Confessions of a Hospital Administrator

There is a reason nurses are the most respected profession in America. A former hospital CEO offers advice on how to help take care of patients by serving nurses. This advice includes: 1- Get Out of Your Office: 2- If You Want to Solve a Problem in a Hospital, Ask the Nurses; 3 - Protect Your Nurses; 4 - Remember, What Happens in a Hospital is Not About You. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

You are reading page 2 of Confessions of a Hospital Administrator

kungpoopanda

215 Posts

This should be compulsory reading for all management. The principles have applicability to any field or industry. Thank you for such no nonsense advice that validates the work of frontline employees.

nrsang97, BSN, RN

2,602 Posts

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

I wish more administrators thought this way. We had a CEO that retired, replaced with someone new and she just isn't the same. We knew Mr.S would come and talk to everyone. I have never met her. All employee forums are day shift time only. I wish someone would tell her that we midnight shifters would like an opportunity to voice our opinions. We would also appreciate it if she did walking rounds as well.

bets44

1 Post

I am looking for a Private Duty nurse in Florida. Do you know where I can start?

ServantLeader

3 Articles; 42 Posts

Specializes in Administrator inspired by nurses.

nrsang97 - Has anyone on the other shifts sent her a polite message making this request? If she's new, it would be a favor to inform her.

jole

1 Post

I also wish for the management to ask nurses their opinion before making decision about our work and our environment we work in. I can see mistakes being made that are not correctable during our unit reconstruction/renovation just because they never asked us. We could of help a lot.

suni, BSN, RN

477 Posts

Specializes in med surg.

this article is so true. I wish there were more CEO's who felt this way

nrsang97, BSN, RN

2,602 Posts

Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
nrsang97 - Has anyone on the other shifts sent her a polite message making this request? If she's new, it would be a favor to inform her.

Honestly I have no idea. I wonder if anyone did.

TopazLover, BSN, RN

1 Article; 728 Posts

Thank you for a great article. My recent experiences as a family member and friend of patients in two hospitals run by the same organization tell me, as a retired nurse, that your message has a long way to go to get to all CEOs.

How can the environment be changed so that compensation for CEOs, CFOs, and others with similar titles is more in line with the workers. Yes, nurses are the backbone of any hospital. They need excellent service workers: Environmental, Nutrition, etc. With current executive salaries so far from the pay of nurses and ancillary workers there will continue to be the "us and them" attitude rather than a team working together.

I really feel like we need to clean house of all those CEOs whose compensation is greater than 5 times the beginning RN pay. I am willing to think of other criteria for compensation. I do not believe any bonuses should go to CEOs until every employee gets the same percent bonus. A job well done deserves a bonus, if possible. The job is a team effort therefore the rewards need to be shared.

monkeybug

716 Posts

Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.

I know that no hospital is perfect, but I bet the morale at your facility was pretty high. Some things I've seen as a nurse these last 16 years:

1. A nurse was assaulted by a surgeon in the OR during a case. The nurse was fired (after being shuffled to a couple of different departments) and the surgeon is still there today.

2. Within a week of being told by administrators that we were under a hiring freeze, no vacancies would be filled, and there would be no cost of living raises, our local magazine did a lavish spread on the CEO's multi-million dollar beach house. What a way to let us know how much we mattered.

3. Unit secretaries were done away with. Nurses in my L&D were expected to do phone triage for L&D patients (which requires at least some minimum documentation). When calls weren't being answered because we were caring for patients, administration purchased mobile phones for us and we were told that calls must be answered. I literally answered phone calls with one hand while my other hand was inside another human being. Humiliating and unprofessional, but it saved a few bucks.

4. Housekeeping was ended on night shift, and L&D nurses were told that they could mop the rooms and clean the beds while doing the patient's recovery. q 15 minute vital signs interspersed with mopping--wow, that looks professional.

5. During orientation at a new hospital, we were flatly told by the CNO that we were not to ever give our opinions or suggestions to the doctors because they were smarter than us and didn't want to hear it.

I worked 5 years at my last hospital, and never exchanged a single word with our hospital administrator, nor did I ever see him on our unit. I miss doing direct patient care, but I got sick and tired of having so much responsibility with so little authority, autonomy, and recognition. I pray every day that I can continue working at my current job at a smallish non-profit, and that I never ever have to work in a hospital again. I read on the internet just last night that the prestigious Vanderbilt Hospital is having nurses fulfill housekeeping duties to reduce costs. I'm sure that their nursing responsibilities have not been reduced to accommodate the new responsibilities. A hospital would come to a screeching halt if no nurses showed up for the day, but rarely do administrators recognize their value or potential. Instead they are seen as a cost, a liability, a necessary evil, or a headache. I'm glad to know that you are out there, but I fear that you are thoroughly unique.

Guttercat, ASN, RN

1,353 Posts

Interesting read.

I do not understand the disconnect, and the "Us vs. Them" mindset that seems to creep in and destroy a good thing. I will say it can be bi-directional, and each "side" can be equally guilty in fanning the flames of mutual discontent.

I've been a nurse for almost 22 years, and I've seen a lot.

The saddest experience to me, was when my beloved hospital decided to expand by essentially building an entirely new facility. To the best of my knowledge, not one nurse (unless one counts the CNO) was invited to participate in the planning and design. It seemed clear we were not welcome in this new, inner sanctum of the council.

It sent a loud and clear message: "Your experience and opinions are not welcome." Beyond that, though, was a sense (right or wrongly attributed) that we as nurses were being "told" exactly where we stood in management's eyes--that of non-thinking automatons who are a necessary evil, and a nuisance to the real business of the business.

What we got was a decentralized, mess of a floor plan that seemed intentionally devised to divide and conquer the staff. It was a bleak experience.

And maybe the most egregious? They campaigned the staff to donate from their paychecks to the cause of building the new facility. Many staff did, because at that point we were all still "family." So we thought. Then, when the piggy bank went bust after building the facility, many of those same people who donated were laid off, asked to take early retirement, and or their departments closed.

The CEO, however, blew into retirement with a golden parachute.

When I first went to work for that hospital, and would hear the rare nurse moan about things, I would tell them they didn't know how good they had it. It was one of the most positive environments I'd ever worked in in my entire career.

I cannot say the same now.

ServantLeader

3 Articles; 42 Posts

Specializes in Administrator inspired by nurses.

I sadly have see similar disruptive behavior tolerated by physicians. However, I can honestly say I, as a CEO, never ignored disruptive behavior by anyone, including doctors. I know of a nurse who won a six figure settlement from a doctor for similar behavior in the early 90's and I have seen other bring hostile workplace environment suits against hospitals for ignoring disruptive behavior. In my opinion, it is stepping over dollars to pick up dimes to have nurses perform work that can be done by lower skilled employees. I understand it happens every once in a while, but creating a staffing model to do so is short sighted. The situation you describe as begging for a major medical mistake.

ServantLeader

3 Articles; 42 Posts

Specializes in Administrator inspired by nurses.

sadly have see similar disruptive behavior tolerated by physicians. However, I can honestly say I, as a CEO, never ignored disruptive behavior by anyone, including doctors. I know of a nurse who won a six figure settlement from a doctor for similar behavior in the early 90's and I have seen other bring hostile workplace environment suits against hospitals for ignoring disruptive behavior. In my opinion, it is stepping over dollars to pick up dimes to have nurses perform work that can be done by lower skilled employees. I understand it happens every once in a while, but creating a staffing model to do so is short sighted. The situation you describe as begging for a major medical mistake.