"Love notes" reappear in a staff meeting

[confused101]

I usually don't start alot of posts, but when I do usually there is a purpose. Got to work last night and had two "love notes" in my mailbox. One for not putting a teaching topic for a post op person. The way it is worded it sounds like you put if they are mentally incapable of being taught, like they are slow or something. That is how it is everywhere else in the hospital. Ok, learn from that one. Move on, next didn't put something on the blood sheet. I hit my head and get angry with myself and check that I put it in the main charting but didn't double chart for it that day. OK 2 years and first blood "love note" got it don't leave without double checking first. GOT IT! :)

I have a good night. Patients are ok and I"m about to leave. Manager asks if I'm going to be at the staff meeting. I haven't been one on this floor, so I begrudgently stayed. Three speakers are there. Some of the things are relevent for me to know after 12 hour night shift and I have to be there in 12 hours for another one. I nod and go on. Then it all comes out.

First, I feel if you get a nasty gram it is between you and the person who wrote it. Be it the manager or her "helper". Long story on that one. Maybe another day. So, my manager starts bringing out copies of all the nasty grams people have gotten over the last several months. Making them an example for everyone to see. For example, I forgot to mark the 0600 slot on the double charting paper. I charted it on my main charting, but the "restraint worksheet" wasn't filled out. I smile reliezed I picked up my charting and didn't go back to do it. ONCE in 2 years! Here I sit and everyone can see what that paper is and who did it. We are nurses scan papers quickly everyday. It is something we learned in nursing school. Oh, no here we are for everyone to see how someone messed up and didn't fill out the right form effectivly. I have only had a few nasty grams over the last 5 months, but there they are for everyone to see. It did no good for someone else not to make the same mistake. This isn't school and say don't do that because they will die. This is don't forget to do your double charting.

It wasn't just me, but some other people's too. Also, about some heparins one day. I didn't have them to give so I was waiting on pharmacy. I forgot to tell day shift. Guess what... I heard it from the boss for the first time in the meeting. I had settled it with the day shift nurse involved like a week ago. It was like we were on trial and couldn't say anything.

There are some other stuff that went on, but for another post. I hate to complain, but that was rediculous. For the restraint paper. I was the first one to do one in TWO days for this person. I guess if you don't have it you can't display it for the whole floor to know about. To beat all, it takes almost 5 months to get some important questions answered by this person, but these papers can come out of no where in a meeting. I have a feeling this isn't the first time this has happened. I'm going to talk to some other people. I just had to get it off my chest. Do I need an answer other than someone needs to look like they are doing a job? NO! But I have to get some good sleep and it is good to get it off my no charting double chest! To beat all, I clocked out at 0850 for all that folishness. Deep breathe and go get some good sleep!

[racing-mom4, BSN, RN]

I have worked for my hospital for 4years and have only attended 1 staff meeting!!! And that was by mistake--I got to work early walked into the break room to put my purse and coat away and go figure a staff meeting was taking place...So I acted like I got there early to attend!! Now I see why I dont go!!...I do read the minutes and sign each month.

[neuronut22]

I understand your fellings on this subject. My manager posts the nasty grams on the brake room door for all to see. I forgot to cart a time on the blood sheet in one of the slots, the same time is also in another place on the sheet at the top(double chart). I was very upset and told her so. She dimissed me quickly. I am now looking for a diffent position. I have been a nurse for 16 years and feel I deserve a little respect. God knows We do not make enough money for what we put up with. I do love my work but I feel that managers have to respect the staff they work with. ( posting part of the pt. chart is a HIPPA issue also).

[pinkeyICU]

That's a rotten way to deal with mistakes. At our unit we get a little e-mail that is copied to our manager. I've gotten a couple and I just reply that I realise my mistake, will make an effort to prevent it from happening again and have never heard another word. I think this is a better way, because I actually will make an effort not to let it happen again. Unfortunately some people are put into management/supervisory positions without any training or talent for the position...seems like you suffered because someone was promoted to her level of incompetence. This type of public "outing" of mistakes is so unnecessary because most of us beat ourselves up about mistakes anyways. I hope you get some good sleep and have at least two good shifts in a row (is that all we can hope for?). Also may the bird of paridise fly up your manager's nose!

[RN1989]

If there are quite a few people that are making similar mistakes I think it is appropriate to bring up the mistake in a meeting. But the people who made the mistake should never be pointed out. It should be a general "People, we have some problems that I am seeing and I want to bring it to everyone's attention so we are all on the same page......blah blah blah".

If it is not a widespread problem then a quick whisper or note to the party that made the mistake should be sufficient. And it should never be discussed with anyone else.

When I have had employees who were otherwise fabulous make more than a couple of mistakes in a recent time period, I always spoke with them to see if there was a problem that I could help with. Sometimes it turned out that the shift was just a shift from hell or their mother was very ill and they were distracted. After getting to the root of the problem they usually realized the issue and what they needed to do to prevent a more serious mistake. No matter what, any type of reprimand should always be confidential. That is one reason that I prefer notes or email to staff....people always think the worst if I called my staff to the office but a quick note and no one else had any idea.

[walk6miles]

In the unit I work, a love note is sent by one of the long-term RN's to "the rest of us" ... i have received 2 or 3 - I try to comply and/or fix the mistake. Most of the staff says nasty things, deletes and forgets it...thank God she hasn't thought about posting any of them.

So, her reward? A full length ad in the big city's paper with her featured as a number one employee (long, long term) who is still bedside (NOT, NOT, and NOT)..... and I have followed her several times when she did bedside nursing (ions ago) and was I impressed: NOT!

[confused101]

Thank you all. I thought this can't be the only person who does this. I mentioned it to some of the people who where there are one of them said, oh yeah so and so had one. It's amazing. I didn't get good sleep r/t to some of that stuff. I'm dead on my feet today. I was looking for some other love note because it comes in threes right? Of topic a bit. Last night called a code, cancel the code, think about transfering the pt, then cancel that too. Pt. got worked up blah blah blah. Everything came back ok relativly. Then the surgeon come in and says he is going home? :uhoh21: all at once. It's like did they even check the chart or the nurse who was taking care of him all night? NO> Sometimes it is amazing. Get good sleep! :)

[Karynica, RN]

at the LTC center where I used to work, sometimes we would miss an initial or two on a MAR. It happens. We had an ADON write up a list of every single person who didn't sign and exactly what MAR. The list was handed to every person so everyone got to see where someone didn't initial off.

One older nurse in her 70's, (who didn't like me) told me I didn't sign off on one of my meds. I said ok and signed off. Then I noticed where she hadn't signed off and when I told her she blew a gasket. I guess she thought it was ok to tell everyone else their mistakes, but we couldn't tell her about any mistake she made. It happens from time to time.

I don't think it was very fair to literally scold you in front of everyone else. That can be done in private.

[TennNurse]

A facility I worked at once actually took the time to dig around for the exact monetary cost of omissions, like if you remembered to chart on paper an IV fluid end time but not on the computer. Then some superhuman flawless-type nine-to-five office-dweller who never darkens the door of the ER except coming and going for cigarette breaks, and hour-long lunches, would type up a nice little spreadsheet thing, and hang it on the back of the break room door, with first and last names of offending nurses AND exact dollar amount of their screw-ups.

I thought that was pretty tacky.

Of course by that time weeks, or even months, had passed, and all you knew is that the entire ER knows you cost everyone else $596.42, and you have no recollection of what you did or did not do. Or if you made a single huge screw-up or six hundred-dollar ones.

Management's pets were never, ever on the list.