What changes would you like to see from administration?

NurseOnAMotorcycle, ASN, RN · May 27, 2015

Holy crap people, I didn't see this much hostility on the other threads that were clearly on the same assignment. Leave this one alone already.

The more the OP apologizes, the deeper you guys cut. Drop it and move on. I wouldn't blame OP for losing their temper after what I've seen normally amazing AN members post.

Rarely do I ever feel I have to stick up for anyone like this, but come on guys!

heron, ASN, RN · May 28, 2015

@kbakrevs: no need for sorry. In my view, what's needed is the ability to hear the experience of those who actually have to follow the directives handed down by administrators. That won't happen if you listen only to what makes you comfortable.

Take scripting, for instance. This is a truly boneheaded ploy to trick patients into returning positive satisfaction surveys, regardless of the quality of the care they actually got. No way are you going to get honest feedback from nurses on this without someone's feelings getting hurt. You may not have the power to eliminate scripting, but you can de-emphasize it, thus saving a lot of peoples' time, energy and goodwill.

Another thing that makes our jobs more tolerable is using incident reports properly, not as ammunition against individual caregivers. Learn about root cause analysis to address system problems. With very few exceptions, everyone at the bedside wants to do a good job. It's easier when we're not sabotaged by poorly designed processes.

Mandatory meetings are another source of distress. There's no way to eliminate them, but don't use them for things that can be communicated in a memo or email. It helps if you are mindful of shift workers, too. You are either pulling nurses/cnas away from the bedside or dragging them in on their time off. Respect that and don't waste their time.

kbakrevs · May 28, 2015

@kbakrevs: no need for sorry. In my view, what's needed is the ability to hear the experience of those who actually have to follow the directives handed down by administrators. That won't happen if you listen only to what makes you comfortable.
Take scripting, for instance. This is a truly boneheaded ploy to trick patients into returning positive satisfaction surveys, regardless of the quality of the care they actually got. No way are you going to get honest feedback from nurses on this without someone's feelings getting hurt. You may not have the power to eliminate scripting, but you can de-emphasize it, thus saving a lot of peoples' time, energy and goodwill.
Another thing that makes our jobs more tolerable is using incident reports properly, not as ammunition against individual caregivers. Learn about root cause analysis to address system problems. With very few exceptions, everyone at the bedside wants to do a good job. It's easier when we're not sabotaged by poorly designed processes.
Mandatory meetings are another source of distress. There's no way to eliminate them, but don't use them for things that can be communicated in a memo or email. It helps if you are mindful of shift workers, too. You are either pulling nurses/cnas away from the bedside or dragging them in on their time off. Respect that and don't waste their time.

Wonderful information! Those are things I can/will use in my career, and I thank you for that. :)

Editorial Team / Admin · May 28, 2015

Thank you for moving the post to the appropriate place. Do the veteran nurses still respond to questions here?

Oh, yes, the "veteran" nurses will always try and help Students in this forum and several have already replied to you.

All we ask is that the Students post what they have come up with so far to show that they have attempted to do the work, be up front about the assignment, and be prepared for criticism that is both valuable and realistic.

allnurses.com is a great place to come for assistance with class assignments.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · May 30, 2015

How do you know the replies you get on here are from actual nurses?

kbakrevs · May 31, 2015

How do you know the replies you get on here are from actual nurses?

I know for a fact that a lot of the responses I got are valid complaints about administration and the way they handle things, because I've dealt with it myself. As far as the posters being "actual nurses", it won't really matter for this assignment, as I have to write a report on the type of responses I've received, not whether I thought the respondents were licensed. Also, I do have doubt that people who aren't nurses would waste their time trying to give a well thought out response. Anyone can lie on the internet, but I don't believe that is the case here.

Why do you ask?

bugya90, ASN, BSN, LVN, RN · May 31, 2015

Recognize the nurses who have stuck with you more than a year. I've been with my company for 3.5 years and have seen a lot of turn over. I sometimes feel like the new people get treated better than me because the managers don't want to loose more staff. I actually brought this up at my yearly evaluation and the managers apologized and said they didn't realize they were doing that but could see why i felt that way. Since then I've been named "team leader", finally got to go to the official preceptor training course even though I'd been training the new people anyway, and got a raise. It's nice to be recognized for all the extra stuff I've been doing at work and being team leader I get a say in the changes and go to some of the different meetings. I even got to sit in on the second interview for the new NP that was hired.

Point is don't be so worried about the new people not staying that you forget about the ones who have already stuck it out with you.