Paramedic851

It's funny you say that. "it keeps them coming back to us" As if someone is really contemplating where they should go after flipping their car on the highway. They go wherever the ambulance tells them is the best facility. Trust me, seven years of being a medic on the ambulance. I don't think more than 2% actually insist on going to any one hospital after I tell them. XYZ is the best place for cardiac care, or QRS is our highest level trauma center. WHich is the way that it should be. Furthermore, the reason those people "keep coming back to us" is no more complicated then the fact that we give them what they want. So if the plan is to entice people to return by paying for their "lost or stolen" items, because ultimately the hospital will generate more revenue this way. Then why waste time/productivity making me inventory items that you plan to replace regardless of what documentation exists? Whats more, is don't give me a guilt trip about how much money the hospital losses every month because of these complaints! You are the ones that want these people coming back! When I was a teen, I worked at a fast food chain and I won't say which one. But we had a family that would come in every single week. Order a meal, then complain about it to the manager. They would get a coupon for free drinks or whatever and we would see them the following week. It got to the point where one of our servers actually saw them pluck a hair out of their head and put it in their food, then complain about it. When she told the manager, guess what he said. Basically, the free soda he was giving them every week meant 1. they did not complain to upper management and 2. the company was still making a profit despite some free drinks. So there you have it. The complex psychology of customer satisfaction and the bottom $line$... being injected into the delivery of medical care. The only problem, is that wasting my time makes someone who is needs my attention wait that much longer! and it boils my blood!

I work in the ER in the US. It is fast paced, busy and hard work most of the time. The good thing, is that there is less, washing, showering, bed pans and terrible smells in the emergency room. ANd when you do have to do that kind of work, it can actually make you feel good. It breaks up the monotony. Furthermore, you will ALWAYS have more to learn and skills to perfect. And there is nothing like a racy trauma or patient on the brink of death, to push your mind and body right to the edge of failure. I have worked in emergency medicine for seven years and I still see things that make me go home and study. You never want to be unprepared. I am not a huge fan of nursing. Mostly because of how dysfunctional our health system is. But i do like to help people and make a difference. Every once in a while, I am lucky enough to get that chance in the ER. I agree with you. Nursing home work is HARD! I could never do it. It is such an important job, and i hope that I have dedicated people to care for me should I ever end up in that situation. I think they are all underpaid and under appreciated. I hope you find what you are looking for cheers

I have no problem with taking inventory when the patient CAN'T do it for themselves. That's being an advocate and the morally correct thing to do. I have no problem with a policy that requires that I look out for the patients best interest when the patient is incapable of doing so. My problem is that the policy dictated that EVERY patient coming into the ER competent or not should have a full inventory completed in the computerized charting system. I don't know about anyone else, but I would be insulted if I came to the ER and a nurse asked me where my wallet was and how much money I had in it. That's like treating me as a criminal before you have even taken a full health history! Even in the instance of demented patients brought to the ED by family. If your family member is being admitted to the hospital. Why would you not take the time to gather valuable belongings and keep them safe? I have actually said to people, would you like to take this home until your father/mother is discharged? and had the response, No you can keep it here. Without even realizing that what they are actually saying is... that's to much trouble for me, I would rather make it your problem. Perhaps I am being to judgmental but I have a real problem with people pushing their responsibilities onto an already overburdened and dysfunctional health care system. And just to be clear... I don't take issue with a family who is genuinely overwhelmed by the emotional stress of an ill loved one. I would do anything in my power to ease that stress, because I understand that human experience. What I am talking about is the nonchalant folks who act as if they are boarding their dogs in my hospital. Merely paying the kennel to walk, water and feed. This is the minority, but the hospital should not encourage policies that rewards their laziness.... and that's my issue.

nursing destroys your soul Have a plan B Thats my advice

I have no problem treating patients like "customers" or "clients" I do feel bad when I know patient's got sub-par service for whatever reason and then I watch them march out of the ER to drop $70 on their mandatory co-pay! But it makes me angry when I see people who have medicaid in the ER for nonsense, with a mere $8 co-pay that often goes uncollected. Especially after they have been abusive and demanding, as if entitled to my service. The irony being that my 60 hours a week of highly taxed income is subsidizing their entitlement! If healthcare is a product, as all my administrators want me to believe. Then we should expect consistency and fairness for the consumer. It does not take a genius to realize that health care fails miserably at living up to any kind of uniform standard.

I worked at a facility that made a big deal about how often patients were calling to complain about lost or "stolen" items. Cash, Jewelry, clothing... you name it. If the patient complained, the hospital would foot the bill. To reduce this problem, they decided it was a good idea to mandate that the nurse take a complete inventory of the patients belongings upon the patient entering the room. We had a to enter each item of clothing into a the computer and then on admission or discharge, explain what happened to those items! What I want to know, is how this changes anything. Just because I made a nursing note that a patient had a shiny watch on his wrist. It means that the patient must not have lost it or had it stolen? It's just another example of wasteful and pointless documentation! Can you imagine ever leaving your watch in the bathroom of a grocery store then calling to demand that the store replace your lost item!!!! ITS INSANE!!! Nursing destroys your soul! I hate my job and can't wait to move on. I am working on my NP and can only hope that it will be a little better than what I put up with now.