Well, The Dux Are Really Out Of Line.....5/18

You'll find the following comment elsewhere in the blog, but it really highlights a problem. Someone totally unaware of the dynamics of a hospital has just been put in charge of one.

Well, strike one for Dux! Seems the big man wandered into Radiology during the 3-11 shift and saw 2 employees sitting down. He immediately let their boss know, via email, that there were too many employees on 3-11 shift.

Dux, did you take the time to ask them what was going on? It could be the first time they sat down all night!

Did you know that Rad employees know that if the shift turns deadly dull someone is s'posed to "flex time" (i.e., clock out and go home).

Do you even realize that in hospitals it's always a case of feast or famine--and that it can change from one to the other in the wink of an eye? You can be bored out of your mind and then suddenly get blitzed with a dozen stat exams/critical patients. If you send folks home at the first sign of a slow night you can get bit in the backside when that suddenly changes and your other person has clocked out and left and there's no one to call in.

Before you make assinine comments like that you should take the time to get to know the employees, the dept and the shift! Seems Dux is good at counting beans but has no clue how a real hospital works!

If you go to a real efficiency expert, he'll tell you that there are some jobs you can't measure in the traditional manner. You have to either staff for the peak periods, or you have waiting times like Parkland does....but better build a bigger waiting area. (And maybe you can set up a shuttle to Salas's Clinic for the insured/monied patients, 'cause that's the only way you'll see any of their cash.)

You have the option of randomly sampling as well, which will give you a better picture, but that doesn't account for seasonal variations. (Summer is usually slow for inpatient census.) However, this isn't like picking oranges: You can't just hire for the season. Traumas, cold and flu season, pre- and post-holidays, as well as a whole slew of factors effect your staffing needs.

I think we just found why he's bounced around so much on his resume. He doesn't understand.

Meditech has all sorts of trending and historical tools for working out staffing needs. Too bad he's either unwilling or unable to use them. In either case he shouldn't be determining staffing levels that require their use.

It would appear that the Peter Priciple has once again reared its ugly head at PRMC.

These guys make it soooo easy to throw rocks. Stay tuned for the never-before-seen ending....