LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – Lancaster General Hospital added two robots to its nursing staff in August. Their names are Roxy and Rosie.
These robots help the nurses with important routine tasks including picking up and dropping off items.
"We know that nursing gets pulled in many different directions, but their primary purpose is here to take care of patients. So, this is one way of limiting some of those tasks that are not necessarily requiring a nurse but can help support them in their role," Interim Chief Nursing Officer Tim Zellers said.
When the robot arrives at its requested location, the nurse will scan their badge.
“They are badge access only. So, only certain roles within the hospital can access the compartments of the robots,” Clinical Informatics Nurse Jennifer Sheinberg said.
Pick-up items include equipment, lab results, lab tests, specimens, heart monitors and even deliver food.
So, are nurses’ jobs in danger?
"Oh, goodness. No, no, no. It allows nurses actually to focus on what they're trained to do and that's to take care of patients,” Zellers said.
Hospital staff say they aren’t sure if they will be adding more robots.
"Yet to be determined. So, we're evaluating. We have two here now. The number of robots is really based on the number of trips that they may be needed to do.”
Sheinberg says Roxy and Rosie are a great addition to the family.
"They were named by our staff through a competition during nurses' week…the staff really love them," said Sheinberg.
The robots don’t enter patients’ rooms or care for patients.
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