregivers, they can rest assured that the team is focused on their safety, monitoring their vitals and alerting the frontline care team if needed.
“I’m basically watching people’s lives and that makes me feel good. Most importantly, we can stop bad things from happening,” said Nichelle Runnels, who has been at the hospital for 30 years. “I started as a patient care tech in the cardiac unit… but in my role now, I get to help so many more people. I love it.”