Santa Maria Sun / News

Marian moves away from nursing assistants

BY RYAN MILLER

Marian Regional Medical Center recently announced that it’s moving toward an all registered nurse staff supported by certified nursing assistants with specific capabilities—i.e. functioning as monitor observers and unit clerks.

A job posting at peoplemenders.com, though expired as of the time of this writing, listed a variety of duties for the assistant position, from observing and recognizing cardiac rhythms and proper operation of monitoring equipment to transcribing orders, monitoring inventory, and coordinating the unit’s phone communications.

“The new hospital’s nursing units were designed to assure that a registered nurse is immediately adjacent to the bedside of patients, which increases efficiency and provides for the highest level of care for patients,” reads a statement from the hospital.

To that end, the center’s current nursing assistants who don’t function as monitor observers and unit clerks were told of the shift in early September.

Jessa Brooks, marketing specialist with Dignity Health, which includes Marian, said that they’re doing their best to find other employment opportunities for the people impacted by the change—and that several people have already found new work.

“Many will stay here,” she said, “just working in other capacities.”