Tape Reporting... HOH RN

[MystyqueOne]

hello,

i have a general question. as you may have read from other posts of mine, i have a slight hearing impairment as a rn, bsn. the company i will be working for does tape reporting, therefore my ability to get a full and thorough report in the mornings are going to be insufficient. the nurse manager is well aware of my hearing loss, and i would love to have a "person to person" report so that i get all the required information. i just feel that because of my hearing loss, i will be putting the other nurses at an inconvenience to have them take extra time to give me report on the patients i will have for the day.

what type of reporting does your company have? do any of you have any suggestions as what i can do?

i've thought about going in the extra hour early to sit there and listen to the shift's record their report, but a lot can change in the hour from one shift to the next, and i also won't know which patients i will have until the charge nurse comes in and assigns me the patients for the day.

i am open for any suggestions.

thank you so much for all your advice!

[Old.Timer]

Please don't forget...your employer must accomodate you under the Americans with Disabilities Act! And if they won't help you, then report them to your state Civil Liberties Union!

Thanks,

Jerenemarie

I think right now she is mostly looking for suggestions that would foster collegial collaboration with her peers to solve the problem. We often create that which we expect. My money says OP will work it out just fine.

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Coming in early is a nice thought, but remember you are not covered if you are injured.

Not true.

If an employee comes in early to receive patient reports, they are considered to be working, and must be paid for their time.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

Not true.

If an employee comes in early to receive patient reports, they are considered to be working, and must be paid for their time.

Only if they are at the behest of their employer, ie, "on the clock".

[MySonIsAdorable]

but say that she is being accommodated by coming in early to get a report because the way they are tape recording the reports aren't working for her then possibly this could be covered as reasonable accommodation with the ADA? Seems like a very reasonable way to solve this problem, seeing as they probably don't want her working off the clock.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

but say that she is being accommodated by coming in early to get a report because the way they are tape recording the reports aren't working for her then possibly this could be covered as reasonable accommodation with the ADA? Seems like a very reasonable way to solve this problem, seeing as they probably don't want her working off the clock.

It would have to be official, written down. I think ear/headphones are the way to go. Also, if (s)he is having trouble with recorded report, either the quality of machine or pervious shifts verbal skills would be suspect to me. I have much more than a mild hearing loss, and I can get at least 75/80% of recorded report on the first pass.

[brownbook]

Hi, I am slightly HOH, of course I have no idea how bad your hearing loss is.

Have you even tried it yet? As other poster have pointed out, even normal hearing staff find they miss some words. Which is why taped reports are frowned upon.

It certainly seems fair to ask to be close to the tape recorder when listening due to your disability. It just hard, even with the volume up, to hear clearly, distinguish some words. I can certainly understand that happening!

Perhaps you can give taped reports a try. Highlight or circle in red, any key reports where you feel you didn't understand a critical word. Then check with the charge nurse, confirm, what you didn't catch.

Maybe give it a try before making any extra effort or issue out of it.

[Wave Watcher]

We also did written reports. It helped in case the nurse reporting off just forgot to tell you something or you just didn't hear a vital piece of info when they verbally reported off.

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

Hello there,

What if you listen to the taped message with headphones?

I hated tape reporting. Most people said way too little and would conclude the message with "He's fine. No changes" A few said too much and it was hard to focus on the really relevant information.

Just think of how most voicemails suck. Too short, too rambly, mumbling through important info. Hiiiii hellooooo how are youuuuuuuuuuu blaaaaah blaaaah blooo blooo blaaaaaaaaaaaahhcallmebackat*garbled*

Same thing with tape reporting.

I need time to talk face-to-face, ask questions and verify.

Headphones would not make a difference with my type of hearing loss. It would only bring the sound closer to my eardrum.... not make my brain "hear" it. Tape Recording is just not a good idea at all......

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

The headphones are a great idea. I'm pretty HOH but a hearing aid helps greatly.

Yes, HAs help tremendously, but they don't solve the issue of background noise/poor recordings..... which most tape reports are on a usual basis. The tape recording doesn't take place of the in-person ability to lip-read when sounds may be missed..... My manager did ask me what accommodations I needed and I mentioned the tape reporting.... So, I'm not quite sure what they may do to accommodate me....

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

It would have to be official, written down. I think ear/headphones are the way to go. Also, if (s)he is having trouble with recorded report, either the quality of machine or pervious shifts verbal skills would be suspect to me. I have much more than a mild hearing loss, and I can get at least 75/80% of recorded report on the first pass.

Yes, maybe ensuring they have a top-of-the-line tape recorder would probably assist with the recordings.... not using cassette tapes, also. That's a good idea to start... Thank you.

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

Hi, I am slightly HOH, of course I have no idea how bad your hearing loss is.

Have you even tried it yet? As other poster have pointed out, even normal hearing staff find they miss some words. Which is why taped reports are frowned upon.

It certainly seems fair to ask to be close to the tape recorder when listening due to your disability. It just hard, even with the volume up, to hear clearly, distinguish some words. I can certainly understand that happening!

Perhaps you can give taped reports a try. Highlight or circle in red, any key reports where you feel you didn't understand a critical word. Then check with the charge nurse, confirm, what you didn't catch.

Maybe give it a try before making any extra effort or issue out of it.

Yes, I've worked at this place for a couple of months. WIth the type of hearing loss I have, without having someone facing me, hence their lips to accommodate what I'm missing, it's very exhausting for me to strive so hard to try to understand all that is being said.... Especially when papers are being rustled while they are speaking, clicking and clacking sounds in the background (all on the recording), etc. What do other facilities do besides tape reporting? I wonder if my unit couldn't just have a face-to-face report...... Or just during the shifts in which I am scheduled on? Hmmmm........

[MystyqueOne, BSN, RN]

We also did written reports. It helped in case the nurse reporting off just forgot to tell you something or you just didn't hear a vital piece of info when they verbally reported off.

Now, this is another good idea.... have written reports to pass off to me. When I was working before as a SNT, I had another SNT just take notes for me while the report was being played back. I suppose I could just have another nurse take "notes" on the recorded taped report for me and if I had any questions, I could just ask the RN that took the nurse (since everyone jots down their own things that they feel are more or less "important").

Thank you everyone!!!!