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Message: <blockquote data-quote="C_Hallbert" data-source="post: 4267553" data-attributes="member: 42957"><p>When I hired new people, whether they were experienced or not, I spent time with them on the first day and covered our department’s basic functions, equipment, infection control guidelines, procedure manuals, patient care priority and triage guidelines, documentation in medical records, variance (error) reporting, billing, and our department hierarchy, Safety, benefits hospital discipline policies and credentialing verification was provided by Human Resources. New employees were then assigned to experienced staff who acted as preceptors until I was informed that they were ready to work independently, but they were never left alone in our facility until their competence was well established. I made it clear that, if they were unsure of something they were being told to do, if something confused them, or they needed to talk something over, they had my phone number and were encouraged to call me any time of day, any day of the year whether it was a holiday or if I was on vacation. This rarely happened; but occasionally it did. I had the best people anyone could ask for and I pitched in with the work (emergencies, routine patient care, equipment cleaning and operational pre-checks) when they couldn’t cover it all. If issues involving clinical competence, departmental or interdepartmental personal conflicts or patient/ family complaints arose, I interviewed complaining parties (directly involved and witnesses) before meeting with my staff member; then I wrote a report with my findings and conclusions, and copies to Human Resourses,senior executive and the Department Head involved or Director of Nursing. I cannot remember my recommendations ever being overridden  The only people that I fired had either deliberately falsified a medical record, repeatedly demonstrated clinical incompetence without improvement following attempts to retrain, or proven uncooperative and/or antagonistic and unable to work with other staff  In 24 years there were only about five that had to be discharged. I made absolutely sure that I could perform any tasks or service that my department provided, so I always knew “…the rest of the story.” I worked at McAlester Regional Health Center: for 31 years with the last 24 years as Director,Respiratory Care Services: Respiratory Therapy; Pulmonary Laboratory; Bronchoscopy; and Sleep Laboratory. We never had a lawsuit or torte involving our department.  I loved my work and it never seemed like work, at all…..</p></blockquote><p></p>

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