Sunday, September 14, 2008
having to decipher dotors abbreviations & handwritting
The articles that we had to read for Prof. Politi raised some thoughts for me on the universal charting for all nurses. Why isn't this standardized charting suggested to the doctors as well? I know that they are the ones that bring in the money to the hospitals and that we are considered just a "room charge", but doesn't this sound one-sided that we are held to a different standard than them but yet we are all suppose to represent the same team? The doctors place the responsibilities of caring for their patients in our hands but don't give us the tools to help them. They often get mad at us when we question their handwriting and abbreviations, does anyone else think this is just wrong?
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8 comments:
It is wrong..especially when nurses are the one who does all the dirty jobs for the patient and they are the one who have go through a lot of stress. It is almost like what Porf. Sue said in our intense class, that nurses are paid only as a room charge but not individually.She said nurses work so hard to give a patient care but on the bill it only says room charge.It doesn't says a nurse charge anywhere, she also said the hospital thinks us as a part of room service but not actually care personal. I know it is weird and someone have to change this, and put a right word.RIGHT guys!It really is unfair to us because of the amount to care we nurses provide for the patients.
ALthough we are considered apart of the room charge, this doesn't take away from what we are there to do and represent. It's not the wording that concerns me on the bill, what matters is that there is no universal standard on charting. We are there to care for the sick, not to worry about how we are charged for on the bill. I personally could care less about how they charged for me. I want to work in geriatrics and if I'm the last person a pt sees and they are comfortable and at ease, then that's recognition enough.
I think the reason why someone would care is because seeing a "Nurse Charge" on a bill would perhaps validate their role in the patient's care. It may not be enough to that particular nurse that hey I eased this patient's pain, or I prevented a stage 2 pressure ulcer from advancing to a stage 3...that particular nurse's value may rely on the dollar and cents. Look at the doctors, for example. Everyone knows that doctors have the ability to heal the sick (with their knowledge of what to do for an individual's diagnosis), but you don't think "Oh, she's a doctor, she must be really smart, kind and compassionate!" you think "Oh, she's a doctor, she must be RICH!" So, just playing the Devil's advocate here, I think you can understand why someone would find value in seeing a Nurse Charge on a bill...it's just an extra validation of how important your job is.
I don't agree, does a nurse really need to "validate their role"? That's like saying "I chose nursing for the money, so where is it"? A nurse's role as a caregiver is just that, I don't need validation to help a pt recover. Nursing is sometimes a thankless job and I can almost bet that each pt you help recover thanks you for your care everyday; but you might not hear it. It should be reward enough that your pt did not develop that pressure wound, that's your job & responsibility. I don't volunteer with the veteran's admin because I seek validation of self worth, I do it because I want to help the men & women that have served and remind them that people are greatful for that service. Nursing is a selfless profession that is done without seeking individual recognition, I would rather see my pt recover than a charge for my services. This again, is only my opinion.
Cindie
You don't have to agree, frankly I don't agree either...I'd rather get my thanks from the patient I cared for than from a separate charge. HOWEVER, the point of my comment was to play Devil's advocate and bring to light that there ARE nurses who ARE in this profession for the money. And even for someone who's not in it for the money, like yourself, I'm sure you can agree with the idea that the more you get paid, the more important/significant your job is. So yea to YOU you're doing an awesome gratifying job, but to someone else who DOES NOT GET THE GIST OF ALL THE THINGS NURSES DO, a nurse's salary may devalue the nurse's duties. So I guess it may be more so for the ignorant, than for the actual professional nurse. Like I said, when you think of a doctor, you think of how much money he or she must have, not how much of his or her skill and knowledge goes into healing someone, and it's that concept (Doctors make lots of money) that is mostly responsible for the respect that they get. So to someone (clearly not you nor I) a bigger pay check or a "Nurse Charge" would make that person view nursing as a more important job, which goes back to the whole concept of the more money you make, the more important/significant your job probably is.
Well, I guess that some people want to see that charge and hey, of that's what makes them happy; then it is what it is. Maybe I'm idealistic about the mere begginings of nursing and I don't want to see those same values get thrown by the wayside. I can see your point, but don't you feel that if that's all the nurse wants to see, then why are they really in nursing? I've asked myself that same question when I watch a nurse leave a pt on a bedpan for 45 mins.
I think people become nurses for the right reasons, initially, but after 5 or more years maybe their work and lack of appreciation begins to bare down on them and they lose that enthusiam. That leads to them saying "I don't get paid enough for this!" We as nursing students are excited and anxious to begin our careers, but we don't know how we'll be after 5 or 10 years. Hopefully we'll still be compassionate and caring and thrive only on the appreciation of the patient, but it's almost inevitable that many of us will become that nurse who chases the money.
And I think you're right! Unfortunately there are some like that. I really believe that if you lose heart and forget what you got it it for, then you need to pick a new career. Good thoughts that you presented, I agree with your thoughts on some nurses chasing the money, I wish it were different.
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