Now THAT'S the way to hold a Staff Meeting !

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Just got back from our annual biggie... but instead of having it at the clinic and feeling like we were "at work" (especially for those of us on our day off), our NM held it at her house out in the country along a babbling brook, with nothing but trees and cows, forsythia and wild cherry blossoms in full bloom...various sizes of potted terracotta containers with smiling pansies adorning the front porch where the wooden porchswing swayed gently in the warm spring breeze.........

Inside, her dining room table was laden with a spread that would have been fit for royalty... from spinach salad with eggs and fresh mushrooms to various homemade chicken, pimento, and tuna salds to stuff the pita pockets, avacado chips and dip, homemade salsas, her famous baked beans, and of course the mouthwatering local favorite for desert.. her homemade peach cobbler.

So there we all sat in her cozy livingroom, with the gas logs burning in the fireplace, and watching our mandatory videos on their roomsized mega TV screen... we of course did more eating, chatting, and laughing than we did listening or watching. But hey, after seven years of having to watch these silly videos, we know them all by heart.

Was truly a pleasant afternoon. I'm so fortunate to work with such a great bunch of coworkers, and to have a NM who considers us family and can't do enough for us. :) :) :)

Hmmmm, you didn't sign anything, did you? :chuckle

Tweety, BSN, RN

34,218 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Awesome! :)

jnette, ASN, EMT-I

4,388 Posts

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
Hmmmm, you didn't sign anything, did you? :chuckle
:rotfl:

No... believe it or not, we trust our NM with any and everything. She's been there from day one, and treats us with the greatest respect and dignity, and is always right there by our side on the floor when things get hectic.. which is every day at turnover.

This lovely, gentle young woman... (well, she's ten years younger than me, so she' YOUNG) :chuckle is the total embodiment of the word integrity.

Always reminding us to look out for our own welfare because the "company" certainly will not.

We've always agreed........ if she leaves, we leave.

Specializes in Med-surg; OB/Well baby; pulmonology; RTS.

i want to come work with you! :)

SmilingBluEyes

20,964 Posts

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

sign ME up!

zudy

475 Posts

What a great boss! I,too, have a great NM, does it truly change everything? the only bad thing is. she just told us last Friday that she is retiring :crying2: I am so bummed, NM like you are reallyfar and few .

jnette, ASN, EMT-I

4,388 Posts

Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.
What a great boss! I,too, have a great NM, does it truly change everything? the only bad thing is. she just told us last Friday that she is retiring :crying2: I am so bummed, NM like you are reallyfar and few .

She is the glue that holds us and our daily dealings with the patients (and ourselves) together. So in that respect, yes, it changes everything... for the better. I've never heard her raise her voice or speak a cross word to ANY of us. She doesn't need to... we'd rather shoot ourselves in the leg than cause her any trouble or disappoint her in any way.

She went through a week's orientation at the dialysis clinic while in nursing school some 20 years ago... and knew then and there this is where she wanted to be. She came back after school, and after the last NM retired some 12 years ago, she became the new DON/NM/Clinical Mgr. She has the original staff with her from when the clinic first opened... and me ! :D

Our clinc has zero turnover... that speaks volumes.

We had one RN to leave due to maternity and chose to remain at home with ehr infant, and a tech who was offered and couldn't resist the lucrative offer of managing a homehealth office in town... and the far better pay that went with it ! (He was highly educated, competent, and a total class act... sure hated to see him go!) Other than that, we'll just all be there 'til we die, I guess. :) Heh... 'cuz nobody can afford to retire these days, y'know? :rolleyes:

We'll be pushing each other around in our wheelchairs from patient to patient... I can see it all now ! :D

You are a lucky woman jnette! The NM that retains staff that long is obviously doing something right!

zenman

1 Article; 2,806 Posts

I had a professional writing class in college like this once. Held at the professor's home, we had a big spread and wine, then spread out throughout her house to write. One of the best classes I've ever had :coollook:

gwk

21 Posts

Just got back from our annual biggie... but instead of having it at the clinic and feeling like we were "at work" (especially for those of us on our day off), our NM held it at her house out in the country along a babbling brook, with nothing but trees and cows, forsythia and wild cherry blossoms in full bloom...various sizes of potted terracotta containers with smiling pansies adorning the front porch where the wooden porchswing swayed gently in the warm spring breeze.........

Inside, her dining room table was laden with a spread that would have been fit for royalty... from spinach salad with eggs and fresh mushrooms to various homemade chicken, pimento, and tuna salds to stuff the pita pockets, avacado chips and dip, homemade salsas, her famous baked beans, and of course the mouthwatering local favorite for desert.. her homemade peach cobbler.

So there we all sat in her cozy livingroom, with the gas logs burning in the fireplace, and watching our mandatory videos on their roomsized mega TV screen... we of course did more eating, chatting, and laughing than we did listening or watching. But hey, after seven years of having to watch these silly videos, we know them all by heart.

Was truly a pleasant afternoon. I'm so fortunate to work with such a great bunch of coworkers, and to have a NM who considers us family and can't do enough for us. :) :) :)

u r majorly lucky perhaps your nm could do inservice at other places on how to manage and retain staff..that is soooo unusual in these days...we just had new upper management and her attitude is depressing our immediate manager(who is lovely and trying her best) and decimating our staff ; 11 left L and D and 4 from couplet..and its not over yet staffing is sooo bad ..the nurses are struggling terribly even the pool nurses wont come back and they are used to being dumped on!!!!

Nurse Ratched, RN

2,149 Posts

Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

That's such a great story, Jnette! :) I have also has the pleasure of having wonderful bosses. They are the ones you will go to the mat for. Why can't more bosses understand that you reap what you sow?

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