Dear Hospital Administration Staff

Today I spent a full day at a workshop.

I was interested in the workshop. I thought that it really was going to change my perception about how we care for families in our facility.

To a degree, it did. There was a panel discussion and 4 families shared their stories, their experiences as patients, and families who have come to our hospital in times of need. My complaint, is that these were all families who had positive things to say. One parent commented that she and her family spent nearly 10 months in an intensive care and had only had one not so positive experience. Woo hoo. Except this: I see and hear from disgruntled parents. I know they write letters, send complaints and voice concerns. Why didn't we hear any of their suggestions? Any of their stories? Because, yes the nice pat on the back is great. But how the heck do you think we're going to see change if no one tells us what we're not doing right.
The same issues come up over and over again. We identified areas that we could improve on. Well, parents, families and staff at the hospital have been talking about this in the 7 years I've worked there. So why are we still discussing the ideas. When do we stop talking about them and start implementing them.
And really, what I felt that I walked away with at the end of the day was a bunch of people who were just looking for a pat on the back. A dog and pony show so we could 'voice' our ideas that have fallen on deaf ears for what I'm guessing is decades and feel like we've accomplished something.

I'm not buying it.

Sincerely,
One very disgruntled employee

Communication Medium

The lab called for the second time to say they were rejecting a specimen. The first one was rejected because it was clotted and unsuitable for testing. The second one was rejected because it was not labeled correctly.

The labeling of this particular specimen has always been a bit tricky. It's a blood screen: a group and cross match. They need to be sure that there are no mistakes made. Understandably so.

When the lab called, the nurses were livid. More so at their own mistake than the lab. They begged me to call the lab and beg and plead with them. We offered to send the nurse to the lab to correct the error. They still told me no.

I turned to the three RNs at the nursing station and I repeated that there was nothing the lab could do. The specimen was void and was being discarded. The nurses argued with me and told me that there was a way around this. They asked me to page someone, but were reluctant to clarify who. So they begged and pleaded that I call the lab and ask if there was a manager or supervisor around.

I attempted to stress the fact that I didn't want to do this. I used phrases such as "I don't understand what you want me to ask when I call, or who you want me to page, or what you want me to say to the lab". What I should have said was, "I don't feel like it is my job to do this. You're the charge nurse (to nurse 1) you're the nurse who made the error (nurse 2) and you're the nurse who thinks you know the loop hole in the policy (nurse 3).

So while all three of you sit there and listen to me repeat word for word what you say, then what the lab says, then what you say in response to that, don't you think it would make a heck of a lot more sense for one of you three to communicate with the lab?!?!? Especially when you're going to whine and pout that you need to explain to the family why we need to do another poke for more blood.
But what do I know. Apparently, I'm just some sort of communication medium. If only I were psychic.....

Only

It was only 25 feet long, housed 3 computers and had lots of open space as well as a multitude of shelves and racks for books. We were told it was the 'charting room' - for use equally by the doctors and nurses.

It was only a small corner of this desk, in an area never touched by anyone except to dump their reference materials when they couldn't be bothered to put them away.

It was only a milk crate of small (quiet!) toys and picture books donated by the nurses (or more specifically, by one of us). 20-30% of our patients are between the ages of 2 & 10, so it seemed reasonable that there be some toys available to entertain them during the hours of waiting.

It only took one doctor (small 'd' doctor) to have a hissy fit about the 'toys crowding his charting area!' as they sat inoffensively 10 feet away from him, neat and tidy in their 1 ft by 1 ft milk container.

And now in the corner there is only his crumpled coffee cup, and the toys are gone.