Monday, May 01, 2006

PRMC: Reverse Polarity-- 5/29

If you've followed some of the links that are available on the site, you might have clicked on the ABC News dealing with infections. In it, the writer gives some standard advise on how to choose a hospital. This was a quote:

"A number of sites rate hospitals and provide information on diagnosis and treatment, the procedures that are performed, and how the patients fared. There are also "nurse magnet" hospitals where the best nurses work, the morale is the highest, and the hospital has the most resources. You want to be where nurses want to be."
Does this sound like PRMC? I haven't seen this many temps since working in a brand new medical center. There, they had an excuse: New hospital, immediate staffing needs. By the time they were one year into it, there were less than 6 temps working...heck, PRMC might have that on two floors in one shift!

The Radiology director has been quoted as saying she'd rather have all temps...but even the temps don't really want to stay. Seldom do they renew.

I had comments about a boutique hospital in Dallas. There, the staff is well treated, meals are gratis, and they actually get bonuses...novel idea. Their retention rate is almost 100%--no one wants to leave. Contrast that to here: Almost everyone is looking for an alternative....

Why does administration like temps? They have no vested interest in the hospital. They couldn't care less about policy, administrative responsiveness, or even much about conditions...because they aren't staying!

Our problem is that we are. Our families are here, we have roots, and to leave would be to be beaten by E$$ent. My worst fear is that family or friends would be subjected to "E$$ent care", or lack there of.

I don't think that they could ever rise to the standard of a magnet, nor would they want to. The telling reason is this quote from an article in Nursing World:
"Magnet facilities are required to respond to the complaint, and an immediate site visit is scheduled and investigation launched when the complaint involves a health and safety threat to patients or nurses."
Could they afford an "immediate" site visit? I think not.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Funny thing, this was the first time I had seen the billboard: Your emergency....

Actually, they got it wrong: PRMC's emergency is OUR emergency!

Anonymous said...

All employees of PRMC need to remember to fill out the satisfaction survey available right now. It may not help, but we have to try!

Anonymous said...

The magnet hospitals are such a great idea. I wish people would push that idea, along with the nurse friendly hospitals that the American Nurses Association educating on.

The problems with the hospitals are expanding everyday. I left when Essent got so bad and went to another hospital--that had plenty of help, and it wasn't long until some of the same problems met me there.

A friend of mine started working as an agency nurse in Dallas, and their was only one staff nurse on the floor that she was working on. The rest were agency.

Short staffing to save money is a problem everywhere--except the magnet hospitals, and the nurse friendly hospitals have some incintives and safe guards to get people working at their facility.

Nurses are going to home health in masses. They don't want the stress of the short staffing. They don't want the calls begging you to come in every shift that you have off.

fac_p said...

Someone else looked up the references, which took some load off me...thanks--fac_p
What is Magnet status and how's that whole thing going?

What's the attraction to magnet hospitals?

NurseWeek: Respect Breeds Contentment: Magnet hospitals tend to attract and retain nurses

Anonymous said...

Ok so what is this mention in The Snooze about a "medical facility" being part of La Quinta's plans???? What kind of medical facility????

Anonymous said...

5:45

Who is the guy in the donut on the billboard? Are they actors?

Anonymous said...

Quote from today's Paris Snooze - Knizley - "We have enough capital resources, and we’ve done well enough, that we’re in a position now that we can bring in a prospective doctor and say, ‘Give us a drawing and give us a list, and we’ll look it over and build what you need."

Wonder what he'd do if all the doctors wanted was adequate nursing staff to care for their patients? Or for enough Dynamaps (that actually work) to care for their pts?

Come on local docs, step up. If the new "prospective doctor" can just hand over a list and Knizley can produce it, then don't you think its fair that the docs that have been bringing in business, even without fancy new floors with flat screens in every room, should get to hand in lists?

Or how about the nurses do we get lists too? There are some of us that have stuck it out, worked in the hospital with the "counter top falls to pieces and everything else around you is falling apart,”
Damnit! I want a list! Maybe I'll just turn one in, see what happens?

Anonymous said...

The guy in the "donut" is Wayne Neal. Supervisor under Fra Hitler in radiology.

Anonymous said...

Alas, Wayne knows nada about CT (the Donut). But it looks good. And that is what E$$ent is all about. The people around here don't know diddly squat but by doggies we look good.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, guess the "donut picture" was one of the so called "perks".......right about now, he's gotta be REALLY proud of supervising Radiology. And he couldn't run a CT unit to save his frikkin' life.....again, smoke and mirrors!

Anonymous said...

So,they are actors.

Anonymous said...

This is forwarded from Casa Rio Rojo,

To the Admin, 8:56
What a childish attitude:

First and foremost, your arrogance perceives yourself, your ignorance is E$$ENT all over, with your attitude.
E$$ent has a LEGAL obligation to all employees to provide a safe work environment, this includes where employee's are asked to park.
If one slips on ice or snow, gets hit by a car, or is abducted or accosted by a stranger, in a designated area by E$$ent, they, E$$ent can be held liable.
If you wish to challenge this after consulting your attorneys,
mandate parking in the Bronx.

A Dallas Attorney

Anonymous said...

Well, good luck to the last two regular employee-nurses from 3-11, 6th floor. About 50 years of experience between the two. Now the shift is all agency.

Good luck to ortho.....

Anonymous said...

I'll bet the ortho group is loving it. NOT.