Vanderbilt Medical Center to have nurses cleaning up

Nurses General Nursing

Published

"Cleaning the room after the case, including pulling your trash and mopping the floor, are all infection-prevention strategies. And it's all nursing, and it's all surgical tech. You may not believe that, but even Florence Nightingale knew that was true," said a hospital administrator to staff in a video obtained by the Channel 4 I-Team."

http://www.wsmv.com/story/23364976/vanderbilt-medical-center-to-have-nurses-cleaning-up

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.

As long as the nurses focus on customer service instead of actual pt care, satisfaction ratings should stay high, with only a small increase in re-admissions, infections, and death.

Well, THAT'S uplifting!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
They are not thinking this trough. Was HR ever consulted on this? This is going to affect their RN recruitment and retention big time.

Nah, they'll probably still attract all the students who think they're being HONORED by being "chosen for the "new grad residency program," AKA cheap labor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
If there is two hours between your discharge and new admit......come on what are you doing all that time.

Um...do you have a 1:1 patient ratio? *I* am working with my other patients if (hahhahhahahah!!! oh if only there were two hours between d/c and admit!!!) I have 2 hours between a d/c and an admit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, OR.

More ridiculousness coming from this profession. What next? There is officially nothing left to assign us.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I'm at work, taking my lunch break, looking at a poster that reminds me of this thread...it's national Healthcare Environmental Services Week. :wacky:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology.
I'm at work, taking my lunch break, looking at a poster that reminds me of this thread...it's national Healthcare Environmental Services Week. :wacky:

Oh, they're not just included with National Hospital Week with us?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sorry but I can't believe anyone here would actually do this. How can management change our true roles as RN's when we are expected to be housekeeping? Are you all ready to start cleaning the windows? And the toilets? What is next?

If we want more time at the bedside then linen stripping, garbage taking out, needs to be stopped. Let it pile up. Everyone has to be on board to make it better for the nursing staff and the patient. Of course I am not talking about the few incidents when the nurse needs to take out linens, etc. Wake up nurses! Get together. We are a HUGE part of the hospital and our voices will be heard. Don't be hoodwinked by corporate!! Our CEO took in over 5 million dollars in pay 2011.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Oh, they're not just included with National Hospital Week with us?

Not at the places I worked...Nurses Week is on it's own. At this place, I didn't know about until today, and I saw the poster.

Guess the nurses will have two weeks to celebrate, unless they do the whole cheap "Hospital Week" foolishness.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Public Health.

I'm so so so glad I didn't end up with a nurse residency position there! Just goes to show Magnet Status is crap. Guess they bypassed that whole shared governance bit... That is such a slap in the face to our profession. I used to have such respect for Vanderbilt.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peri-Op.

I am mopping floors at least a couple times a day. I have staff that follow suit too. I lead by example as a charge/management person. We also have housekeeping staff but they are grossly understaffed and underpaid. I have no issue ever mopping up ponds of blood, pee and irrigation that is on our OR floors. I'm not too proud to do any job of any of my subordinate and support staff. If they had 4 more nurses a shift and no housekeepers, so be it.... More RN staff to work with.... I'm not an almighty entitled RN. I'm another employee getting the job done with a license to practice as an RN.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Kudos to the person who captured this moment in time! It made me laugh because

now the public can see what nurses put up with. We have committees that look at how

morale can be increased! Duh. How about quit insulting our intelligence.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Public Health.

Do you think chemical engineers or lawyers have to mop up floors and clean bathrooms? No. Their professions are respected unlike nurses. I went to school to have a career as a nurse. I didn't spend thousands of dollars and study hundreds of hours to be a janitor. Until we respect ourselves and take pride in our career nursing will never improve. Hospitals are in the business of making money. If it can be done for cheaper, it will be done. There is a difference between caring about your patients and sacrificing your time, skills, training, and education. There is a reason the top paying careers are made up of 90% men. You are doing no one favors by gladly taking on more mindless tasks. It will just be one more thing tomorrow. I hope by the time I retire our profession is more respected. Anything can be done in 30 years.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment