Monday, May 1, 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.

No comments:

Post a Comment