I keep trying to come up with an interesting topic for the Blog, and....yep, "I got nuthin."
I think its the weather...
And in support of that theory I offer the following which I got forwarded to me in my email. Don't know the author...it's been around for a while. My compliments to whoever wrote it.
Diary of a Snow Shoveler
December 8 - 6:00 PM.It started to snow. The first snow of the seasonand the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the windowwatching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven.It looked like a Grandma Moses Print.So romantic we felt like newlyweds again.I love snow!
December 9 -We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape.What a fantastic sight!Can there be a more lovely place in the Whole World?Moving here was the best idea I've ever had.Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again.I did both our driveway and the sidewalks.This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again.What a perfect life.
December 12 -The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment.My neighbor tells me not to worry, we'll definitely have a white Christmas.No snow on Christmas would be awful!Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again.l don't think that's possible.Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14 -Snow lovely snow! 8" last night.The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so.The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks.This is the life!The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again.I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way.I wish l wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15 -20 inches forecast.Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer.Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels.Stocked the freezer.The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out.I think that's silly.We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16 -Ice storm this morning.Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt.Hurt like hell.The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17 -Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere.Electricity was off for 5 hours.I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm.Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her
Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her.God I hate it when she's right.I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
December 20 -Electricity's back on, but had another 14" of the damn stuff last night.More shoveling. Took all day.Goddamn snowplow came by twice.Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey.I think they're lying.Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out.Might have another shipment in March.I think they're lying.Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me.I think he's lying.
December 22 -Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold it probably won't melt till August.Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss.By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel.Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter; but he says he's too busy.I think the asshole is lying.
December 23 -Only 2" of snow today. And it warmed up to 0.The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning.What is she nuts!!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago?She says she did but I think she's lying.
December 24 -6". Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack.If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel.I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Chris tm as carols with her and open our presents, but I was toobusy watching for the goddamn snowplow.
December 25 -Merry fucking Christmas! 20 more inches of the god damn slop tonight.Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God I hate the snow!Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel.The wife says I have a bad attitude.I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.
December 26 -Stills snowed in.Why the hell did I ever move here?It was all HER idea.She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27 -Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze, plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.
December 28 -Warmed up to above -20.Still snowed in.THE BITCH is driving me crazy!!!
December 29 -10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in.That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30 -Roof caved in.I beat up the snow plow driver he is now suing me for a million dollars not only the beating I gave him but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass.The wife went home to her mother.9" predicted.
December 31 -I set fire to what's left of the house.No more shoveling.
January 8 -Feel so good.I just love those little white pills they keep giving me.Why am I tied to the bed?
Comments since last post on Cherry Blossom Time
12 comments:
What is going on one Unit 1, I heard nurses walked. Is it that bad, I thought they got some new blood to change the environment. I hope it's just a rumor. Its a sad day and say alot about a unit if that is the case. Regardless, if the nurse were good nurses or not, to lose that many is an embarrassment. I pray that this is false. I know this is a sh$tty hospital of "Warehousing" caliber psychiatric care given to clients. Wake up with the new hospital opening. better get your act together if you want to keep nurses(I have been hearing their offering bonuses).
Look if you not going to pay nurses well, at least create an atmosphere were they feel appreciated and not a hostile work environment. Where you have new nurses starting every month.
Admin your policies suck, your hospital blows and I do not know where you got your degrees because you could not manage a hospital in the real world this way.
Therefore, destroy this one with your ineptness and lack of knowledge on how to create a viable and essental hospital for the community.
This Dinosaur(hospital) need to be classified as extinct and archaic methods of management retired right along with it.
Put your papers in and get the hell out of the way. Make room for those who would like to see success within this company instead of lifers, that are overpaid, lack knowledge and just hang around for Pera.
Those who lack motivation, personal success and knowledge cannot truly be expected to be succesful as manager.
Shameful
F-
Sincerly,
Warehouse Worker(Sorry, I mean RN prior to coming here)
Did the Gov. Spouse read this blog, prior to giving lip service at the hospital(all the things she said was nothing but lip service).
Speaking of the lack of ideas, did everyone complete and turn in their staff satisfaction survey? Did everyone say how much they like their jobs with the lack of respect, lack of accountability, lack of care - for patients and staff, lack of safety - again for patients and staff? Do you think Mary Ginder really cares what people think, or for that matter what really happens on the units? Does anyone left even have the guts to fill out the survey honestly? Then again, who wants to risk the inevitable retribution that happens when staff are honest?
As for Unit 1, the only new blood is the head nurse and it appears she is just a figurehead for the new social worker team leader. Unfortunately, as with most of the current administration, she has no real experience working on a unit. She doesn't even know the rules, protocols, or expectations that nursing staff need to follow. Then again, as was seen with the table incident, one doesn't have to even have respect for ones coworkers to float to the top.
And as far as the exodus from the warehouse goes, Unit 3 is having a similar situation. Not too surprising given how reckless last years "employee of the year" has been with both patient and staff information.
The lack of leadership is astounding, makes one wonder what will happen with Unit 5. Will a competent, deserving nurse get promoted or will another incompetent, "don't rock the boat" nurse get the job?
Well, it will be interesting to see. It will also be interesting to see what happens with the survey. Will they ever actually address any of the issues? I'm not counting on it. Guess that is why so many people are looking for better opportunities.
Is there any light at the end of this dark, hostile tunnel?
If I got a dollar for everytime I've said "I've got nothing", I'd have something ... a lot of somethings ($), to be sure.
My, my! Lots of discontent at the Madhouse. As someone who has spent many many years struggling in hospitals, allow me to share a small amount of wisdom ... they don't change. Hospitals evolve very slowly. Forty years ago the Madhouse was the best in the west. Then it slowly declined to its present incarnation. Only time will tell if it surpasses its former glory, or continues to slide onto the trash heap. Administration has very little to do with this ... its much more complicated. You have to take into consideration societal and political factors. In the not so great State of Colorado mental health means nothing. Care of the poor means nothing. Care of the crazy poor ... forget about it. Keep 'em off the street and well out of sight, and all will be fine.
Another driving force in care delivery is regulations. This is a big one, so get use to it if you are planning a career in hospital work. The Joint Commission must be kept reasonably happy. The State Legislature only wants to make sure that nothing ruins their day by turning up on page one of the local papers. Keep them out of sight! Medicare/Medicaid ... try not to kill anyone! Its not much different on the private sector, except that you have to keep the stockholders happy ... slightly different bosses, but the same old game. Private hospitals only hold up the banner of "quality care" because it helps the profit margin.
The Madhouse was not designed to make a profit! One thing that is wrong with public healthcare, or any public policy, is that it is not profit driven. Even if the Madhouse was profit driven, it wouldn't get to keep any of it. Theoretically, public policy should be driven toward cost containment and efficent allocation of money, but that is a tricky accounting concept that the vast majority of policy makers overwhelmingly fail to understand, and thus do quite poorly providing.
Now clearly, the adminstration of the Madhouse lacks leadership skills. Most managers do, and almost all managers in the public arena certainly do. Leadership is not highly valued in public professions. Doing very little with an even smaller amount of funding is HIGHLY valued. So stop complaining about how bad the adminstration of your hospital is ... know that their overlords are pleased with them, and they are the only people that adminstrators want to please, just like you only want to please your supervisor so you'll get that raise, or time-off for vacation.
Consider this, if you go to work, and you did what you consider good work within the limits and resources your adminstrators provide you, then you have done well. If you have provided comfort and a sense of well being to those whom you are charged with, then you have done well. You will have little effect getting what you feel you need to do your job the way you think you should because it is not your's to demand. Work with what you are given to work with by those who pay you. The basic employment contract is that you will do a job, and if you do it to your bosses' liking, you will get a pay check. If you don't, you will be shown the door. If you don't like what you have to work with, go find it somewhere else. Its not your hospital, so knock off the loyality crap! And, if you haven't figared it out yet, hospitals don't get embarrassed, and certainly don't provide loyality. Hospitals are things, and therefore do not have emotions. If a staff member leaves, then someone else is more than willing to take their place. By the way, satisfaction surveys produce two things ... witty comments to put in a report, and statistics. The latter is almost always twisted to make those asking the questions look good. Two thirds of the America people may not like the President, but what you hear is that a third of the people thinks he's great. (Wait, that doesn't sound good!) Anyways, the overloads want satisfaction surveys done, but they could care squat what the results are.
Should you fight the good fight? Certainly. Say what you think, ask for what you need, but don't expect a thing! The beauty is in the doing. Learn to live to fight another day.
Now, let us conclude today's sermon by saying the Serenity Pray:
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change ... the courage to change the things I can ... and the WISDOM to know the difference!"
Your's truly,
The Social Work Fairy
P.S. Yup, I'm one of those evil social workers, but I learned a long time ago to stop saving the world ... and to stop working in hospitals!
As far as new management on Team 1, they are BOTH inexperienced figureheads, with no power whatsoever. It seems they have both been asked to do the dirtywork for NURSING and push out the last experienced RN 3 there. The rest of us are so frustrated, having to watch as she's hounded, witch-hunted, supervised several times weekly, until she's given no other option but to file grievances and utilize union, attornies, ect...
What's next? A lawsuit? The media? Seems like these are the only ways that get administration's attention these days. All I know is that if it can happen to her, it can happen to the rest of us. Watch your back! And you don't have to be in management to get run out of the madhouse. All you have to do is piss someone off upstairs or in NURSING, rock the boat, initiate change, expect better conditions for patients or staff and you could be the next target.
It ain't right, I tell ya, in some cases! I have myself seen some of the great work done by nurses at this joint, who just happen to be managers as well. Yes there are times when the people above them, who are not nurses by the way, give directions that are not responsible and not liked, but none the less have to be forwarded. I know some nurse managers, and supervisors, too, that have to do what they can with what they can, and it may not be enough, but damn it, I am willing to give credit where credit is deserved. If you are a manager, supervisor or administrative nurse that came and worked on the floor to help when the acuity was high, or staffing was deplorable, then you know you were appreciated, because me and some of my coworkers told you so. You probably won't hear it enough and the other stuff you hear, which is negative, will stick with you longer, but let it go and consider who is probably the source. And by that I mean, it is more than likely coming from some lazy ass RN who talks more than they work, and who absolutely considers the nurses station their own personal arena in which to play themselves up and down play most others. I'm not saying that I like hearing that budget constraints dictate such important issues as staffing, and certain patient care fundamentals. What I am saying is that I will do my job as best I can, and buck up when needed, if I see that you are willing to help me and my coworkers, and I will again thank you for giving me a hand. I'm not going to be so considerate of your non-nurse boss, IF that person is not out there helping (so if you are out there helping, this is not aimed at you!) and consistantly imputing on nursing staff issues. Nurses and clinicians are not just the skeletal structure at this joint, but the heart of it. Therefore, if you did do what you asked me to do, kindly help yourselves by realizing that not all are in agreement about the labels given you in a blog, a meeting, a moment of disgruntled ventilation. The circumstances of the moment, fate, or even an ill timed bout of gas, sometimes have more of an impact on the momentary rant, the the truth of the matter.
Here is a serious question for us to ponder related to raises.
Why do we have Team Leaders?
If average Team Leaders make $7000 to $7900 a month in pay each. We have 8 units with team leader on each which averages about $64,0000 a month in payroll. It equals about $768,000 in pay a year for all. If you add in vested Pera and benefits I would estimate about $1.2 million in pay & benefits.
Now name another place where a therapist makes $7000.00 a month unless they are very good at therapy and have ton of clients. There are none.
It is a rip off of the taxpayers that master's level employees are making more than PHD level employees and have no accountability to the performance(or lack thereof) for the units they manage.
I will go a step more on this topic. If the Fort got rid of these jobs, we all could get some form of a raise. Look I hate to see anyone's job eliminated, but the reality is these midlevel educated people could get jobs within the state easy.
Now back to the question, what other hospital has two supervisors doing overlapping functions at such huge rates of pay. Would it not usually be a nurse that is in charge of the unit and a main therapist that all therapist would be supervised by.
Here is the truth $7000 to $7900 is spent a month to pay an overpaid, unproven Therapist(team leader) with a Master's degree that would average $40,000 to 45,000 a year outside of here in pay to mess up units.
I'm not meaning to pick on only Therapists, there are other units where the team leaders are not even qualified to be a therapist or perform actual duties related to psychology.
The pay scale is totally true, we are being scammed from the top and midlevel leaders. But not only us the Great state of Colorado is being robbed with misappropiation of funds for jobs that should have been eliminated a long time ago. This needs to be known to the correct sources. The top and middle management is pilfering the funds, greasing their own pockets and leaves us stale sh*t for breakfest.
Governor you better deal with this.
I think that are government needs to be aware of the 1.2 million in saving that it is misssing out on by allowing these nonessential jobs to remain.
The truth is private hospitals do provide not really quality care, but better care. They have no choice or they close. I have worked in private sector and it is better in certain ways. Especially with insurance companies reviewing and making sure their patients are taken care of. We have no actual oversight, and have quitea "sprinkling" of dumb*sses at the top and middle.
I agree with the blogger who says watch your back. And sadly that does not just apply to the nut-o-rama. Read the article in the Sunday paper about hospital punitivity and what seems to be the trend. Last year the then CO gov vetoed "Whistle Blower Protection" for hospital employees, some brave, considerate hospital workers still did what was right and suffered for it. It's up for a vote again. The article gave examples of what staff where fired for. Terrible, just terribl! So how can anyone be safe, and I refer to both patients and staff? So watching your back may be the best advise. And here's my question. What will these administrators do when good staff either chooses to go away, or are forced to go away, and patients are cared for by inexperienced, or uncaring staff, especially at the state level? We all know those who already milk the system, leaving the actual work to those who really work. And of course, do so in silence for reasons of self preservation. And here is an added insult to the injury in the nut-o-rama fashion - Marva got to take a bonus of $60,000.00 when she left her position. Just solidifies my notion that you have to be heartless and mindless to be an administrator.
What is happening on team 3? Is there some work related stress illness that is occuring (blue flue?)? 11 and counting sick calls so far this month. The remaining staff are looking tired and the clients are scared. Patients are removed from Observtion status so staffing numbers can be met.
Who is stepping up. One suppervisor refuses to fill in... some role model, another got set up by two jail house sociopaths and is off rethinking options. Work with the resources given and call it....lacking.
We need leadership to advocate for resouces to do the job assigned. OR redefine the job and cut the fat.
E2
It is unnerving when an employee gets targeted. Seems like more than one employee on Unit 1 is being targeted, can the administration want that many people gone? Or is it really the team leader feeling threatened by her competent staff? Too bad the head nurse has no say in anything, she has actually been a well respected, highly competent nurse, who has never been afraid to jump in and help out. When they hired an inexperienced team leader on a power trip the team ahs totally fallen apart. Can it even be fixed anymore?
Make no mistake about it. That "Competent" head nurse is the one getting rid of people She would rather have a team of "yes maam" then competant nurses. She herself has stated that!!!! SHE, not the Team leader, is the reason Team one(or better unit one since it is no longer a team)is a mess.As stated by another blogger, she marched in and made new rules without even knowing what the rules are. And after enough damage is done, she will move on. Everyone knows team one was not her 1st choiceAfter enough damage is done, she will move on to yet another job, and the Nurse that should have had the job will be long gone
Getting some new blood in leadership on Unit 1 could have made a difference. Hiring a Unit 1 social worker who knows nothing about nursing needs or rules and cares nothing about the nursing staff did nothing to improve the situation. If the head nurse was allowed to lead, the situation would be entirely different. It could be worse, the "nurse that should have gotten the job" would have just continued the favoritism, now she has the opportunity to move on and perhaps gain some objectivity. Now it is only the "Team Leader" playing favorites. Yet another example of lack of respect and lack of interest in patient care. How many more imcidents of patient or staff injury will there need to be before something improves? If you listen to the "social Work Fairy", things will never improve, so maybe we should all go elsewhere and let the administration run the place, as in actually do patient care.
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