Organizational Leadership

I know I’m biased but why is it always a “nursing solution?”

Phlebotomy takes too long to draw their labs…. nurses can draw the labs.

It takes too long for lab to run the test, get an istat, the nurses can run the tests….it only takes 2 minutes (per test, run 3 or 4 at a time)

Housekeepers are overwhelmed, and it takes too long for them to clean a triage bed, nurses can turn them over faster!

It takes respiratory too long to do nebs, SO teach the nurses how, its easy, they can do it……and you can get the gas while you are there…. yep, it became our job!

In addition, nursing can be trained to perform the EKG’s too…. give the bed pan, emptied the foley and changed the wet bed, did vitals, administered medications…. answer the phone, the other nurses call light, and assisted the doctor with procedures!

The certified surgical tech called out, train the nurses!

The unit clerk called out; the nurses can do that job too!

We have too many secretaries, they have too much down time.  The nurses can do their jobs! It won’t take that much time. And we don’t need nurses’ aides, or techs, we need to cut costs.

It’s taking too much time to get patients in the computer and registration is short staffed. The nurses can do it, it won’t take more than a moment-doesn’t matter that they just arrived, need to be undressed, assessed (hopefully it’s not a stat delivery or cesarean section- or emergency) given oxygen and an IV, draw those labs, get them on a monitor, do that EKG, get a warm blanket ,explain it all to the family….and get that chart made that the physician is waiting for !

CORD PROLAPSE, STAT CESAREAN SECTION, UTERINE RUPTURE, NEONATAL RESCUSITATION, WHATEVER the EMERGENCY IS…..There are tons of data points we have to get 100% accurate so we maintain our accreditation so make sure you get all the stuff documented correctly, and can you make sure the patient stays alive, and oh hey, by the way, no one is going to cover your assignment while you are on this ALERT PT because we are short staffed-so when your done with that….now you have to come back and catch up with everything your other patients need and listen to a family member scream at you, because they have been waiting!

And we aren’t really going to pay you that much to work odd hours, bounce back and forth between days, evenings, and nights, make you work every other weekend, and take holidays every other year.

I know you just discharged a pt, and sent 1 upstairs, and have 1 with an IV pump beeping, and then there is the 1 that’s really sick, but we have an ambulance coming and I don’t have another bed, so I need you to take that pt in that room.  Yes, I know it isn’t clean, can you just run in there and clean it quick please? 

And hospitals give the doctors and NPs and PAs and EMS folks free food, snacks, and drinks. but the nurses rarely have time for a break…. and gifted with a sign that says, “no drinks are allowed at your station”.

Administration complains….” Our customer service scores are low, what should we do?!? Let’s do a customer service in-service and teach the nurses to “talk up” their relief and “narrate the care”.  It will only take a few minutes to update the white board! “

It has been a pet peeve of mine for many years that the Nurse is the solution to every problem.  It makes me tired mentally and physically. 

I love nursing! AND that’s why I work NURSING!!! I am a team player…but I feel that it’s getting to be overwhelming and unappreciated.

(Next topic…. WHY ARE NURSES STILL FLOATING?)