Left to right: Corey M. Slovis, M.D., attending physician; Diane Adcox, R.N., staff registered nurse; Breanne Fryz, R.N., advanced practice nurse; and George Lee, M.D., house staff, show their new badges. Photo by Anne Rayner
Doctors and nurses to receive new ID badges
When someone goes into cardiac arrest anywhere on the Medical Center campus, the requirement for nurses and doctors is to form a code team instantly with whomever else rushes to the scene.
To aid communication among members of these spur of the moment teams, Vanderbilt doctors and nurses are being issued new ID badges in solid colors intended to denote general levels of medical capability: dark green for attending physicians, light green for house staff, dark blue for advance practice providers, light blue for staff registered nurses.
“When a code is called and doctors look around for assistance, it will help a lot to be able to see immediately who can take an order, who can give medications, who can provide basic and advanced life-saving measures,” said Corey M. Slovis, M.D., professor and chair of Emergency Medicine. Slovis originally had the idea of color-coded cards for doctors and nurses in the Emergency Department.
The Medical Center Medical board liked the idea and decided to issue cards for all doctors and nurses.
“The coded badges should also be helpful in the day-to-day care of patients,” said Allen B. Kaiser, M.D., Vanderbilt University Hospital chief of staff. “The different shades of green will enable patients and staff alike to distinguish between attending and resident physicians. Similarly, the dark blue cards will help identify the advance practice R.N.’s who are assuming a larger role in patient care within the hospital environment.”
Pink on ID badges will continue to denote Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty and staff authorized to handle infants; to indicate such authorization on the new colored badges, the area around the logo will be shaded pink.
The goal is for all physicians and registered nurses who provide patient care at VUMC to have new badges by Sept. 1. Medical staff, house staff and fellows (i.e. all who are designated to have green cards) will be contacted by their department or division regarding instructions on exchanging their ID badges.
Registered nurses should contact their area/unit manager after Aug. 10 to obtain their new badge.
Those who don’t turn in their old badge must pay a $15 fee for the new badge. As a security measure, lost badges will be deleted from the system and no longer recognized by electronic card readers.
Those wishing to update their photo or change their name tag to a preferred name (for example, to switch “Robert” out for “Bob”), one will need to go to the Card Office, D-2107 Medical Center North, just inside the entrance opposite Eskind Biomedical Library.
Card Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4:30 p.m. Friday.