Not That it Matters, but....

I was on the other side of the health care delivery system recently, having a relatively minor surgical procedure.  Which took me just a little longer to bounce back from, but no matter.  I am on the mend and back to most of my exciting physical activities.  Except I am not allowed to lift my kayak for another week or so.

I was more than happy with the care that I received from start to finish, from checking in to the pre-op area to the next day follow up phone call.  I have to say that I did not use my own health care facility for this procedure, even though the surgeon is there more days per week than at the "other" place.  Why?

They piss me off.  For one thing, the PACU nurse manager is a moron who apparently doesn't think ER experience is enough of a critical care criterion for working in a same-day surgery unit.  For another, I just couldn't see myself as a patient where administrative types are so totally clueless they don't value or even have the ability to recognize that people are working really hard.  I am sick to death of the constant reminders and whip cracking.  That not giving 100% every second of every day is going to doom us all, given that we are experiencing layoffs and all.  The buzz word is "Strive for 5", (as in 0-5) a reference to Press-Ganey  five-point scale that patients use to grade our attentiveness and care.  They just don't get that people, especially nurses, are doing way more than the best they can.   Guess what, you are not the number one hospital and never will be because you have a lot of deadwood making stupid decisions and fail to listen to the people who make good scores happen.

Because we feel like we are always being beaten up, there are days when you just don't feel like Strivin' for  5.
It might feel like "No More Than 4"
or "Three is Fine for Me"
or "Two Will Do"
or (rarely) "One and I'm done"

It was interesting to be on the other side of the fence.  I knew that care would be good if not great because I used to work there.  I liked it well enough, certainly the ER was better organized and managed.  I took my current position because it worked out with school and all.  But, I'm no longer in school (at least, not for the moment) and it might be time for a change.