Stupid hospital/company tricks

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

The stupid nurse trick thread and some of the abusive policies cited in the getting fired for being late/calling out thread have triggered me to start this thread. What ludicrous policies have been put in place where you work or have worked, what was the rationale for the policy, and what was the result?

My example:

One hospital I used to work for tried to force the nursing staff to bake cookies for the patients using what looked like a cross between an easy-bake oven and a toaster oven. Cookies were to be offered at....you've guessed it...7pm. Yes, right at change of shift. They also wanted us to DOCUMENT offering cookies. Predictably, this new mandate was met with howls of protest from nursing, which were entirely ignored.

The ovens went to each floor except ICU to "make the hospital feel welcoming and increase patient satisfaction." The already busy nurses often burned the cookies, or ate them during report, as they had not had time for a break all day. The majority of our cardiac patients were also diabetic. The floor smelled often of burnt cookies. The staff was resentful. A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

I could almost understand cookies in assisted living with relatively stable patients and a more home like environment or even LTC as that is their home. But not an acute care hospital at shift change none the less....it's a hospital not the Hilton. If I were a patient I would actually complain on the PG survey about the cookies & smell. I usually have no appetite if I'm sick enough to be inpatient...

Specializes in ER.

I remember those stupid hourly rounding sheets outside the doors. The manager would go through them when the policy was first implemented. The nurses would sign all twelve spaces at the end of shift.

Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

Specializes in LTC, Acute Care.
I remember those stupid hourly rounding sheets outside the doors. The manager would go through them when the policy was first implemented. The nurses would sign all twelve spaces at the end of shift.

Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

We still use those...

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.

I used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off.

Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.

"A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again."

Outlive outlast! :roflmao:

Specializes in ED; Med Surg.
Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

We still have the hourly rounding sheets; thank heavens the tech do them. One tech signed them all early and the family took a picture and emailed it to the department head. Sigh. USELESS!

I used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off.

Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

We had that too. We'd take turns seeing just how loud you had to be to make it go off. :)

Specializes in ER, Addictions, Geriatrics.
The stupid nurse trick thread and some of the abusive policies cited in the getting fired for being late/calling out thread have triggered me to start this thread. What ludicrous policies have been put in place where you work or have worked, what was the rationale for the policy, and what was the result?

My example:

One hospital I used to work for tried to force the nursing staff to bake cookies for the patients using what looked like a cross between an easy-bake oven and a toaster oven. Cookies were to be offered at....you've guessed it...7pm. Yes, right at change of shift. They also wanted us to DOCUMENT offering cookies. Predictably, this new mandate was met with howls of protest from nursing, which were entirely ignored.

The ovens went to each floor except ICU to "make the hospital feel welcoming and increase patient satisfaction." The already busy nurses often burned the cookies, or ate them during report, as they had not had time for a break all day. The majority of our cardiac patients were also diabetic. The floor smelled often of burnt cookies. The staff was resentful. A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again.

This whole entire post just makes me want to bang my head off a desk. Who the heck would EVER think that is a good idea?!?! We have had volunteers go around with a refreshment cart with snacks before. But it doesn't happen often. To ask the front line staff to bake cookies as part of their mandatory care at a hospital seems absolutely ridiculous to me. Clearly the ones thinking this up have never actually worked bedside.

The cookie thing...

You have got to be kidding me. You're pulling my leg. I can not fathom the idiocy. I simply can't begin to wrap my mind around how insulting this is to tell nurse that "baking cookies" is part of their professional duties.

Un frigging real.

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.
I used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off.

Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

We used to have a "stoplight" sign in my elementary school cafeteria--it was turned yellow when we were getting too loud, and when it was red we couldn't talk at all. This took me back to elementary school! lol And then I got to the part about the alarm. Yeah, don't think that increases pt satisfaction. I know I would have been ticked if that had happened during any of my postpartum stays! :spit:

Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

And the cookies...oh my, oh my. I used to work in a SNF that made a lot of effort to be home-like--meals made to order in a nice dining room and all. They supplied freshly baked cookies every day in a little bakery-style case in the dining room and residents/families could help themselves (diabetics had the choice to comply w/ their diets or not). They were supplied by--dun dun dunnnnn....dietary staff. The ones who ARE paid to cook. Imagine that.

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