I have worked in this profession for 30+ years and the care and protection of an individual has decline and it starts with administation and the threat of your job and the negative feed back to the next job. The chain of command has become the good old boy policy. Adminitation protects each other. Filing a complaint is filed in the near by shredder. If it is need to control you threaten you then it goes to you personal file. If your manager is faced with a policy, in regard to the protection written for safety of the patient, she just rips it right out o the book and it's shredded with the other concerns that are not addressed. Verbal concerns are replied with ,"you need to do somthing else. Where are the protectors???? What standard does the administration adhere too? Where are the state and feds investigators from 4pm-7am. I would love to become an undercover nurse. what happen to reading a chart. Pt's admitted for chest pain and never c/o chest pain,pressure.SOB,heaviness. Went to Er for elevated BP admitted and then the excess testing begins...AGAIN I ASK WERE ARE THE PROTECTORS........NURSES CAN NOT BE PATIENT ADVOCATES, RULES AND REGULATIONS FROM ADMINISTRATION ARE ADJUSTED FOR THE INSTITUTION.....NEW LAW ON NURSE PATIENT RATIO R/T ACUITY WAS A WASTE...JAN 2008 TO BE IN PLACE...YEA RIGHT...THE ONE WE ARE USING IS AT LEAST 15 YRS OLD AND DOES NOT JUSTIFY TRUE ACUITY...5 MIN BEFORE THE SHIFT I WORK ,FLOOR MANAGER MAKES OUT ASSIGNMENTS.
To avoid fines they are taking the ward clerks,placing them out on the floor and assigning them patients, some are not certified(illegal by law) but who is checking.
Nursing News