Is This Real, or Just a Fantasy

I could almost put this under "nursing humor". However, this is a discussion that we can all relate to in one way or another. Nurses are made to follow a process that puts a "customer satisfaction" spin on their practice. Sometimes, it can be a crossroads of what a nurse needs to do, and what he/she is being asked to do. All in the name of patient "delight". Nurses Announcements Archive Article

Is This Real, or Just a Fantasy

So I got to thinking. What if the tables turned a bit. It may be the lack of sufficient coffee that has lead me to think about what would happen to nursing if part of the patient survey bru-ha-ha and patient satisfaction also included surveys sent to nurses to rate their job satisfaction, and part of reimbursement for the facility was dependent on the results of same?

If a nurse was not delighted at the culture of the unit, it would be a "ding". If the nurse was not satisfied with the tools, teaching, assignments, or most importantly staff ratios, again dings. If nurses felt like management was not supportive, turned the other cheek, looked the other way--again, all major dings. After all, if management REALLY cared about their jobs, wouldn't they be bending over backwards and sideways to increase nurse satisfaction? Does this sound familiar?

I could picture it now. Managers would then be put in a position to change things to scurry to make those scores higher. They would be magnetized, energized, trained in a million little education classes on how to manage nurses whose opinions directly affect the bottom line.

Do you ever notice that due to some sort of "your opinion is important to us" mandate, you fill out a survey monkey version of "1 is extremely dissatisfied, 10 is completely satisfied" deal and you somehow know that the results are not that great when you never, ever, see the results of same? Or based on the answers that you never see the culture changes and you have to wear a coat and boots to ward off the wind chill factor of minus zero?

The results of patient surveys come with a great deal of "this is how we are going to do things differently." Nurses are spoken to, made to feel less than stellar, reprimanded into compliance. But the results of the survey monkey-ed answers regarding management are swept under the rug. And actually have heard more than one manger say "if people feel that strongly against something, we will never change their mind, so lets move on". So lets think for a moment if our opinions did matter--and there was money riding on it.

Mangers who don't get bonuses. But instead get time-lined improvement plans. All based on how they are going to make the nurses satisfied, so the facility gets paid. Realistic patient ratios. Pay that is livable. Raises. Vacation and sick days that are actually able to be used. Ancillary staff. Nurses who are loyal to a facility as the facility treats them right. Yup, just like the old days.

Because once big business stepped in and overtook facilities, these kinds of basic needs of nurses vanished. To get it back again would need a nurse satisfaction survey, the results of which affect the bottom line. And satisfied nurses means satisfied patients, which seems to be the end goal.

It is hard to make 7 or 8 patients "delighted" when nurses are running amok trying to fit it all in. Administration is so far removed from the actually and acuity of patients that they do not see this. They see dollars. It is high time that they see nurses. And treat them as the known commodity that they are.

And yes, I am well aware that when working with patients it is NOT "about the nurse". That patients need to be well cared for, and function is the goal. But to give nurses a voice in the ability to care for patients well would prove to be a good thing in the long run for everyone. Dollars and sense for a change.

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jadelpn

About jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B

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Too bad the OP lives in MA cause I think I'm in love. Very original take on the patient satisfaction thing.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

My manager brought up "customer service" the other day and I had to fight to roll my eyes. My job is to be a nurse first and safe, then I'll worry about making my patients happy.

You can't very well be happy and satisfied when you're dead.

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Unfortunately some employers treat nurses as an abusive spouse would. You are to give it your all. It will never be enough. Whatever bad happens is your fault, not the employer's.Not all workplaces are like this, thankfully. Though, there are many that are.

We should treat people well and provide care for them which is appropriate. Sometimes, appropriate care isn't what makes the patient happy. Sometimes, patients are not happy when another patient acts out and "bothers" them. We can do little about that in many cases. Sometimes, when people do not feel well anyway, their "experience" is only 7/10. It can be adequate and appropriate and not 9/10 or 10/10. it is just a way for the government to get out of paying us.

Patients should be involved in their care, but they are not always the best judges of what is the very best in care. They shouldn't have to be. That is our job. We need to be able to support why we gave the care we did in the situation What we don't need is to be rated like a restaurant or an auto repair shop. Hmm? Maybe Angie's List should get into the patient survey biz

Don't even get me started on the companies making money doing the surveys or sharing the "secrets" of getting those top box scores. That is a huge money making industry. None of this will go away because too many people are getting too much money out of this.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
So lets think for a moment if our opinions did matter--and there was money riding on it.
As nurses, our opinion should matter. After all, patients come to the hospital for no other reason than to receive nursing care.

It is a crying shame that our opinions are worth less than a grain of salt.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

BRAVO!!! Very articulate post with a refreshing viewpoint.

Years ago (yep, I'm that old) the "Servant Leadership" movement appeared for a nanosecond on the healthcare horizon. It poofed away just as quickly - probably because it wasn't considered compatible with the increasing emphasis on bottom line ($) results. But IMO, anyone who actually adheres to the principles of SL will not only be successful, but ensure great financial outcomes as well as patient satisfaction. I have had the great privilege to work for a couple of those folks . They're a rare species of manager, but you can usually identify them by the very low or nonexistent turnover in their departments.

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Specializes in Med Surg.

I can't like this post enough. I agree wholeheartedly. The entire purpose of hospital leadership is to support patient care. That should mean support for those who work directly with the patients (not just nurses, but providers, and ancillary staff). I just wish leaders realized this. For all the preaching about patient care and satisfaction, where is the concern for staff care and satisfaction?

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