Beachbum671

"Have not been to a clinic or physician's office yet in which all the staff did not masquerad as RN's" I had a conversation with my great-grandmother about a similar issue. She is worked as a midwife during WWII. She remarked that it is so difficult to distinguish nurses these days. In her day, you always knew a nurse by her uniform and cap ��

If I may vent for a moment.....the other day, as I was perusing through the usual social media sites, I cringed as I came across a post written by a Patient Care Technician (PCT) who works in a clinic I used to manage. She stated how good it felt to know her patient trusts her more than any of the RNs on the floor. Below this post were numerous other comments from other technicians applauding this and detailing other discussions they've had with patients about this same thing. "RNs are really only there for the license and to pass meds" (double cringe). As an RN of almost 15 years now, this is certainly not the first time I've heard of this. I've heard it and experienced it many times before. Regardless, I have a great respect for LPNs and unlicensed professionals such as CMAs, CNAs, EMTs, and PCT. They are some of the most skilled, competent, and fast-on-their-feet individuals I've known. They were especially invaluable to my learning as a brand new nurse on the floor. In many specialties, an RN will spend a great deal of their orientation with them due to their technical knowledge and skill. While the contention that exists sometimes between licensed and unlicensed personnel is an issue as old as time, my frustration is not with the viewpoints on the unequal division of labor, or who is more skilled/knowledgeable, or even who works harder. My issue is when we encourage these thoughts, discussions, and ideas with our patients and other team members---oh yes... and now on social media?? With the number of medical errors reported across the country and the negative media attention health care organizations and healthcare professionals receive for "incompetent care," we just can't afford this attitude and behavior. It undermines teamwork which ultimately undermines the quality and safety of the care we give our patients. More importantly (whether we realize it or not) it undermines the trust of our patients have in us as a department, unit, clinic, organization, and industry. Can we not lift each other up and support each other...especially in front of our patients?

I am interviewing for an Acute Facility Administrator position with DaVita. I have years of chronic hemo and PD experience but very limited acute experience. I would love to hear from someone who has done this for this company and could share some of their challenges. Has anyone done both for DaVita?