RE: working in ER

["ARNOLD FACKLAM" <facklam@earthlink.net>]

  This has been a timely topic for me also (1st time talker, long time
listener). The words useful relationships hit a cord here. The grief we get
when we go on a call in our program not only puts alot of strain on the
transport team but also on the ER staff as well. Our discussions recently
on our team has centered around doing some outreach in our own ER (sounds
funny doesn't it). The thought being that if more knew about the stressors
we go through a little more in depth by being on the team (ex. bulletin
boards in the breakroom, invites to educational programs, etc...) this
might take some of the tension and make some allies amongst our coworkers
in the ER. In some ways the only things they see are us disappearing,
taking care of one pt. to their many, coming back and then needing time to
chart, restock, etc. We need to win the hearts and minds of those at home.
Just my 2 cents!

Sincerely,
Arnold Facklam, RN
Children's Hospital of Buffalo
Pediatric Transport Team 


> [Original Message]
> From: Paul M. Wright, Jr. <pmwright@home.com>
> To: <flightmed@flightweb.com>
> Date: 11/14/01 7:24:34 PM
> Subject: RE: working in ER
>
> I think Rollie has hit the nail on the head with his comment about the
Holy
> Grail for transport staffing.  I would phrase it as the search for
> "efficient cost shifting by finding meaningful work capable of being
> instantly interrupted".
> 
> However difficult that quest for the Grail appears, I am impressed by the
> number of times that I have heard of  programs that have similar job
> profiles with respect to non-transport
> duties but the perceptions of how it's working differ dramatically.
> 
> Two of the factors that might be involved in this difference are the
nature
> of the underlying relationship between the transport program and the
> sponsoring hospital and the attitudes of the transport team members
> themselves.
> 
> I am aware of one hospital-based transport program that was a significant
> drain on the resources of the sponsoring hospital so the hospital
> administration's idea of getting everyone on board was to tie the lack of
> raises for hospital staff that year to the flight program's need for
> funding.  Kind of along the lines of "you can help save our flight program
> by being good-natured about the lack of a raise".  Needless to say, this
did
> not make for warm and fuzzy relations between the hospital core staff and
> the flight program staff.
> 
> And I could write many chapters of a very long book about the damage done
by
> arrogance and pride on the part of transport team members and I could
write
> passionately and at length on the profound embarassment I have felt when
> being professionally associated with some of my colleagues who routinely
> left anger and ill-will in every situation they touched.  Even in this
forum
> quite recently, statements have been made suggesting that cockiness and
> arrogance are a good thing for a flight nurse.  I disagree and I wonder
how
> often it is that otherwise workable solutions fail solely due to the
> personality and/or attitudes of the transport members.
> 
> There are policies and practices that fail because they are bad policies
and
> practices but there are also good policies and practices that fail because
> the underlying relationships are terminally flawed.  So part of the search
> for the Holy Grail of staffing must also include a search for useful
> relationships between institutions as well a search for useful values at
the
> individual level.
> 
> 
> regards!
> 
> paul
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Flightmed mailing list


--- ARNOLD FACKLAM
--- facklam@earthlink.net
--- EarthLink: It's your Internet.



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