The Hands That Assess, Comfort and Educate

When you are sick and in the hospital, all you want is someone to take good care of you.  Your physician makes the diagnosis and prescribes the treatment plan.  The nursing staff carries out doctor's orders and monitors your response to care.

When you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, a serious illness or you need surgery, our compassionate nurses are at the front line helping to speed your recovery.

Each nursing unit at Rome Memorial Hospital has a dedicated team committed to its role in the recovery process.  Since the days of Florence Nightingale, nurses have gained greater responsibilities. Not only do they care for their patients, they also educate them to hasten recovery and promote general wellness.

Critical Care Services

The area of Critical Care includes the Intensive Care Unit and the Special Care Unit, both located on Rome Memorial Hospital's second floor.

A modern monitoring system links these and other hospital clinical areas so that the continuum of care is seamless should a patient transfer from one department to another within the facility.

Because of the intensive observation required in the eight-bed Intensive Care Unit, it has the highest nurse-to-patient ratio at Rome Memorial Hospital with one nurse assigned to every two patients.  ICU staff cares for both medical and surgical cases in which patients have life-threatening conditions and are classified as Level III or Level IV.  This includes isolation patients who require constant care and observation.

Our Special Care Unit is a 31-bed progressive care medical-surgical unit.  Sixteen patients at a time may be monitored with telemetry units here.  The nurses on this unit also have the capability of caring for four long-term ventilator patients if necessary.

Because of the high volume of patients with heart problems seen in this area, the staff is specially trained in coronary care.  Patients are evaluated during each shift to ensure that the level of care provided in this unit appropriately meets their needs and to determine of transfer might be required.  The day-time nurse to patient ratio is four or five patients to one nurse, depending upon how acutely ill the patients are.

Medical-Surgical Unit

For patients with less critical needs, we have a general 32-bed Medical-Surgical unit located in the hospital's east wing on the second floor.  Because of the diverse populations these units serve nurses are especially sensitive to all generations and cultures.  The day-time nurse to patient ratio is four or five patients to one nurse, depending upon how acutely ill the patients are.

pediatrics

Incorporated into a section of 2-East is our seven-bed Pediatric Unit.  This nursing unit serves both children and adolescents who visit the hospital for inpatient or outpatient procedures.  Areas within this unit are set aside for patients requiring intense observation or isolation.  Each nurse, specially trained in pediatrics, is assigned two to three patients, depending upon how acutely ill the patients are.

Operating Room

Surgical services at Rome Memorial Hospital are available 24-hours a day, every day, in the hospital's four surgical suites located on the first floor of the building. The needs of both scheduled and emergent patients are served with approximately 4,000 cases seen each year.  During unscheduled hours, two qualified O.R. staff members are on-call to provide coverage for emergency cases.

A highly skilled nursing team works in conjunction with members of the medical staff to provide surgical procedures in the areas of general surgery, orthopedics, cardiovascular, thoracic, urology, ophthalmology, gynecology, obstetrics (c-sections), otolaryngology, podiatry and oral surgery.   Surgical nursing services are provided according to Standards of Care and the recommended practices of the Association of Operating Room Nurses.

All registered nurses in the O.R. and O.R. technicians complete credentials in their specialty annually.  The perioperative-nursing coordinator also helps orient new staff members and assist the nurse manager with ongoing staff training.

Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU)

The PACU provides 24 hour service to meet the needs of the surgical patient, both scheduled and emergent.  PACU is located on the first floor of the hospital adjacent to the operating room.  All patient care is provided according to guidelines set forth by the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses.  In most cases, the nurse to patient ratio is 1 to 1.

Specially trained professional staff manage patients' recovery in the first critical hour after surgery.  PACU nurses care for both children and adults to maintain their comfort and safety as they recover from anesthesia after a wide range of surgical procedures.  The staff establishes and maintains rapport and communication with the patient and family, before, during and after surgery.

Both the PACU and OR staff collaborate to make the community more familiar and comfortable with the hospital and surgery department.  Schools visit us on field trips, giving children an opportunity to learn about their bodies and alleviate their fear if they ever need an operation.  Children are given the opportunity to handle medical equipment and dress in scrubs.  The community is invited to tour the OR/PACU during its annual open house in November.

Total Commitment.  Total Care.

Each department has a dedicated staff and resources to provide the quality care that you need when you are in the hospital.  They strive to improve upon patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes through continuous quality improvement programs. Their commitment is taking care of you.