Long shifts, varying work styles and power struggles can contribute to dissension among your nursing staff. Patient satisfaction and engagement, as well as productivity and attention to detail suffer when team squabbles occur. This can, unfortunately, affect your HCAHPS scores. Of course, building a cohesive team takes time, but it’s well worth the effort. Here are a few ways you can help your nursing staff develop stronger relationships while creating a cohesive team environment.
The emergency department is without question the most dangerous place in the hospital for nurses. Combative patients, upset families and personal confrontations that spill into the emergency room can make the ED environment volatile at times. While you’re treating the AMI patient or juggling an influx of patients from a multi-car accident, the last thing you should be concerned about is your personal safety. That’s why we put together these tips to help your hospital advance nursing staff safety in the emergency department.
You know that frustrating feeling when you are looking for a gauze pad, but you can’t find it? And it turns out you can’t find it because it is listed under New Gauze or the manufacturer of the product on your inventory list? (We can almost see you nodding your head right now.) All you want to do is take care of your patient, but inventory management is making it difficult.
Maintaining supplies may be an essential part of your job as a nurse leader, but we understand it can be hard to keep up with inventory management (or influence it when you don’t control it) when you have so many other responsibilities.
Developing a strong relationship with the materials management department, taking advantage of the capabilities of digital inventory control and using a few old-fashioned tips can help you stay on top of this portion of your job, even on the craziest of days.
Here are a few tips to help nursing inventory supply and to ensure your staff is never without the supplies it needs.
Your shift starts off with one of your patients crashing, your new admission arriving, and the gentleman in room 204 falling and hurting himself. Immediately you feel the pressure of all you have to accomplish. You may be thinking, “How will I get this all charted in a timely manner and still handle my med pass on time?” The healthcare industry has recognized this plight and has made strides to help nurses more efficiently handle their daily tasks, including charting.
For nurses with ever-changing schedules, adapting to changing shift cycles can present several unique challenges. Shift work isn’t always kind to your circadian rhythm—the body’s natural clock that keeps us awake during the day and slows us down at night.
Patient care is a 24-hour operation, so to take care of yourself and ensure patient safety and satisfaction, it’s necessary to make adjustments to your sleep schedule and daily routine. Especially for busy nurses who are always on their feet, self-care is crucial for job satisfaction and improving the patience experience.
To provide the best nursing care and remain focused and productive, here are three tips to stay healthy and well rested despite a shifting schedule:
