Moral Delema

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Kurt Ullman

At risk of starting a flaming war for confirming what "management" promotes, I agree that telling patients-families that you are "short staffed" is a bad idea. There is no company or manager (in or out of healthcare) who would want that stated to a client - different than production problems caused by a shortage of send workers in the marketplace. To tell clients you are short staffed implies - ESPECIALLY to managers - that management is less than adequate. Before it gets to the point of patients and families complaining, do you let your manager know you are behind schedule or have unhappy clients? Even if you know there is no extra staff available, you should advise your supervisor (and keep documentation of those events). Then, it is their responsibility and they cannot say "well, nurse A was behind schedule and didn't advise me of the problem". The best response, IMO, is to apologize for delays. You show that you recognize and respect their concerns. If they are really peey and won't let it drop, or if it is a serious breach, you should get your supervisor involved. Clients have eyes and ears, so you don't need to explain. If they see a staff that is constantly busy, and needs still aren't met, they reach their own conclusions. If they see some staff that are busy, and others standing around chatting, they reach a different conclusion. Much of the public recognizes, from experience with family and friends, that hospitals are short staffed. Many folks stay over with families to tend to their needs because staff is inadequate. When folks get good and peeed, some will to to admin. If admin comes down on someone, it is less likely the staff nurse will be the fall-guy if they went to a supervisor rather than trying to "do it all". A few sessions of forcing management to recognize the issue won't make you a lot of friends in nursing admin., but CYA is important when things get stinky.