Analysis of the roles and responsibilities of rehabilitation nursing staff

This article describes a study whose purpose was to identify the roles and the responsibilities of rehabilitation nursing staff members, specifically the registered nurses and the nurse extenders, or rehabilitation technicians. The members of the nursing staff kept work diaries, listing each work activity and the time spent on that activity. Results of the study indicated that the majority of the registered nurses' time was focused on either direct or indirect patient care. The majority of the rehabilitation technicians' time was focused on direct patient care; however, rehabilitation technicians on the evening shifts spent significantly more time in indirect patient care and unit maintenance than did their day-shift counterparts. Data analysis indicated that 33% of evening-shift rehabilitation technicians' time and 36% of day-shift rehabilitation technicians' time was unaccounted for in the work diaries. As a result of this study, the authors recommend a review of the job description for rehabilitation technicians. Furthermore, the results identify a need for staff development education for rehabilitation technicians so that they can expand their roles and responsibilities.