Newman Regional Health’s licensed practical nurses voiced their displeasure Wednesday afternoon during the hospital’s board of trustees meeting about a proposed plan for Newman to go to an all-registered nurses model.
The LPNs read a letter to the hospital board:
“Several months ago a plan was presented that our hospital, in an attempt to attain Magnet Hospital status, would be moving toward an all-RN nursing model,” the letter stated. “LPNs would no longer be hired and the remaining LPNs on staff would be replaced by RNs through attrition and placement into other non-licensed positions. Currently we find ourselves being forced to give up our nursing positions and bedside patient care...”
The letter went on to state that LPNs are being offered non-nursing positions such as admission and ward clerks, transportation aides and switchboard operators.
“Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka is a Magnet Hospital and continues to hire and employ many LPNs for direct patient care,” the letter stated. “They utilize their LPNs to practice under the full scope of practicing according to the Kansas State Board of Nursing.”
The letter stated that the LPN was initially created to fulfill the RN shortage.
“We currently have a nursing shortage at Newman Regional Health as we are understaffed,” the letter stated.
The letter also offered views on what a good nurse is.
“A good nurse is not guaranteed by the initials behind their name,” it stated. “A good nurse knows their patients and is willing to provide excellent care through training and dedication. ...”
The LPNs’ letter asked the Newman Regional Health Board of Trustees to “consider these changes and ask yourselves if these proposed changes regarding LPNs will improve the patient care and safety at Newman Regional Health.”
One of the many people who showed up to comment on the issue brought up the impact the decision, if implemented, could have on Flint Hills Technical College.
“If Newman hospital goes to an all-RN based staff, the LPN program at vo-tech school will be impacted,” Peggy Price said. “Currently it graduates two classes each year of LPN class. These people come from all over Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri.”
CEO Bob Driewer commented on the issue later in the meeting.
“I think the proposal that Julie Stowe, chief of nursing, made is a very good model, and I think that it’s a model present in the market,” he said. “I understand fully that when change happens it affects you individually, it becomes a very personal issue. ... We’re not going to do anything that is not scientifically based.”
Driewer recommended discussing the issue during December’s meeting.
In other matters, the board heard from Kathie Butcher, assistant administrator for quality services, on the management plan update.
In 2008, the hospital faced challenges including a 10 percent decrease in patient days, 28 percent decrease in acute rehab days, and a Tyson Foods lay-off of 35 percent of its workforce, and other employers reducing workforces. Immediate evaluations began of services, staffing organization structure and financial performance.
The organizational structure was redesigned to align functions and structure. Restructuring of nursing units and departments is expected to yield an annual savings of $2,780.
The hospital also gained approval to form a Public Building Commission to refinance long-term debt, which will reduce expenses by $3,334,736 over 10 years. The hospital also has made improvements in other areas including quality and service including reduction of restraint usage.
In other business, the board:
• went over the financial report for October. The October financials showed that the average daily census for October was 38.9. The hospital experienced a net loss of $17,626 for the month making the year to date loss $975,838. Charity care rose to 6.1 percent compared to a 5.5 percent budgeted amount.
• approved a capital expenditure, a voice-mail system for $43,000. The existing phone system was purchased in January of 2000. “The voice mail system, including the auto attendant, is no longer supported by the manufacturer or the company that services our phone system,” the capital expenditure request stated.
• accepted the 2010 budget for the hospital.
clueless (anonymous) says...
Did NO ONE stand-up for these LPN's in their defense?? .Where are you Dr's who hire LPN's for your offices? What?,,they are smart enough,good enough for your offices but NOT for the hospital? And Julie,,,I heard something that just appauled me,,how dare you think that if there were more RN's and less LPN's that patient falls would be less.A patient falls whether there are RNabcdefghijklmn, DON, CEO, or diploma RN or LPN or CNA or family members,or board members,at their bedside,,it happens.You should be ashamed of yourself.
November 26, 2009 at 8:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
newme314 (anonymous) says...
I cannot believe that an all hospital would go to such extremes. Having a nursing shortage does not mean just in the RN department. I have been in the health care field for 15 plus years, and at times I would take the word from a LPN before I would of an RN. That is simply due to the fact that an LPN is at the patients bedside more then an RN, who is usually doing the charting or dealing with other problems. The hospital needs good and knowledgable LPN's. As far as the number of falls are concerned, take a good long look at the "nursing staff" . Did a staff member perform their duties, toileting or whatever the case maybe. Another reason that falls may occure is, the call light may not be in reach or the patient may be thrisy, or even confused due to medication. So it is not right to blame just the CNA's or LPN's. What the hospital is a team that works like a well oiled machine.
November 27, 2009 at 12:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
If there are indeed fewer patient falls with RN's than with LPN's is because LPN's spend much more time dealing directly with the patient than RN's do. You don't have to have an alphabet soup of letters following your name to figure that one out. DUH! Hell, I don't even work in the medical profession and I can see that.
November 27, 2009 at 4:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthinkin (anonymous) says...
DUH, people, it boils down to $$$ - the hospital can charge more.... HELLO !
November 27, 2009 at 5:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Its just that sort of thinking that has more and more people in the Emporia area bypassing good ole NRH in favor of other area hospitals whenever possible.....DUH!
November 27, 2009 at 6:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
clueless (anonymous) says...
Before the hospital can have "team work",there has to be "coaching" and all the "Coach", (DON) wants to do is bully and throw her weight around.There is no leadership from her whatsoever,and this is not only being said from the staff but also from ppl in our community,if its this obvious BOARD MEMBERS,why is she still here? WAKE UP and see how upset,and disappointed the staff you have left is,and listen to THEM,for once.
November 27, 2009 at 6:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Are we forgetting that Newman Regional Health, Medical Arts Clinic and Newman Medical Plaza is owned and operated by Sormont Vail/Cotton O' Neal of Topeka and has not been locally owned and operated for some time now !
This type of corporate structure presents its own distinct problems, as to who is pulling the strings and forcing unpopular and unwise decisions to be made that hurt rather than help !
November 27, 2009 at 6:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
You make a good point there methusla......that adds a whole new dimension to what might be the driving force behind this change. What ever the real cause...I doubt it has anything to do with the ego of the DON. In fact, her role is more likely that of hired hit man to front an unpopular change.
November 27, 2009 at 8:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
When was NRH sold to SV/CON? Sorry...not accurate methusla.
Medical Arts clinic, yes. The hospital and medical plaza, no.
The current DON is not from anywhere around here, and has no stake in this community, and therefore she can try any nursing model she likes. If she fails, she can easily fold up her tent and move on.
November 27, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Joe_Strummer
You may be correct about NRH not being owned by Stormont Vail, however Medical Arts, being owned by an outside entity and no longer being locally owned, to me, may still present a problem !
November 27, 2009 at 8:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Joe_Strummer (anonymous) says...
Could you elaborate? How does Med Arts being owned by an outside entity cause any issues with NRH? It may in NRH's attempt to bring more physician's under the NRH umbrella, but that's about it.
November 27, 2009 at 8:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
Joe_Strummer
I think, perhaps, that in any situation where there are people, both professional and non-professional who are basically working under the auspices of two different and seperate control and supervisory structures, this type of situation may not be able to completely work, get along with, or owe allegence to two seperate ideologies and rules to have to abide by ! It has been my experience through the years this type of situation causes friction, bad feelings and usually ends up eventually increasing costs and dissatisfaction among the seperate factions !
Perfect example, why was the current DON recruited from outside the NRH organization ?
Would it not have been better to recruit a DON from within the current NRH nursing staff or was there noone on the NRH nursing staff that was qualified for or wanted to be DON ?
It has also been my experience to do supervisory position recruiting from within the organization, if at all possible !
But of course I am just a " CROTCHITY " old man, who knows nothing of life !
November 27, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
knute (anonymous) says...
The hospital experienced a net loss of $17,626 for the month making the year to date loss $975,838. The hospital is already operating at a huge loss and it's good to replace low paid LPNs with higher paid RNs to perform the same job? Tell me, Bob, just how this scientifically based idea of yours and Julie's is a good thing. What a pair you make.
November 27, 2009 at 12:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spectator (anonymous) says...
nrhc may not be owned, per se, by Stormont Vail/Cotton O' Neal but the corporation does have some influence on its operation.
November 27, 2009 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CRAZE (anonymous) says...
We are getting rid of LPN's but we can afford to put an add in the Topeka paper for RN's and gve them a sign on bous? Something is terribley wrong. Maybe the Administrators need to take a pay cut. How would they know anything they are never seen around the hospital They are not out wondering the floors checking on patients or checking to see how busy and short staffed everyone is. They are in their officeon their blackberries. DON get out on the floors and help when and where needed. This hospital is "owned by the people of lyon county" This is the time the people need to call in and write in to speak with the DON and Mr. Driewer!
November 27, 2009 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
susieq (anonymous) says...
The hospital getting rid of the LPNs is the stupidest idea that has come about. The LPNs are the bedside nurses. They know more about the condition of the patient than the RNs do, because they are at the bedside, doing assessments and examining the paitents and helping the patients with their recovery.
What happened to old fashioned patient care. The patient in the NRH currently must be able to take care of themselves at the cost of $400 to $700 per day. Thereis no offer of bed bath, or shower, bed linen change, that can only happen once a week due to the cost of laundering the linens being outsourced. The patients are no longer offered back rubs before bed, neither brushing teeth or washing their face upon waking or going to sleep. The only thing the nursing staff is concerned about these days is making sure the care that is not given is documented on the computer.
I worked at the hospital for many years, and up to the last few years i was very proud to work there, but not I would not acknowledge the fact that I had any connection at all with the hospital due to all the bad publicity and patient care. It makes me so mad to hear all the comments about the excellant patient care people receive at the hospitals in neighboring towns. That's why no one wants to go to the hospital here in town.
NRH is too top heavy. While the RNs, LPNs and the CNAs are taking days off without pay, the administration is continuing to work and pull their full pay. People cannot pay bills with a day or two a week off without pay. I hate to tell the CEO and the DON that the staff is not there just because they like the place, they are trying to make a living also. It would not do any good or help for the administrative people to take days off, due to the fact they are on salary, they need to take a pay cut, to be able to feel like the worker bees feel.
Why does the hospital need a CEO, DON, continuing ed, with full staff along with the full staff billing department when there is only 25 to 35 patients in the hospital??? 25 to 35 patients do not pay enough for a full staff of all the departments. AND it is always the nurses that take the cuts in the shorts.
November 27, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
susieq (anonymous) says...
To the DON, Julie ---- This aint MAYO
November 27, 2009 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
upsetcitizen (anonymous) says...
Since when did a community owned hospital become a Mayo Clinic. Our town is not big enough to support a Mayo Clinic. Our hospital logo is to serve the community and people Lyon County and yet we are not doing that. A question was once asked "What do we do if we have no room in the hospital or staff to cover the patients because we shut a floor down?" The answer: "We will ship them to another town."
Does this sound right? The hospital is complaining about losing money yet they want to ship patients out. How many family members can afford to take time off from work to travel back and forth to another hospital an hour or more away to care for a sick family member?
If our hospital would allow our LPN's to do what the State of Kansas allows them to do; i.e. IV push meds, then maybe they would not need to worry about replacing them with LPN's.
Bob and Julie you said that you have research that shows that an RN based module is better and more wanted than an LPN based module. Well let me tell you everyone has their own research to support their own claims. Just because you say your way is better and you have research to back it up does not make it true.
You coming onto the floor for 2-3 minutes once a week does not justify you being involved in patient care. Listen to your employees. Don't just stand there and pretend like you are, truly listen
November 27, 2009 at 9:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
grumpy (anonymous) says...
WILL THEY REPLACE LPN'S WITH RN'S OR CNA'S IF IT IS RN'S WILL THIS BE CALLED A COST REDUCTION OR CARE REDUCTION. I NO LONGER GO TO NRH BECAUSE OF THE SHORTAGE OF NURSES AND TO MANY CNA'S
November 27, 2009 at 9:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Professional (anonymous) says...
I have several friends who have left employment at Newman due to the increasingly hostile work enviroment created by the DON and the CEO there. It is really sad that well qualified excellent nurses are leaving our community to serve the surrounding areas. The average RN makes 5-12 dollars per hour more than the LPN, Yet the hospital is hurting for money?? What sense does that make?
The the news of the hospitals plan of getting rid of the LPN's (local hometown people employed and serving their community) I will choose to take my health care needs to other hospitals in North East Kansas. I am not going to partionize this organization that devalues its employees and the people of this community!!
November 28, 2009 at 1:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
susieq (anonymous) says...
I have heard from friends and family more and more that they will go out of town for medical care. But yet NRH continues to spend money on remodeling and administrative personnell, when in fact they should be spending the money they don't have on the care givers. Sometime in the future when these administrative people are crying in their spilled milk because the hospital is shutting down, maybe they will realize they need to take care of the caregivers as well as the business at hand. As a retired employee and a concerned community member, maybe the county commissioners and the hospital board should take matters in their own hands and look into what the problem is, instead of applying bandaids onto the flood of people leaving the community for medical care. Just a thought, maybe the governing bodies should look into this themselves instead of listening to coorporate people. THE COMMUNITY OF EMPORIA AND SURROUNDING AREA COULD LOOSE THE HOSPITAL!!!!!! IT MAY BE FORCED TO SHUT DOWN.......
November 28, 2009 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
After reading some of the comments posted here .
If I may inject a little advice into this discussion ! At one time in my long employment history, I held a management position, although it was not with a Hospital, it was a managemet position just the same. As a manager, adminisitrator, ceo, etc., to be a good manager, you must interact, listen to, understand and respect the people, employees, who are working on the " front lines if you will ", those employees who have to deal with situations and problems every minute of everyday, in order to get an accurate understanding of their complaints or problems and not listen just to those employees supervisor, who may be biased ! You, as a manager/administrator must have and gain an understanding as to what operational problems the company, business, Hospital may be having . You as a manager must get out of your office, see first hand what the " front line people/employees are having to deal with everday and get first hand knowledge of any personel problems or operating problems there are and deal with them accordingly !
If you, being an upper echelon manager, Ceo, Administrator, etc., do not or are not willing to listen to legitimate employee work place complaints, workplace problems, employee suggestions, etc., and just sit in your Ivory Tower office and make baseless, uniformed, biased decisions, then you and your company, Hospital, etc., will be doomed to fail !
After all, who knows better than the people, or employees who have to confront, work with and deal with these problems ever minute of everyday than the people/employees who see and deal with the problems. Who better to listen to and get advice from on possible solutions to the problems ?
Certainly not an outsider, however only if need be and only if you as manager, administrator or CEO cannot handle or solve the problem !
November 28, 2009 at 9:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Information please. Are there specific things that an RN must do that an LPN or tech can not do? .
November 28, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
admireed
I am not an expert on nursing, but from studying the differences between an " RN " and " LPN " , the only difference I can distinguish is the fact that, " RN's have a significantly expanded scope of practice, education and clinical training than an " LPN " and that is the only difference between the two ! It would seem that both are or could be capable of doing the job ! It depends on dedication and experience .
In my opinion the main difference would be in experience, dedication and capability of each to do the job required of them and this factor not only applies to nursing, but to all fields of endeavor !
However, I may be wrong !
November 28, 2009 at 11:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Additional information please....
If there are things that RN's can do that LPN's and CNA"s are not allowed to do......is it necessary that the entire care-giving staff at the hospital be able to do those things? If not......what is to be gained by having a staff that for many functions is over-paid and over-qualified?
Another thought......how willing and happy is this over-paid and over-qualified staff going to be to once again be doing duties they worked and studied hard to get beyond? In other words....how much TLC am I as a patient going to receive in the middle of the night with my bed pan from an RN who doesn't want to be there in the first place....preferring instead to be all cozied up with the doctors in some Ivory Tower?
November 28, 2009 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
witchdoctor (anonymous) says...
If you are interested in accurate information about the difference in Scope of Practice between RN's and LPN's you can go to the Kansas State Board of Nursing website and review the laws specific to this issue known as The Nurse Practice Act.
November 28, 2009 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
methusla (anonymous) says...
witchdoctor
Thank you for the site address, I will go to the site and educate myself on the differences between RN and LPN.
November 28, 2009 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lovingmom (anonymous) says...
As a mom of four children and one whom receives direct care at home, it seriously sickens me to see this happening to our local hospital. We deal with nurses on a daily basis, and I can honestly say that, for the most part, the more loving and caring nurses that have provided care for our youngest daughter have been LPN's and they have done a GREAT job!! Our daughter has spent close to half of her life @ CMH in KC, who use RN's, and I can honestly say that we have been more pleased with our LPN's at home than the majority of the RN's up there. Don't get me wrong... I have many friends who are RN's and some that are continuing their education to become one. I have nothing against them. I have even contemplated going to school to receive my RN license to help care for my daughter. One reason being for RN vs. LPN is in the administration of IV's. As far as I understand it, and this is from home-based care (I'm not sure about care in a hospital) is that as an LPN, I would not be able to administer my daughter an IV med if I were to be her "nurse" at the time. However, if I were an RN, I would be able to. That is one of the differences that I'm aware of as an LPN vs. RN.
I think that NRH should NOT get rid of LPN's and replace strictly with RN's. As I have given birth to 2 of my 4 kids here, I have had several LPN's taking care of me and am just as pleased with their services as with the RN's. Forcing the LPN's out is not really fair to them and their decision to not pursue a further education in their nursing career. The LPN/RN status should have nothing to do with their productivity.
As far as where to go for them being forced out - I recommend them looking into home-based services for employment! We were not aware of such an opportunity until our youngest daughter required nursing care. We then learned of the blessing that comes from professionals caring for our daughter in our home, vs. her having to remain in a hospital. Home health care is a growing field and there are many nurses needed that can provide the loving, one-on-one care that many of these children and adults need! We're usually always looking for nurses to add to our daughter's care and would welcome many of the loving and caring nurses that have provided us care during my stay(s) at NRH.
Hope that the hospital can rethink the elimination of LPN's, but until then - LPN's - you are just as valuable of nurses as RN's are in my book! We appreciate all that you do!!!
November 28, 2009 at 7:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CRAZE (anonymous) says...
If mayo clinic don is considered about the letters behind your name and the colors of uniform you have on what is next? Maybe you can't work at NRH if you are overweight, smoke, have black hair? It is totally out of line!
November 28, 2009 at 7:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Quack (anonymous) says...
If everyone looks back far enough, say 15 or 20 years ago, NRH tried this, and the complaints from the public and the RN's brought the LPN's back. Sad that they can't learn from the past. To many people in Emporia want to go elsewhere now, this will make it worse.
November 28, 2009 at 8:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tarus (anonymous) says...
First, maybe YY4U is "too wise for me".....a little degrading to others with that title aren't you? Does you first name begin with "J"? There are a couple that come to mind.
You are right about Mayo. It is a first rate facility but I thought that was a clinic, not a hospital. Isn't the hospital connected to it a different name? But, they have a different need in their approach. In addition to the types of patients Newman has, they are a research facility and treat patients with types of diseases that can't be treated in many smaller communities across the nation. We just don't have the supporting equipment, physicians, and technology. Yes, RN's are more needed with the critical types of patients they have and that model of nursing would probably be the best choice. It is not the best choice for Emporia.
How could a DON after 2 months in Emporia snow the board and CEO into this model of nursing? Did she not visit with the nurse managers, other department heads or do research into what had been done in the past? Visit with the nurses on the floors? Seems like a lot of questions went unanswered with her desire to create her own version of the Mayo clinic. She came in with a plan without working along side the staff and getting a feel for our hospital. She complains about the staff not supporting her, but it has been my experience that to have support, you have to give it. What has she done to earn the support of the nursing staff? We're not hearing much of that. Surely there are things she has done that are positive? Can we see a bigger picture here? Plus, there are several physicians who do not have much support for her either. Is there a reason why? Perhaps she should take a step back & reevaluate the situation. That is not an admission of defeat, it is just a prudent decision to show support of the nursing and medical staff, the community, and show the board she can be flexible in deciding what is best for the hospital. I can't help but think it would be a financially sound decision to keep the LPN's.
November 29, 2009 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tarus (anonymous) says...
Have another question for YY4U......is the Rochester clinic the only place the doesn't use LPN's? I thought the Florida and Arizona hospitals utilized the LPN. It would be interesting to know.
November 29, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
Making a direct comparison between the Mayo Clinic and NRH is comparing apples to oranges much like comparing the Emporia Municipal Airport with Chicago's O'hare Field. Their roles are different, their needs are different, their methods of operation are different and their staffing requirements are different. That's like expecting ESU's faculty to be on a par with MIT or Oxford.
November 29, 2009 at 10:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tarus (anonymous) says...
The national average about hospital recommendation was only 32% so that means our hospital has work to do to improve the score. I too wish the DON well and always appreciate the encouragement of education. New ideas and education are what keep things moving forward rather than stagnate. There are just many ways to get that education rather than a BSN!
Several of my family have been patients at the hospital & always received good care. We've used out of town hospitals and the care was comparable. YY4U wants the bottom feeders to shut up, but perhaps her/his degrading comments .."nose picker,booger eating".. are a slap in the face to all the nursing staff at Newman.
Also, the comparison of airports was a good apples/oranges comparison. There you go again with your nose in the air putting people down. Not nice.
November 29, 2009 at 6:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ksworker (anonymous) says...
For everyone that thinks the Mayo clinic model would work here read some excerpts from a Washington Post Article from September 20, 2009 concerning the Mayo clinic….
“They point out that Mayo's patients are wealthier, healthier and less racially diverse than those elsewhere in the country. It has few poor patients. It limits the number of procedures it performs per patient, but the rates it charges private insurers and self-paying patients is higher than average, allowing it to thrive despite the lower Medicare spending cited by its supporters.”
“Mayo's clientele is even more selective compared with other Upper Midwest hospitals. Its Rochester flagship accepts Medicare patients from outside Minnesota only if they are willing to pay a personal premium beyond normal Medicare coverage, a practice that screens out some who cannot afford to pay more -- and attracts patients deeply invested in their own care.”
“Just 5 percent of Mayo's hospital patients receive Medicaid, an exceptionally low figure,…”
“Mayo also charges high rates for the many people paying out of pocket. It draws so many wealthy patients from abroad that it has set up a concierge area to help translate and to exchange currencies; a Middle Eastern sheik has built a hotel, the tallest building in town, to house patients from overseas.”
Sounds like the CEO, the DON, and Board of Directors need to schedule a surgery themselves to remedy their cranial rectal inversion if they believe this area fits that model.
November 29, 2009 at 9:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
You know too wise I started out supporting you on this thread......and am certainly no fan of NRH......but your utter intractability as well as your general rudeness even to those that have supported you causes me to wonder if you perhaps have some personal axe to grind here. If not, then you must have some vested interest in this change occurring. JMO
November 30, 2009 at 7:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
If you don't accept that comparing NRH to Mayo Clinic is an apples and oranges comparison then I assume you are fully in favor of the Emporia Municipal Airport developing jet overhaul and maintenance facilities......building runways and terminals to handle hundreds of commercial flights per day and staffing those facilities accordingly........and hiring one hundred thousand people to run it all as O'Hara does. The Emporia airport after all calls itself an airport and it charges fees to people commensurate with fees charged by airports. So people utilizing it have every right to expect the full measure of services just like those available at the top airport facilities in the country......correct?
November 30, 2009 at 7:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
YY4U
You and I have been kindred spirits on many topics on this forum and I have no reason to believe that is going to change. I too value education just for educations sake.....and see the happiest times of my life as those times spent learning. Where we have perhaps differed on this thread ....[and I know that you caught as much initial heat as you gave].....is that I recognize these LPN's are fighting for their jobs and livelihoods here.....and when you see yourself with your back to the wall it is hard to entertain the idea that a few more years of education will get you back to work.
November 30, 2009 at 4:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hjcary (anonymous) says...
There is very little these days that an RN does that an LPN cannot. Now a days and LPN can even do IV's and blood draws they just have to take one more class. I have been an LPN for 14years now and do everything the RN's do. EXCEPT there are some things that require an RN signature. I am in home care and do the 485 every 60 days for my client. The RN at the office signs it. An LPN tends to "do it all" in regards to patient care. RN's tend to sit at the desk more and do more delegating of the dirty jobs to CNA's etc. I would think that hiring two LPN's would be cheaper then an RN and CNA.
November 30, 2009 at 8:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gooseylucy (anonymous) says...
YY, The problem is, this is happening right now. NRH Admin is speaking out of both sides of their face. They have said numerous times that the LPN's would be reduced thru attrition. However, they are currently forcing them to accept non-nursing positions, by telling them it's either that or get out. That does not sound like attrition to me.
hj, I don't think that's fair to catagorize RN's as the ones "sitting behind the desk". The hospital has many RN's that are out there in the trenches, right alongside the LPN's and CNA's. Yeah, some RN's sit at the desk, but that's their job.
The LPN's at NRH are not only concerned about their jobs and livelihood. They are concerned about patient safety and patient care. There are not that many RN's that want to come work here. So if you get rid of the LPN's, who is going to be there to give pt. care??? The LPN's just want someone to be truthful and honest with them. Don't tell them one thing, but then do another. They deserve at least that much!!
December 1, 2009 at 8:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tarus (anonymous) says...
I think hj is a little generous in her LPN job description. If they could do what the RN's do, why have RN's? The RN has more intense education than the LPN in many areas....assessment, evaluation, medications (including administration)...just a lot of different areas. That's not saying the LPN is not a valuable part of the health care team.
They can and do contribute a lot to patient care. There are RN's that do sit behind the desk when they should be on the floor just as there are LPN's who do. A lot of it boils down to the person. I have known LPN's who are interested in learning & keep current on the latest medical techniques just as there are RN's who don't. The letter behind the name doesn't matter if you have individuals who become stagnant.
The best thing would be to get the deadwood out and utilize those who are interested in working. I can't think of a business who doesn't have their share of deadwood so that's not unique to NRH!
I agree with the attrition comments....if that is what administration said they would do, perhaps they need to review the meaning and see if that applies to getting rid of the LPN's the way they seem to be doing. A little honesty goes a long way in keeping credibility with everyone!
December 2, 2009 at 4:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KellyD (anonymous) says...
I believe the powers that be at NRH thought that by getting rid of the old administration, and bringing in new blood would revitalize the institution. This type of move usually works, if you hire the correct leaders to do so. Unfortunately integrity and honesty must not have been high on the list of wants when interviewing and hiring the some of the new administrative leadership. I truly believe that the LPN's were told that attrition is how this so called all RN model when be put into place, and when this tactic didn't work to rid the hospital of the LPN's fast enough, they took it up a step to force them out faster. I have been reading this blog for the past week, and felt I should also offer my opinion. You must realize that new leadership at our county hospital has no buy in to this community. They can easily pack up there belonging and go a different way. Our community means nothing to them more than a job, or a stepping stone to something they deem is better. It is easy to throw insults at each other being anonymous, but it does nothing to support these nurses that are being forced out of there jobs. If you really support their cause do something about it, call or write members of the hospital board. After all whether they take money from the county or not that is exactly what they are a county supported hospital. Make your voiced heard.
December 2, 2009 at 6:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
biscuitboy (anonymous) says...
I don't know if KellyD's scenario is accurate but it certainly is plausible. If you saw yourself as a rising young superstar in your field looking to put a few more feathers in your cap.....what better addition to your resume than to take a struggling rural hospital and turn it into an all RN Mayo Clinic protegee. Why something like that could earn you several steps up the ladder towards that administrative position at a major world class facility.
By then it would be largely irrelevent to your cause weather or not what you did actually cured or killed your patient.
December 3, 2009 at 6:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tarus (anonymous) says...
Again the adm at NRH is speaking out of both sides of their mouth. I would imagine the CEO and DON have degrees but they seem to miss what attrition means. Perhaps a look at Websters would clarify it for them. I do know it does NOT mean removing people from their current jobs....it is a natural progression when people retire, quit, etc. They said that is how they would approach the all RN staff but that is not what they are doing. They have a plan and nothing or no one is getting in their way. All the words they want to spew won't change the fact that they are not being straight with the staff, the board, nor the people of Lyon County. They need to follow thru with what they said. Otherwise they will lose what credibility they have, which at this moment is not much.
December 9, 2009 at 9:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
msw2003 (anonymous) says...
If Newman hospital goes to an all-RN based staff, the LPN program at vo-tech school will be impacted,” Peggy Price said.
I disagree with the above statement. Students can still attend the vo-tech for the first year and bridge to the LPN-RN program at Butler Community College in Eldorado. Butler has one of the best RN programs in the nation and is the best in the state of Ks.
Didn't the hospital say they would cover the cost of tuition to go from the LPN-RN? So you get FREE additional education and an increase in wages. Why is this not a win-win situation for all involved?
December 9, 2009 at 11 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )