David13

But the healthcare system can sustain CEOs making 10x that amount? In my humble opinion, it seems there should be a ratio that is somewhat better balanced.

At least most teachers can retire at age 55 with a pension and full medical benefits, not to mention having summers off.

Of course they can't say anything to your face, but that bias is not always "unconscious". . .

I completely disagree with this. I think the CEO could probably disappear tomorrow and no one would even notice that he/she was gone. They trot out that old "indispensable" line every time someone questions their outrageous salaries. At the very least, they are just as replaceable as anyone else in the organization.

Policies are only as good as their enforcement. Where is management when this is happening?

How about "women"? Or, in my opinion, their gender was completely irrelevant to the discussion. They could have been referred to simply by their titles: LPN, Medical Assistant, etc. I know this is a side issue in this particular posting, but both the use of the word "girls" and the possessive "my" when referring to staff members of any gender (as in "my LPNs") has always appeared unprofessional to my ear. Just my .

I see absolutely nothing wrong with showing family members the way to the cafeteria. Extenuating circumstances are one thing, but for the vast majority of family members, they should neither be provided with food/beverages nor have the expectation that nursing staff will provide it.

The thing that always annoys me is that it is always the nurses who are made to pick up these extra tasks. It seems that EVERYTHING is nursing's responsibility. Cutting housekeeping to save money? Well, just make the nurses empty the garbage cans. Why isn't some other department (Administration, perhaps?) ever made to pick up some of these tasks?

You are absolutely doing your job when you question an order that you believe may harm the patient. Being a patient advocate is one of the primary roles of a nurse. For your administration to say that a physician's order should never be questioned is wrong is so many ways. Nurses are not there simply to carry out orders. Not to mention, if we carry out an order that harms the patient, we are liable as well as the physician. Is that administrator going to be able to give you back your license if you lose it? Always do what is in your patient's best interest.

Both nurses and physicians are independently licensed professionals. Unless a physician is the nurse's supervisor, a physician has no business reprimanding a fellow licensed professional. The word "scolding" implies that one professional has dominion over the other. If the physician had a concern, a conversation in which the physician expresses their professional opinion on a particular circumstance would be appropriate, with the nurse also having an opportunity to express their professional opinion in return.

Many states stagger the dates for professional license renewals. If your particular renewal is initially less than the normal extension period, they should be adjusting the licensing fee accordingly.

In my opinion, this type of comment that implies that the nurse is at fault for their inability to manage an inherently unmanageable situation, is harmful to the nursing profession. Yes, time management is extremely important; however, so is proper staffing. Putting profit ahead of safety by not staffing appropriately is not acceptable, and blaming the nurse for the situation that evolves from this inadequate staffing is not, in my opinion, helpful.

THIS. Communication between health care providers, by its very nature, cannot and should not be one-sided. I agree that there must be patience taken on the side of the listener; however, the speaker must also put forth the effort to speak clearly so that they can be understood. Because this is particularly true in a health care setting in which lives are at stake, not having the time or resources to do so is not a valid excuse.

You're an inspiration! Congratulations!

And when did it become acceptable for managers to not have a plan in place and to then hold the staff nurse responsible for this mismanagement? As for not answering the calls, that is not this nurse's responsibility unless the nurse has been told they are on-call and are receiving on-call pay. What, for example, would be management's back-up plan if this remaining nurse were far away on vacation? This is the type of situation for which agency nurses are utilized. Agency wound care nurses are available. They might be expensive, so perhaps their salary should be subtracted from that of the managers who created this situation?

it is not this nurse's responsibility to cover for this mismanagement. this nurse's responsiblity is to do their job and, according to the original post, this is being done. as the op stated, the managers should have had a plan in place prior to letting the only other wound care nurses go. in lieu of that plan, i suggest those manager roll up their sleeves and start doing some wound care. as that appears to be highly unlikely, there are alternatives available to these managers including hiring some agency wound care nurses until regular replacements can be found. they might also want to consider training some of the other staff nurses to perform wound care so that they would be available to do so during situations such as this. fixing these types of problems is what managers get paid to do. if their only "fix" for the problem is to attempt to get this nurse to perform the work of three nurses, they are not doing their jobs properly.

Exactly! :cheers: If it were me, and I got this type of call frequently, I am pretty sure I would make the effort to find an answer, or at least, the policy of my facility. However, the alternatives presented above are both preferrable, in my opinion, to simply answering rudely.

I disagree. In my opinion, there really isn't an excuse for rudeness, particularly when speaking with other health care professionals. I can certainly understand being frustrated. However, as a professional, if one is unsure regarding what information can be released in terms of HIPAA and, as was said, this situation occurs frequently for a particular individual, becoming better informed of how HIPAA applies to the situation would be expected. The alternative, providing a rude response because one is "nervous" or unsure of the situation, really helps no one and is not appropriate or professional.

It appears that, irrespective of HIPAA interpretation, we can all agree that rude telephone behavior by health care professionals should not be condoned.

It has already been stated in this thread that LTC facilities call for the diagnosis because it is required for their documentation. I am not positive that this is a legitimate reason or not; however. . . Per my understanding, HIPAA is designed to facilitate continuity of care, not to discourage it. I could be wrong; however, the initial dilemma presented by the OP was in regard to their perception of rude and unprofessional behavior received from their fellow health care colleagues. In my opinion, irrespective of your interpretation of HIPAA, the response to the caller should be representative of the professionals that we are. Per the OP's description of events, professional behavior was not exhibited in the interaction.

What you have described here is completely unprofessional behavior. Although you may not know their names (particularly since they did not even bother to provide them to you), you can still report the situation, including the date and time of the call. Individuals may not be able to be singled out; however, if the administration at this facility has any interest in changing this type of behavior, they can still follow up on this encounter. This is just my opinion regarding what I would do if I had been on the receiving end of that type of rude and unprofessional behavior. At any rate, I am sorry you received this type of treatment, and even sorrier for the supposed "professionals" who delivered it to you.

There is no excuse for the rude treatment the OP received. Being "busy" is not an excuse, and the length of time prior to calling for the diagnosis is not an excuse. Not everyone enjoys speaking on the phone or answering questions. However, particularly when speaking to a health care colleague, a bit of professionalism goes a very long way. Systemic rudeness such as the OP describes can become part of the culture of a facility. This type of behavior should not be tolerated. I would recommend that the OP follow up with the administration of this facility so that an opportunity is provided to address the behavior and improve it going forward.

Do not be too hasty to envy your friend with the new car. There are plenty of people out there with nice houses and new cars who are in over their heads in debt. The worry and stress associated with that level of debt is nothing to be envied.

The issue presented by the OP is an important one. Healthcare workers who are representing themselves as licensed nurses when they are not is an issue that impacts all licensed nurses.

Be very careful before accepting a position with on-call obligations. A great deal will depend upon the doctors and the protocols that are in place. An on-call position certainly has the potential for abuse. One of the most egregious example of abuse of on-call staff is, in my opinion, being called in consistently at all hours of the night for nonsense that could easily wait until the next day just to cover the physician's you-know-what. Just my $0.02. Best of luck with your decision.