Have you read your company's procedures and policies?

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Nursing Procedures and Policies Handbook: How much time did you say I had to know these?

When was the last time you read your company's employee Procedures and Policies handbook? In some places, they update their handbooks every year. Do you know where your handbook is at? Please share any stories that you may have regarding "policies at work"...

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On 7/27/2021 at 6:55 PM, JBMmom said:

We have no hard copies, we have PolicyTech online. So, I admit that I have looked up the ones that I need to use at any given time and I ignore the fact that 3000 other ones exist that do not impact my day to day workflow. I probably should care about them, and I'm sure that technically I could get dinged for not following something written there, but I'm willing to take that chance. Additionally, the search function for the site is the absolute worst I have ever encountered so the chances of finding anything you don't have bookmarked as a favorite, or someone else knows the specific name, are very small. 

Truth. I looked something up this week and it pulled up 133 results.

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On 7/29/2021 at 11:55 PM, DesiDani said:

We did have a CN who was like Sheldon. Many were annoyed, by him but I thought he was cool.

RN "Hey are we allowed to do so and so?"

CN "Well let's get the manual and see"

Happily and very EAGERLY pulls out the manual

CN "According to section blah blah, paragraph blah blah, policy blah blah you can't"

And if you caught you doing something like have a candy bar at computer he would reference the policy.

Yeah he annoyed a lot of people, especially the RNs. I didn't mind.

What is CN?

Who is Sheldon?

Yes, I read them yearly, as required.

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On 7/27/2021 at 8:08 PM, Rose_Queen said:

No. I help write them, so I know them like the back of my hand.

Being that you help with writing them....Could you possibly suggest that maybe a modified search program like Westlaw Edge be utilized? Attorneys use it to find cases by docket numbers for research on briefs etc. 

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3 hours ago, Kooky Korky said:

What is CN?

Who is Sheldon?

Yes, I read them yearly, as required.

CN is a charge nurse

Sheldon: Sheldon Cooper "Big Bang Theory"

I am sure you do.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
2 hours ago, Curious1997 said:

Being that you help with writing them....Could you possibly suggest that maybe a modified search program like Westlaw Edge be utilized? Attorneys use it to find cases by docket numbers for research on briefs etc. 

We actually have a quite decent search function. Our policies are on a Microsoft SharePoint internal site

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An example I remember is trying to help a new grad find a policy about flushing a central line their patient had. I knew the flush recommendations for that line but was trying to do the right thing and show the person where they could find such information.  Things like "Central line" "CVC" "CVAD" "venous access" turned up not just irrelevant results but NO results. After messing with this for a number of minutes I didn't really have, I finally started typing in various proprietary names, Groshong, Hickman, Broviac, PowerPort, Port-a-Cath, etc. and it was one of the proprietary names that finally turned up some results.

Of course...the icing on that cake was that our nice lamintated chart showing all of this information in one place had disappeared from the med room a couple of months prior when the leaders and changers swept through with one of their stellar improvement projects. It was supposedly cluttering up the area and wasn't needed anyway because one can just look up the policy (in other words, do that ^ process I just described every time instead of merely glancing up at a chart).

Again, things like this make it very clear that their work isn't about patients and it isn't about nurses.

 

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I confess I read on hire and then read the highlighted changes when the emails pop into my inbox alerting me to changes. I don’t know them by heart as I often forget them. When in doubt I ask a co-worker although that’s probably not the best practice I’ll admit. 

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Ours are all online should we need to reference them, but no I haven't read them in a while.

When one is updated we get an email and I might glance at that.  

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

I started helping to review and update hospital P+P in 1980 after invite from our lone Nurse Educator.  Transitioning to Home Health, wrote department P+P starting in 2002: considered the internet search queen to locate Medicare/JC  proposed/new standards.  Have giant computer bookmark section.

Now Home Health consultant, totally rewriting  P+P for a home care agency to meet state standards and updating camp Health Center workflow before I leave Sunday.

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