So you're wondering why all the II and III positions have now been turned into I's? Why isn't there any upward mobility? Just why can't we get outside pool help now?
I'll tell you. It's another careless and half cocked idea by the administration again. This being the decision to house two totally inappropriate patients on the intake teams. They never should have been here as we can't handle the required time and resources it takes to assist these patients.
I'm told now that we are $200,000 in the hole for these patients (which we won't be paid) and that's where all our raises etc. have gone. Now we can't even afford to pay outside pool to come help us out. We're supposed to rely on in-house pool and line staff to fill the holes. Has anyone checked out the sick calls recently? That should tell you that we are burned out and don't want to fill the holes. If anything, the overload is causing us to further burn out. Anyone see a pattern here?
Why does administration think that we can handle these types of patients and not pay the consequences? It appears to me that the danger risk is rising on all the units because we're understaffed and underpaid. Next thing you know they'll be asking us to volunteer our time!
The safety factor is the big issue here once again. Instead of fixing existing problems and bolstering the crew they keep dragging us down with these follies of their's. Right now we're barely equipped to handle our "regular" patients let alone special needs patients.
But of course we're told if we could all just follow the example that Team 1 is giving with the pilot for the "Recovery Program" we'd all be much happier campers and the units would be much safer. From what I've seen, the patients run Team 1 as the line staff have their hands tied with this new paridigm that we are being told to use. Seems to me it's just another in a long line of models that the mental health community keeps trying to impliment but as usual runs up against brick walls with no where to go. Do they really think that this program will help patients live on their own in the community? Most of the paitents are repeat patients and from what I see don't want to try to make it on their own. Of course we provide the out for them.
Orpheus
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Us and Them
Why do we have to have sides here at Ft Logan? By sides I mean us and them. Them being the administration and us being the line workers. Ever since I have worked here there has been this split and it seems counterproductive in doing what we're supposed to be doing here at Ft Logan ie: helping patients get well and get on with their lives.
With the current undertow of anguish on the line staff's part and the "get them before they get us" attitude of administration all we seem to accomplish is bickering between the two parts invloved.
What I fear is that karma is going to come back and bite us all in the proverbial ass and leave us all without a place to work.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could talk to the administration without the whole hospital knowing and that there would be no strings attached, meaning they would "get even with us" in some form or fashion. What ever happened to being able to voice your opinions about what is being done and actually sitting down with administration to figure out what we are going to do to help the clients? Once again I have not seen this happen on any of the units I have worked on.
It seems to me that at this point we are going to need an outside facilitator if this is ever going to happen here at Ft. Logan. One, because both sides tend to piss off the other so often and for another, Administration is unwilling to hear any comments from their "set in stone" changes, ideas, morals.
We have been educated as equally if not more than some of the administration personnel and yet they don't want to hear sound and founded ideas that would help make the machine run a little more smoothly. As of late it has become even more of a battle ground as half cocked ideas from adminitration are put into place without any forethought or planning ie (locking the bathrooms). I'm sorry here too that one unit's inability to watch their unit has resulted in everyone having do to this rediculous task. Of course adminitration's take on it is that it's a JACHO policy. I find that hard to believe. Just another show of force from administration.
The next question is who to get to facilitate lessening of the hostilities between us and them. Maybe the Governor's wife would be interested. She seems to be pulling for mental health these days. Or maybe she could even appoint a committee to help with the transition from a authoritative to a cooperative model.
What ever happened to the job satisfaction survey we recently were asked to fill out? Or was this just another show on administration's part to make us think they are wanting to hear from us. Any ideas bloggers?
Orpheus
With the current undertow of anguish on the line staff's part and the "get them before they get us" attitude of administration all we seem to accomplish is bickering between the two parts invloved.
What I fear is that karma is going to come back and bite us all in the proverbial ass and leave us all without a place to work.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could talk to the administration without the whole hospital knowing and that there would be no strings attached, meaning they would "get even with us" in some form or fashion. What ever happened to being able to voice your opinions about what is being done and actually sitting down with administration to figure out what we are going to do to help the clients? Once again I have not seen this happen on any of the units I have worked on.
It seems to me that at this point we are going to need an outside facilitator if this is ever going to happen here at Ft. Logan. One, because both sides tend to piss off the other so often and for another, Administration is unwilling to hear any comments from their "set in stone" changes, ideas, morals.
We have been educated as equally if not more than some of the administration personnel and yet they don't want to hear sound and founded ideas that would help make the machine run a little more smoothly. As of late it has become even more of a battle ground as half cocked ideas from adminitration are put into place without any forethought or planning ie (locking the bathrooms). I'm sorry here too that one unit's inability to watch their unit has resulted in everyone having do to this rediculous task. Of course adminitration's take on it is that it's a JACHO policy. I find that hard to believe. Just another show of force from administration.
The next question is who to get to facilitate lessening of the hostilities between us and them. Maybe the Governor's wife would be interested. She seems to be pulling for mental health these days. Or maybe she could even appoint a committee to help with the transition from a authoritative to a cooperative model.
What ever happened to the job satisfaction survey we recently were asked to fill out? Or was this just another show on administration's part to make us think they are wanting to hear from us. Any ideas bloggers?
Orpheus
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Building Morale
So what could we do to build morale around the Mad House? Nothing administration is doing seems to be doing the trick. Adding more duties and paperwork to the mix is definitely not helping. Sometimes it seems they don't care where the morale of the hospital is. To me it seems that they are trying to drive off employees.
This ideation has even manifested itself in the notion (hospital wide) that "you will like the changes or get out". You don't dare go against their ideals or you will be faced with this proposition.
Why is it that the only SAFE place to vent about what we (line staff) feel is right is in a blog and in a clandestine mode? I guess the blog is a needed impliment if we are to stay even somewhat employeed at The Mad House.
Maybe what we need is a union here at old Ft. Logan. I was skeptical at first but now see it's benefits. Hopefully they would be able to help us keep the old guard in check and help us little folk have a say in how our work environment is handed to us. I've never been a union person, but there's a first time for everything. As they say. Go to coloradowins.org to get info on the union.
Orpheus
This ideation has even manifested itself in the notion (hospital wide) that "you will like the changes or get out". You don't dare go against their ideals or you will be faced with this proposition.
Why is it that the only SAFE place to vent about what we (line staff) feel is right is in a blog and in a clandestine mode? I guess the blog is a needed impliment if we are to stay even somewhat employeed at The Mad House.
Maybe what we need is a union here at old Ft. Logan. I was skeptical at first but now see it's benefits. Hopefully they would be able to help us keep the old guard in check and help us little folk have a say in how our work environment is handed to us. I've never been a union person, but there's a first time for everything. As they say. Go to coloradowins.org to get info on the union.
Orpheus
NEW BLOGMASTER ARRIVES!!!
Well, it's true....once one leaves the Madhouse, it's issues begin to fade. The Enchanted Castle becomes wreathed in mist. Distant. It disappears into the horizon, behind the oh! so vivid Present Day.
Which, no doubt, is as it should be.
The very good people who work there, however, still have reasons to blog! There, inside the mist-wreathed enchantment, battles are still fought...and the conversation must go on!! There's a new opportunity to make a union a real voice, for example. And other stuff....I'm sure.....lot's of other stuff that I know almost nothing about.....being preoccupied, as I am, with trying to help our disabled clients access their benefits....which takes a lot of attention, I'm telling you!
I do still love it, by the way. I am so tickled every time someone who had nothing is provided, because of my intervention, with a hundred dollars in food stamps and a couple of hundred in cash....It doesn't sound like much, does it. But it makes a real, tangible, visible positive difference for each person...How gratifying!! I can go home at the end of the day feeling satisfied - like I did some good....like I actually helped someone. THAT feeling was pretty darned elusive out there, as I recall.
Feeling good about your work is, perhaps the single best thing you can do for your health. Eating medicinal chocolate is the second. Did you know that if you can get ahold of the good stuff - the real dark parts of the "dark chocolate" (the part that all that research has been about), it lowers your cholesterol, lowers your blood pressure, and provides a complete daily requirement of anti-oxidants. Listen to this!: You can loose weight by eating three doses of it per day! Diabetics can stabilize their blood sugars by eating this chocolate. This chocolate is medicine! Delicious, indulgent Medicine!! Check it out.
Love your job, eat lots of chocolate - that's my motto!
And so, without further ado, I'd like to introduce a new BlogMaster, Orpheus. Orpheus has been situated in the thick of the mist, right inside the Enchanted Castle, and is in a much better position than I to advance the conversation that needs to be held in there. I will, of course, be a faithful reader, and an occasional commentor.
Blog about it, people!!! It's a surprisingly powerful medium...change happens when you write, when you exchange ideas with others in dialogue. Blog!....and visualize the way it could be!
Go Orpheus!!!
Hello bloggers. I hope you're still out there and still want to contribute to the blog. I feel it's about the only safe way that OUR opinions can be made known without some kind of retribution . I'm happy to be the next torch bearer and hopefully will be as proficient at writing as the last Blogmaster!
Orpheus
Which, no doubt, is as it should be.
The very good people who work there, however, still have reasons to blog! There, inside the mist-wreathed enchantment, battles are still fought...and the conversation must go on!! There's a new opportunity to make a union a real voice, for example. And other stuff....I'm sure.....lot's of other stuff that I know almost nothing about.....being preoccupied, as I am, with trying to help our disabled clients access their benefits....which takes a lot of attention, I'm telling you!
I do still love it, by the way. I am so tickled every time someone who had nothing is provided, because of my intervention, with a hundred dollars in food stamps and a couple of hundred in cash....It doesn't sound like much, does it. But it makes a real, tangible, visible positive difference for each person...How gratifying!! I can go home at the end of the day feeling satisfied - like I did some good....like I actually helped someone. THAT feeling was pretty darned elusive out there, as I recall.
Feeling good about your work is, perhaps the single best thing you can do for your health. Eating medicinal chocolate is the second. Did you know that if you can get ahold of the good stuff - the real dark parts of the "dark chocolate" (the part that all that research has been about), it lowers your cholesterol, lowers your blood pressure, and provides a complete daily requirement of anti-oxidants. Listen to this!: You can loose weight by eating three doses of it per day! Diabetics can stabilize their blood sugars by eating this chocolate. This chocolate is medicine! Delicious, indulgent Medicine!! Check it out.
Love your job, eat lots of chocolate - that's my motto!
And so, without further ado, I'd like to introduce a new BlogMaster, Orpheus. Orpheus has been situated in the thick of the mist, right inside the Enchanted Castle, and is in a much better position than I to advance the conversation that needs to be held in there. I will, of course, be a faithful reader, and an occasional commentor.
Blog about it, people!!! It's a surprisingly powerful medium...change happens when you write, when you exchange ideas with others in dialogue. Blog!....and visualize the way it could be!
Go Orpheus!!!
Hello bloggers. I hope you're still out there and still want to contribute to the blog. I feel it's about the only safe way that OUR opinions can be made known without some kind of retribution . I'm happy to be the next torch bearer and hopefully will be as proficient at writing as the last Blogmaster!
Orpheus
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