Nurses and Dysfunction?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 17, 2005

I work for a hospital that is owned by a corporation "for profit". So its all about the money lol.
They can't keep a nurse manager hired, because the stress gets too bad and they leave, or they offend someone and they fire them.
Main goal of this administration is to keep patient satisfaction HIGH. So you have to be all things to all people. They can't and don't want to hire NA's..don't ask my why, but they don't. So the nurse, who has 6 patients is sometimes in the position of having to take all vital signs, fill ice pichters, make the bed and help the patient bathe. O, and do her meds, sign off her orders, call pharmacy, deal with issues and concerns, deal with critical situations............meds........treatments..you get my drift.
Corportation has hired an independant consultant to "shape us up". She has come in and had a meeting with us, stating she doesnt care if we like her or not..shes not here to make friends, but to get us to comply with the companys issues. She then said that 70% of nurses come from dysfunctional backgrounds and 30% come from abused, sexually or physically backgrounds. What her point in saying that I don't honestly know, but she has royally pissed off her staff. It was a real put down to the integrity of the staff. She has a bunch of hardworking dedicated nurses who are working beyond their limits. We're stressed!!
I'll cut it short here. We are going to form a group of nurses, LPNs and RNs to go to our CNO and complain about this. What do you all think?

I'll keep it short: The best pt. satisfaction can come from employee satisfaction.

In the world of this 'customer service' craze that the pencil pushers in healthcare deems 'in fashion', the people who are physically caring for the pts. are forgotten 99% of the time.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 17, 2005

She then said that 70% of nurses come from dysfunctional backgrounds and 30% come from abused, sexually or physically backgrounds.

I would have ASKED her what her point was with this. Not to mention WHERE that stat came from! And what relevence this is supposed to have with how you all are currently being treated.

Mulan · Oct 17, 2005

Do you suppose they have the idea that nurses are easy to control because of that or that they can abuse nurses because they think nurses come from that type of background and just go along with the abuse?

Nurses certainly are abused working in a hospital, used and abused!

chadash · Oct 17, 2005

There is some claim that 83 percent of all nurses are firstborn children of alcoholics.....Lets take our own poll....

boulergirl, CNA · Oct 17, 2005

This woman sounds like a real piece of work.

She reminds me of a boss I used to have...she told us in our first staff meeting with her that she was "her own woman" and if we didn't like the way she ran her ship, there are plenty of jobs in the Atlanta newspaper every Sunday. After running off several employees and/or getting them fired, the rest of the staff forced her out.

chadash · Oct 17, 2005

I don't know if this article addresses the prevalance of codependency in nursing, but if someone can gain access to the full article, it may be interesting. This in no way implies that the manager should have addressed the as if it was the cause of your departments difficulties. That's just passing the buck. If she saw specific instances of , let's say, bullying, then she could address that particular instance in this context.

1: J Nurs Adm. 1995 Sep;25(9):35-41. Related Articles, Links

Codependency in nurses. How it affects your organization.

Wise B, Ferreiro B.

Wake County Department of Health, Raleigh, NC, USA.

Codependence in a staff nurse affects both direct patient care and relationships with coworkers, physicians, and supervisors. Codependent behaviors negatively impact the nurse's sphere of influence. The nurse manager's codependency has the same impact, but the sphere of influence is larger and thus, the potential for harm is greater. Codependent behaviors enacted at different levels of an organization can disrupt an entire institution or profession. The author describes how nurses' practices are affected by codependent behaviors and identifies ways in which those behaviors can be modified by good management.

PMID: 7674043 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

bonjovigirl · Oct 18, 2005

I am a new rn, and usually don't take things very personally. But I saw that comment as a direct reference to "you all are dysfunctional, and therefore we can control you". Its seems to be exactly like an abusive man who finds his prey out of a crowd.

I would be very, very *mad* at that.

sharann, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2005

You need to be strong and strength comes both from within and in numbers.Go above her and demand another meeting with her. Get some of your own statistics about bullying and harrassment. Ask her where she gets all her experience from. Tell her you don't like her, so she was correct in that statement.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Oct 18, 2005

The "statistic" she listed reeks of being total crap (and I would have asked her to cite her source - the reply of "a nursing journal" would not suffice...I want the journal, the author, the date, and the documented research to back up the claim) - unless she is going back to the days when most "nurses" were prostitutes. Even if it were true, and I am quite sure that it is not, it would be entirely irrelevant and if she has even the faintest connection with reality (which it sounds like she may not), she knows it.

People like this person are not fit for human contact, much less supervisory positions.

:angryfire :angryfire As you may be able to tell, I have read too many threads tonight that involve nurses being outright taken advantage of and

mistreated. :angryfire :angryfire

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Oct 19, 2005

i work for a hospital that is owned by a corporation "for profit". so its all about the money lol.
you answered your own question right here.
they can't keep a nurse manager hired, because the stress gets too bad and they leave, or they offend someone and they fire them.
main goal of this administration is to keep patient satisfaction high. so you have to be all things to all people. they can't and don't want to hire na's..don't ask my why, but they don't. so the nurse, who has 6 patients is sometimes in the position of having to take all vital signs, fill ice pichters, make the bed and help the patient bathe. o, and do her meds, sign off her orders, call pharmacy, deal with issues and concerns, deal with critical situations............meds........treatments..you get my drift.
go back to your answer above....answered already by you.
corporation has hired an independant consultant to "shape us up".
in the corporate world, this is what they do. why?...go back to your answer again.
your boss is downsizing. he has hired a corporate hit man/woman to do it for him. old corporate way of doing things. nothing new. your boss is culling the herd and hired a sharpshooter to do it for him. side note, she is getting paid very well to do it too.
she has come in and had a meeting with us, stating she doesnt care if we like her or not..shes not here to make friends, but to get us to comply with the companys issues.
you have to respect her here. she is being honest. but, your boss isn't.
she then said that 70% of nurses come from dysfunctional backgrounds and 30% come from abused, sexually or physically backgrounds. what her point in saying that i don't honestly know, but she has royally pissed off her staff.
this is her job. don't you get it?...you deserve all the disrespect she can throw at you. its called "blaming the victim". by her making you a victim (in a corporate mindset), which is her intent with that statement, you deserve the treatment she is to give you. the nazis used the same mindset in the concentration camps to heap abuse on their "perceived" victims worthy of victimization. the term there was called the auschwitz mindset. you are worth nothing because of your "perceived" dysfunctional backgrounds. again, an old tactic. nothing new.
it was a real put down to the integrity of the staff. she has a bunch of hardworking dedicated nurses who are working beyond their limits. we're stressed!!
this is her job...to strike a nerve (regardless if true or not is unimportant), to insult you, and to make you walk. she is to produce results...nothing more. this tactic is usually very successful...and used quite often in corporate business. and you thought nursing is cut throat...they do it to their own, sometimes worse. however, with this tactic used in hospitals, nurses do walk...which makes your boss very happy...bringing in new blood for lower wages/benefits and/or to cower what remaining staff stays. respect in this type of management approach comes from a gunslinger mindset...duck, run, or you will be shot down....respect is not earned, it is something feared. your boss is quite aware of this too.

i'll cut it short here. we are going to form a group of nurses, lpns and rns to go to our cno and complain about this. what do you all think?
i don't recommend a confrontation. it is expected and you will become the first fruits of martyrs. you are walking right into the lion's den. they have already anticipated this move.

this type of management style invites the creation of unions. it serves them right if it happens. dysfunctional?....i sort of think it best applies to your boss, the tactic itself, and the corporate mind set he bought into. why do you think the topic "customer service" is a misnomer and sort of a meaningless term in reality?...because it does little towards serving patients( most of us know that)...but, it services the corporate purse pretty well here in your example.

i am truly sorry that this is happening at your employment. you will lose a lot of excellent staff. the best staff tend to leave with this tactic, which makes it all the more dysfunctional. often, it takes several years after the herd is culled before the hospital realizes its mistake and back peddles.

my regrets,

wolfie

oramar · Oct 19, 2005

I work for a hospital that is owned by a corporation "for profit". So its all about the money lol.
Main goal of this administration is to keep patient satisfaction HIGH. So you have to be all things to all people. Corportation has hired an independant consultant to "shape us up"............. She then said that 70% of nurses come from dysfunctional backgrounds and 30% come from abused, sexually or physically backgrounds.

The biggest jerks in this situation are the CEO and CFO that hired this woman, she is dong exactly what they want. The real question is "do I want to work for these awful people?"