It just never ends. For the last year or more, management has been harping about hourly rounds. They have gone as far as to go in to rooms with us and watch us do our hourly rounds, making sure we have hit each key behavior. Also, they will go to each pt daily and ask about our hourly rounds. NOW... they have come up with the idea of call-lights needing to be answered within 2 minutes (it will soon go down to 1 min) and if it is not, at the end of the shift, we have to "sign off" on it. They have also now put up a poster board in the middle of the hall with each nurse's name. We get stars next to our names if none of our call-lights were >2min. It is crap like this that makes me want to leave the bedside. I do not have to be "shamed" to answer my pt's call-lights. I would not mind if it were in the breakroom, locker room, med room, but I have a huge issue with it being in the hallway. Some nurses only work 2 days a week, others 5. If I were a pt or family member and I were to look at that board and my nurse did not have many stars, I think I would assume that generally she/he was not good at answering their pt's call-lights. Also, it is a team effort. There are times we are all "stuck" in a room for a good amount of time. How am I supposed to be both in the hall at all times watching for call-lights and in my pts room doing my job?? Not possible. I also would not have a problem if the poster board was separated in shifts with no names and stars given to each shift for call-lights >2 minutes. I spoke with my director about it and she sounded annoyed with me and said this a positive thing and is supposed to be a fun game. I told her my concerns and why I disagree with it (mostly being where she has displayed it) and I told her not one person I have spoken to is happy about it. She completely did not hear or understand my concerns. I went as far as asking her if she were still on the floor how she would feel, to which I did not get a decent reply.
I am curious how others would feel about this. Am I being ridiculous because that this is really annoying me??
I mean, it would be one thing if management would track the amount of time it took for the call lights to be answered. Not divided up by nurse, but by shift. And then used the results, not in a punitive way, but to figure out ways to reduce the amount of time it took. Perhaps a nurse should be assigned all his/her patients on the same side of the hallway, same area, etc...that might help. Or "gasp" find out that they are overworked and actually hire enough people to do the job. Or "gasp" find out that patient sitters are needed.
I don't have a problem with management wanting to assess how things are done and find ways of doing it better. The problem is the approach that management takes is often insulting to the nurses and punitive in fashion, and decreases the overall moral of the team.
It seems like management doesn't solve anything....their solution to everything seems to be to blame it on what they call is the "inadequacy" of the nurse in some fashion, whether that be laziness or lack of time management skills. Management never seems to trust that the nurses, aides and techs ARE doing their part....that many times the problem comes from their own rules!!!
Management should be required to work various shifts every couple weeks to get a feel for how things really are on the floor. That would solve a lot of the problems...or atleast give them the insight that is needed to make the right decisions.
So does anyone work in a facility or a unit where they like their management and things work well? Where nurses and aides are happy and PG scores are up? What type of a unit is this and what do you guys do that works so well?
I think have nurse managers work a floor shift now and then is a great idea to keep them in touch. However, I see their jobs as being demanding with little reward. I never want to be one. There is so much paperwork with nursing now, it's ridiculous. It's loose-loose everywhere.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I agree 100%! I've been around long enough, though, to see nurses who I know have said, "I'll never be like that if I ever become a manager!" But inexplicably, most of them have become "like that". Something in the water? The coffee? Toxic fumes from conference room furniture? It's sad when it happens to a friend.
So does anyone work in a facility or a unit where they like their management and things work well? Where nurses and aides are happy and PG scores are up? What type of a unit is this and what do you guys do that works so well?
I think have nurse managers work a floor shift now and then is a great idea to keep them in touch. However, I see their jobs as being demanding with little reward. I never want to be one. There is so much paperwork with nursing now, it's ridiculous. It's loose-loose everywhere.
I worked at a place where management acted as if they cared about what mattered. It seemed to be a function of the attitudes of the individuals involved, and did not last for long.
Hmm, that doesn't seem too bad to me. We currenly are required to round at least every 2 hours, and encouraged/basically told to do it more often. What's worse: Each patient get's a dry erase board. Each nurse gets a personal wireless cell phone. Every shift, during intitial rounds, we are required to write our names with our personal phone number for that shift, so the patient can always call us directly. Not only do they have a call light, but they have a flipping phone with direct access to the nurse (and aide! two numbers!) at ALL times! I can not tell you how many times I've wanted to flush my phone down the toilet, and how many times I've "forgotten" to write my name and number down on the board. I can't even get that kind of service at a 5 star hotel, we sure as hell shouldn't be giving that to patients. I mean, there are some people I genuinely don't mind being in direct contact for, but to say I'm frustrated when a drug addict is calling q10 all night is the least I can say!
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Hmm, that doesn't seem too bad to me. We currenly are required to round at least every 2 hours, and encouraged/basically told to do it more often. What's worse: Each patient get's a dry erase board. Each nurse gets a personal wireless cell phone. Every shift, during intitial rounds, we are required to write our names with our personal phone number for that shift, so the patient can always call us directly. Not only do they have a call light, but they have a flipping phone with direct access to the nurse (and aide! two numbers!) at ALL times! I can not tell you how many times I've wanted to flush my phone down the toilet, and how many times I've "forgotten" to write my name and number down on the board. I can't even get that kind of service at a 5 star hotel, we sure as hell shouldn't be giving that to patients. I mean, there are some people I genuinely don't mind being in direct contact for, but to say I'm frustrated when a drug addict is calling q10 all night is the least I can say!
*** Gee, I think my phone would have a dead battery nearly all the time and I would be greatly surpised whenever anyone pointed it out to me.
It comes down to One-on-One...they can't offer it, but they want to make it look like they have it! I am all about making my company (hospital, acute care unit) look good, but in the reality of it.....we just can't do it!
Hmm, that doesn't seem too bad to me. We currenly are required to round at least every 2 hours, and encouraged/basically told to do it more often. What's worse: Each patient get's a dry erase board. Each nurse gets a personal wireless cell phone. Every shift, during intitial rounds, we are required to write our names with our personal phone number for that shift, so the patient can always call us directly. Not only do they have a call light, but they have a flipping phone with direct access to the nurse (and aide! two numbers!) at ALL times! I can not tell you how many times I've wanted to flush my phone down the toilet, and how many times I've "forgotten" to write my name and number down on the board. I can't even get that kind of service at a 5 star hotel, we sure as hell shouldn't be giving that to patients. I mean, there are some people I genuinely don't mind being in direct contact for, but to say I'm frustrated when a drug addict is calling q10 all night is the least I can say!
I'm really surprised by this. I would be really annoyed at having to hand out my personal cell number that they can reach me even during non-working hours? no no no not okay.
What ever happened to quality over quantity?.."My patient died because I had to answer a call light...but I answered all my call lights in under two minuets; gold star!!":uhoh3: If management wants to pull this kind of crap I would tell them to go work for McDonald's; they required their drive through window times to be under five minuets...I am tired of our counties drive thru, microwave, DVR-fastforward mentality; maybe in E.R. and triage, but health care in general does not need this thought process.
It's sad when it happens to a friend.
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IHeartPeds87
542 Posts
I mean, it would be one thing if management would track the amount of time it took for the call lights to be answered. Not divided up by nurse, but by shift. And then used the results, not in a punitive way, but to figure out ways to reduce the amount of time it took. Perhaps a nurse should be assigned all his/her patients on the same side of the hallway, same area, etc...that might help. Or "gasp" find out that they are overworked and actually hire enough people to do the job. Or "gasp" find out that patient sitters are needed.
I don't have a problem with management wanting to assess how things are done and find ways of doing it better. The problem is the approach that management takes is often insulting to the nurses and punitive in fashion, and decreases the overall moral of the team.
It seems like management doesn't solve anything....their solution to everything seems to be to blame it on what they call is the "inadequacy" of the nurse in some fashion, whether that be laziness or lack of time management skills. Management never seems to trust that the nurses, aides and techs ARE doing their part....that many times the problem comes from their own rules!!!
Management should be required to work various shifts every couple weeks to get a feel for how things really are on the floor. That would solve a lot of the problems...or atleast give them the insight that is needed to make the right decisions.