Friday, April 10, 2015

Bougie, but not the useful kind

It has become painfully clear that I am now working at a very upscale fancy-pants clinic, not a real ER. I suspected it from the start, when I was told that our focus is on providing a hotel-like experience and to make sure I kept my patients fluffed and fed and watered no matter what, and that actual nursing takes a backseat to keeping patients happy. I've stayed on because the pay is good and its a pretty easy job, but I'm getting to the point where the pros are so outweighed by the cons that my rage has escalated before I even pull up to the hospital.

I know that I go back and sing the praises of my home hospital probably more than necessary, but it's the truth - despite the little aggravations here and there, it was a top of the line well-oiled trauma/medical ER with smart providers, hardworking staff, and the ability to handle whatever was thrown at it. But my current place? No. Not even close.

The tipping point came the other day. We had an incident which brutally showcased just how fucked this hospital is when it tries to function as, you know, a real hospital instead of the bougie clinic they actually are. The breakdowns were evident from the moment the patient came in the door. Too few staff in triage, a poorly designed waiting room with no code button, security that not only didn't respond promptly but asked why the triage nurse couldn't just handle the extra people by himself, a lack of an easily accessible stretcher to get to the waiting room, doors that don't swing open automatically so it's near impossible to get a patient through without assistance, a surgeon who wanted to finish dictating a bunch of notes before coming to see a legit trauma patient, no ancillary staff to assist with a critical patient, a radiology department that isn't dedicated to the ER, radiology is constantly dealing with inpatients so they send transporters to pick up those patients which takes an obscene amount of time, refusing to clear an inpatient off the CT scan table until transport was present so we could pan scan the sick ER patient emergently, having a trauma cart but having it clearly designed by someone who has never worked in trauma so it doesn't actually have anything useful in it, and then not having ancef stocked in the ER pyxis so it instead takes forty five minutes from pharmacy. Among other things, but I think I make myself clear.

It's just the worst. I don't know how much longer I can work here, even though I like the people and the pay is very nice. I feel like this place keeps polishing their expensive turd so it shines radiantly  for the bigwigs, yet don't even realize it's not a good hospital - it is just a big old shit pile.

3 comments:

knittynurse said...

That would drive me abso-fucking-lutely crazy!!! Can not even imagine!

Aesop said...

And let's not forget, it's probably also got the highest Press-Ganey scores, and the maximum renewal period award by the Joint Commission, right?
Maybe even bucking for Magnet status?

I rest my case.

In most cases, I advise anyone not to burn any bridges.

But when (not if) you leave Wannabe General, I suggest you ask, in your farewell note, that they keep your resume on file, and contact you should they ever decide to transition to being anything like, y'know, any sort of actual hospital.

That'll leave a mark, but you never know whether it will finally get the attention of Someone Who Should Know Better.

Make your money, but start planning your exit. If you stay there too long, when you leave, you'll be tarred with the same rep they acquire, and probably not in a good way. The E.D. is a very small world, and word gets around.

zanne said...

I attended a meeting recently about low PG scores and what we needed to do to change that, and the first picture they threw up was one of the Ritz Carlton and commented on how a night with us cost more than a night with them, then stating they should get the "same level of service". Well, lets see....at the Ritz I have a house keeper, a maintenance man, a concierge, a bellman, guys to move my luggage, and in some rooms at the Ritz, a butler. So yes, give me that kind of staff for every room I have a patient in and I got your improved scores!