1) Eliminate rotating shifts. There is no reason for rotating shifts. Pay people more money and benefits to work straight off shits.
2) Make sure that nurses get their lunch break and other breaks. This is not that difficult. It is required by law. Insist nurses take their breaks. Everyone needs a break, espescially from this stressful job.
3) Make it policy that nurses have control over their practice. If something is going to affect nurses talk to them about their opinion about it. Nurses are not unwilling to accomodate change, they just want to have a say in it. They will no doubt have some great ideas. Eliminate bullshit committees that do nothing.
4) If healthcare is a business, bring in people with business degress at the middle management level. People who have been to school in how to MANAGE people, hold people accountable. Promoting nurses to management posiitons, without a business background is a mistake, in my opinion. They make awful managers.
5) Put policies in place that make verbal and physical abuse by patients unacceptable. Take this so seriously, that the patient who has been medically cleared or is stable is either discharged or transferred to another facility.
6) Put policies in place that are serious about unacceptable behavior by doctors (or anyone else for that matter). Fire them if it doesn't change.
7) Here's a controversial one: eliminate 10 and 12 hour shifts. No one should work that long in such a stressful job. It is unsafe.
8) Pay people with more skills and more responsiblity such as those in critical care more money. It makes common sense.
9) Allow nurses to take an LOAs, say every five years, for a short time to rest body and soul if they choose to.
10) Pay monetary incentives to nurses around defineable goals. Managers and administrators are not the only people who should get money for achieving goals.
Any thoughts?
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