One step forward, two steps back...

This seems to be the story of the unit I work with. Our upper Manglement wants to beat the Hotel into submission, then not be responsible for the consequences.

Here are a few shining examples:

1. Demanding staff be rushed through orientation because "they are not new nurses." 

Hello folks! Rehab nurses with a clue are not born, they are made by training and learning on the job. Notice: TRAINING comes first.

If we don't train our people properly while they are in orientation, we suffer the consequences.

One of my coworkers told me of a situation that nearly had me in tears. One of our patients with a newer trach went home without supplies for it, without any apparent instruction AND without an obturator!

This was just one complaint regarding this patient's stay. There were others. If I worked there, I'd fear for my license.

2. Don't do care coordination

Somebody should be doing it, everybody knows about it and nobody seems to be doing it in our neck of the woods.

My personal favorite: we now have "RN case managers" who say it's not their job.

3. Have a fit because our patients stay a long time at the Hotel.

Case in point: Guy gets discharged after lengthy hospital stay through no fault of his own (got sick with not one but several nasty bugs). Lived to tell about it, then our department gets yelled at because the patient didn't leave fast enough.

He/she was there  so long that he/she was discharged earlier than should have been expected (needed to do transfers independently).

Lo and behold, we get a call less than two weeks later. Guess what Patient X wants to do? Come back for rehab.

There went that readmission rate. Oh well!

Can you tell I'm glad it's Friday? I knew you could. Happy weekend to all!