Dear Boss

I know you are stressed. I'm sure you're kind of on autopilot, but I notice things.

I notice that you said, "You learn this in therapy" in way too many places recently. Yes, people learn things in therapy, but when you have a RN in the room and a therapy student with patients in a education class, you have to make sure the patients understand one thing.

They should learn EVERYWHERE at any time. Yes, everywhere. If they don't, they may not survive.

Nurses work 24/7, and frankly, we should be teaching patients that amount of time, too. It's not just during therapy, or by nurses on breaks from therapy, it's whenever they can. I view saying "hi" to someone in the hall as an education opportunity. Like the fellow who wandered into the clinic at Washington while I was talking to my nurse friend T. He learned something, because I took five minutes to teach him (thank goodness for those brochures in my bag!).

Our therapists might be good, but they are not here 24/7. Our nurses are. Please don't discount them. Empower them. Encourage them to do their best, to learn more, to get certified, to be the best they can be.

Sincerely (because I really do care),

RehabRN