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??
Hmmmm -- now I might just pay $200 to throw one of these babies against the wall, and/or drop it in the toilet and FLUSH IT DOWN!!
I actually threw one against a wall - it was a lousy travel assignment in the WPB area (otherwise known as the ninth circle of customer service hades) - after being cursed out by an MD angry at the consultant that HE! requested.
Let me tell you that those phones are really quite indestructible.
It reminds me of when I worked at Burger King when I was in high school. We had a board with our names on it and we'd get a gold star everytime the manager saw us putting the correct amount of napkins in a to-go bag. (One napkin per sandwich, one napkin per fried product; no more and no less.) I thought it was terribly humiliating then.
I am an educated professional member of the health care team. Gold stars?!? *****!? This just completely infuriates me.
At least you don't have a board like one supervisor came up with at a company I worked for in the early eighties. When anyone left the work area they had to write down the time out and time back on a big white board. That wasn't too bad but then he added little columns for the reason you left like breaks, restroom, getting supplies, etc. Under restroom you had to put a "1" or a "2". (Think about it!) It didn't last long once upper management found out about it but it shows that stupid managers aren't confined to health care.
At least you don't have a board like one supervisor came up with at a company I worked for in the early eighties. When anyone left the work area they had to write down the time out and time back on a big white board. That wasn't too bad but then he added little columns for the reason you left like breaks, restroom, getting supplies, etc. Under restroom you had to put a "1" or a "2". (Think about it!) It didn't last long once upper management found out about it but it shows that stupid managers aren't confined to health care.
Unfortuately, I was unable to attend the unit meetings so I do not know exactly what was said by co-workers. Supposedly, per manager, only a few people spoke up against it. Others like it. I had a more productive talk with her about it last week and she sees my point of view. She said when this month is up she is going to change it to shifts (no names) and will prob move it by our med room, which is not so visible. It is sad though to see people actually asking where their stars are... drives me crazy.
caroladybelle, BSN, RN
5,486 Posts
I actually threw one against a wall - it was a lousy travel assignment in the WPB area (otherwise known as the ninth circle of customer service hades) - after being cursed out by an MD angry at the consultant that HE! requested.
Let me tell you that those phones are really quite indestructible.