Stupid hospital/company tricks

45 The stupid nurse trick thread and some of the abusive policies cited in the getting fired for being late/calling out thread have triggered me to start this thread. What ludicrous policies have been put in place where you work or have worked, what was the rationale for the policy, and what was the result?

My example:
One hospital I used to work for tried to force the nursing staff to bake cookies for the patients using what looked like a cross between an easy-bake oven and a toaster oven. Cookies were to be offered at....you've guessed it...7pm. Yes, right at change of shift. They also wanted us to DOCUMENT offering cookies. Predictably, this new mandate was met with howls of protest from nursing, which were entirely ignored.

The ovens went to each floor except ICU to "make the hospital feel welcoming and increase patient satisfaction." The already busy nurses often burned the cookies, or ate them during report, as they had not had time for a break all day. The majority of our cardiac patients were also diabetic. The floor smelled often of burnt cookies. The staff was resentful. A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again.
I could almost understand cookies in assisted living with relatively stable patients and a more home like environment or even LTC as that is their home. But not an acute care hospital at shift change none the less....it's a hospital not the Hilton. If I were a patient I would actually complain on the PG survey about the cookies & smell. I usually have no appetite if I'm sick enough to be inpatient...

I remember those stupid hourly rounding sheets outside the doors. The manager would go through them when the policy was first implemented. The nurses would sign all twelve spaces at the end of shift.Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

Quote from EmergentI remember those stupid hourly rounding sheets outside the doors. The manager would go through them when the policy was first implemented. The nurses would sign all twelve spaces at the end of shift.Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

I used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off. Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

"A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again."Outlive outlast!

Then the managers probably got burnt out on checking up and the whole stupid idea (thankfully) died out.

Quote from kloneI used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off. Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

Quote from AOx1The stupid nurse trick thread and some of the abusive policies cited in the getting fired for being late/calling out thread have triggered me to start this thread. What ludicrous policies have been put in place where you work or have worked, what was the rationale for the policy, and what was the result?My example:One hospital I used to work for tried to force the nursing staff to bake cookies for the patients using what looked like a cross between an easy-bake oven and a toaster oven. Cookies were to be offered at....you've guessed it...7pm. Yes, right at change of shift. They also wanted us to DOCUMENT offering cookies. Predictably, this new mandate was met with howls of protest from nursing, which were entirely ignored.The ovens went to each floor except ICU to "make the hospital feel welcoming and increase patient satisfaction." The already busy nurses often burned the cookies, or ate them during report, as they had not had time for a break all day. The majority of our cardiac patients were also diabetic. The floor smelled often of burnt cookies. The staff was resentful. A few months later, the cookie ovens disappeared, never to be mentioned again.

The cookie thing...You have got to be kidding me. You're pulling my leg. I can not fathom the idiocy. I simply can't begin to wrap my mind around how insulting this is to tell nurse that "baking cookies" is part of their professional duties.Un frigging real.

Quote from kloneI used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off. Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.

And the cookies...oh my, oh my. I used to work in a SNF that made a lot of effort to be home-like--meals made to order in a nice dining room and all. They supplied freshly baked cookies every day in a little bakery-style case in the dining room and residents/families could help themselves (diabetics had the choice to comply w/ their diets or not). They were supplied by--dun dun dunnnnn....dietary staff. The ones who ARE paid to cook. Imagine that.

Quote from kloneI used to work nights on an OB floor. The postpartum rooms surrounded the nursing station. As often happens, the patients sometimes complained about the volume at 2 am at the nursing station. So the nurse manager installed a huge streetlight thingie - it was about 2 feet tall, and had a red, yellow and green light. If the volume got louder, it would go from green to yellow, and louder still, from yellow to red. When it went to red, a very loud alarm would go off. Then we started getting complaints about the really loud alarm that would go off at random times throughout the night. After a couple months, the streetlight went away.