Lottery, Anyone??

I don't think it's any secret to any of us, that the people we work for these days expect the impossible, no matter what area of nursing we're in. They don't give a flying (expletive deleted) what it takes to get the job done...just as long as we meet our quotas and score at LEAST 90% on our audits....never mind that our department is critically short-staffed (we lost 8 nurses last year, alone). Anyway, to cut to the chase, the quality of nursing care, whether it be in the clinical area, case management or whatever, has taken a back seat to a corporate mentality, which has dangerously undermined our ability to provide safe, conscienous (sic) nursing. They want everything done faster and faster, and when you are faced with the choice of having your evaluation downgraded if you don't meet productivity, vs. spending quality time with a patient, something is going to have to go.

And, yesterday, we received another directive from the Powers That May be, that we are not working faster or harder enough.....

Lottery, anyone??:angryfire

[sjoe]

Welcome to the world of 21st Century healthcare.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

During the '91 Gulf War our floor had 12 people called up. The rest of us doubled up, did OT, worked our hineys off.....and somehow got the job done. One Army reserve nurse and one Airforce reserve nurse returned.

SOOOO TPTB decided since we had done sooooooo well on short staff...we didn't need to hire replacements.

That was 12 years ago and BOTH those nurses are still there. BTW the floor is even MORE short staffed than in 91....

Lottery is so true....."pays your money risk your life......"

[KaroSnowQueen, RN]

Corporate wants to save money. What's the biggest outgo? Payroll. Cut payroll, save money, more money in their pockets.

If less people can get the job done somehow, someway, even if it's half a$$ed, then they don't care, their trip to the Carribbean is paid for, and the migraines and bad backs we get aren't their problem, because we don't earn enough to afford even their crappy insurance, so they're not even paying for our health care!

Can you tell this whole thought annoys me on a daily basis????

[Stargazer]

It's not just healthcare. A few weeks ago our CEO sent out the snottiest memo I've ever seen from The Big Corner Executive Suite, basically telling every person in the company that the company's profits weren't adequate, that morale was crap (well, thanks! This'll sure help!) and that work performance would be closely tracked in the next year and (again, I'm paraphrasing) underperformers would be ruthlessly culled from the herd. Alrighty then. That was heartwarming.

Less than a week later--I kid you not--he spent Lord only knows how many thousands of dollars printing up full-color glossy pamphlets distributed to every employee and posters plastered around the building stating that the success of our company is all due to the tireless work of its employees, and thank you.

Whatever. Make up your mind, dude.

[Buddha]

I think I would staple the memo and pamplet together and send it back to him with a note attached That says essently and you can paraphrase "Moo"! No return address of course

[Stargazer]

Hee hee. No, I think I'll stick with "Moo." That really says it all, doesn't it?

[Buddha]

Why do men like this are left in cahrge of anything. OMG the guy in charge at my LTC can't even operate the phone.

[CseMgr1, ASN, RN]

Sounds familiar, Buddha =). One of the managers in our department doesn't even know how to navigate in the computer system we work in. She's too busy monitoring bathroom breaks and telling people to stay at their workstations.

And, just the other day our big boss, after seeing a coworker talking to another coworker inside her cube, went to our supervisor and complained. Minutes later, we all received a e-mail, telling us that she was going to start patrolling our area every half-hour and the next person caught "socializing" was going to be written up.

And they wonder WHY people are qutting right and left. You can't squeeze blood out of people who are overworked, demoralized and micromanaged to death........