I am an OR nurse at a small rural county-owned hospital in mid-Michigan. I came here 2 years ago from a large teaching hospital, in need of a change in specialty and location. I feel like I am working in a combat zone. The hospital was once a thriving facility, but it has become so sub-standard, that the only patients we serve are the very old and those who are too poor to get a ride to neighboring citiy hospitals.
The conditions at our hospital are truly unbelievable. The CEO totally rules the hospital, and has brought the term "micro-management" to a new level. She even oversees the mainteneance and housekeeping crew. We work with old and broken equipment, totally obsolete and on the verge of collapse. Nothing is maintained and is only replaced when it is beyond repair, and then it is replaced with borrowed, donated, or used equipment. Last summer, our very old back-up generator bit the dust during a surgery, and we finished the surgery using flashlights. Our CEO prides herself on running in the black, and ties up every available cent in investments. Even donations from local businesses disapear into an investment portfolio. The hospital only employs 5 housekeepers, and it is beyond dirty. Everywhere you look you can see blatant violations of Health Department, OSHA and JCAHO standards. There are no charge nurses, and no nurse managers, so nursing care is poor. Policies and procedures are not upheld as there is no one to oversee them.
The Board of Directors is comprised of a group of individuals, lawyers, business owners, and a judge, who would not be caught dead in our dirty nasty facility. They are only interested in being board members to enhance their resumes. In desperation, a group of nurses and doctors met with them recently and were told that our hospital is good enough for the population it serves. We are all sad and depressed by this reaction from the Board.
Surprisingly, nurses are paid extremely well here, and we all pull together as a team. We keep hoping that things will improve, but the only way that could happen is for our CEO to be replaced. She has no respect for her employees or the patients we serve and she is running this hospital into the ground. I could tell you the most shocking stories about this place.
Where do we turn? We have great fear of reprisal from her if she knew we reported her to any agency. We desperately need advice.
VictoriaG