Name a stupid policy/idea your facility thought would fly

[tokmom]

A former facility thought they could multi task the housekeepers by having them be lab techs. If they were in a room cleaning, they could drop their mops and get a few vials of blood for us. That lasted about a month before it was thankfully stopped.

I remember watching them learn to draw blood. They were given a 30 min tutorial on a rubber arm.

[Hygiene Queen]

So true.

Then when they fix the problem that they created, they give themselves a big ol' pat on the back for fixing the problem...

And don't anyone dare remind them where the problem came from in the first place!

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

No, what she says is true. I still work for same facility. Here's another one: require OB scrub techs to be in the facility even when there are no labor patients, but without even getting on/call pay. I kid you not.

That is illegal....someone should report them.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Just recently we were told we have to wear gloves and a mask to replace a bag of IV fluids. They finally realized that was stupid, but are still requiring it if the fluids are going into a central line.

How much compliance you think they're getting with that?

[gloriajean4eva]

I can relate to that, They tried to have our unit clerks do the same thing, only the job also included running the samples to lab as well, EPIC FAIL, but not before alot of phone calls and call lights went unanswered!!!

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

Just recently we were told we have to wear gloves and a mask to replace a bag of IV fluids. They finally realized that was stupid, but are still requiring it if the fluids are going into a central line.

How much compliance you think they're getting with that?

Ok...weird about the gloves, but whatever.. The mask though?? WTH?

All I can say to all of the above is Wow...

Oh and not sitting down and only a card table? How professional is that????

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

That is illegal....someone should report them.

This is the same facility that told us to clock out at the end of the shift and come back and finish charting. Having an hour OT was not uncommon. They did a lot of illegal crap

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

Oh and not sitting down and only a card table? How professional is that????

We had better working environments in Nicaragua for the love of Pete! It sounds just plain crazy to have no workspace for the nurses. I bet the NM would change her tune if she only had a mayo stand for a desk...afterall, she IS a nurse, isn't she?!?

[nurseclm]

This is not a nursing story but I hope you will appreciate it. My former employer had a policy the if there was a "tornado warning" the Engineering Dept. would send someone onto the roof of the hospital to determine in which direction the tornado was moving. I laughed and laughed and asked, "And how much do they pay these people?" This policy was in place for years until I guess someone finally said, "Duh, is this really what we want to do?"

By the way, when I came out of school 41 years ago, we washed beds, drew blood, served trays, and any other duties as assigned. We loved nursing! Sad to see so many people today unhappy with nursing. I do understand why though.

[Jenni811, RN]

So true.

Then when they fix the problem that they created, they give themselves a big ol' pat on the back for fixing the problem...

And don't anyone dare remind them where the problem came from in the first place!

Ha!!! Yup. Then administration never ever lets us forget about this either when we claim "they never listen"

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

So you remember that too TNT? OMG, that was so stupid. Gotta love that certain facility, lol.I did not know they expected the techs to be lazing around with no extra pay! What if they said no? My guess is they were shown their walking papers. :uhoh3:Yep, certainly don't miss that place!

I do remember that! And although I sit on the RN union negotiating team, I wrote to all our staff about how this was a very bad precedent, probably illegal, and that facilities commensurate to the techs' homes should be provided while they were just hanging out. Oh, and that they were to be called only if OB needed them.This was actually the demand from a doc, who no longer works there, part of a group who recently bailed....you porbably know her, too, tokmom.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Think how much time they could save by carrying their blood drawing tray on the housekeeping cart?

[floridanurse1983]

This is not a nursing story but I hope you will appreciate it. My former employer had a policy the if there was a "tornado warning" the Engineering Dept. would send someone onto the roof of the hospital to determine in which direction the tornado was moving. I laughed and laughed and asked, "And how much do they pay these people?" This policy was in place for years until I guess someone finally said, "Duh, is this really what we want to do?"

By the way, when I came out of school 41 years ago, we washed beds, drew blood, served trays, and any other duties as assigned. We loved nursing! Sad to see so many people today unhappy with nursing. I do understand why though.

How stupid can policy people be at that place. Although I keep picturing in my head "Which way did it go George, which way did it go?"