I found myself thinking back over the years of my experience with working in several different places. I've been in many nursing facilities.. some have been good, some have been bad, and some have been horrible. The one thing that is consistent with all of them is the need for unity and respect for each position. From the nursing staff to the cleaning staff.. the kitchen staff and administration.. each part has a vital role that if it were to have a malfunction would affect every other department.
Just as an example I can tell you that the laundry staff doesn't seem like it's very important when you first think of it, or maybe the cleaning staff.. at first thought you think they really weren't that important. But then I think of the times when I've gone to get clean linens to change a patient's bed, or towels to use to help clean them up.. those laundry staff just got a lot more important. I've had times like that happen.. there were no clean linens or towels. Or worse.. no wash clothes! Man oh man, when that happens things get a lot more complicated. Or how about when the floor has been the recipient of a nasty spill.. Or the toilet gets clogged.. or even yet, needs cleaning.. things get dusty, and if they aren't taken care of it causes breathing difficulties for patients with weak lunges, asthma, and allergies. So imagine there was no one to take care of that! Yikes!
As an aide my duty is to assist the nurse and doctor in the medical care of each patient assigned to me. I work under the nurse, taking care of the physical needs of the patient, according to their own personal plan of care. I don't take care of medications, and I don't treat wounds, but I do help with daily needs the patient cannot perform on their own. What has become more than obvious to me is that if one part of the team is not functioning then my job has suffered. Looking for a clean wash clothe and not finding one when my patient needs to wash up is frustrating. I need the laundry staff to do their job, because without them I can't do my job. A clean environment also helps me do my job, it keeps bacteria and germs away so patients aren't unnecessarily sick.
Most of the job's importance are more obvious than others. The kitchen staff makes sure the patients are fed, and the administration takes care of all the paperwork. But everything serves a purpose, and everything is just as important.
I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to take someone aside to tell them just how important their job is, so that I can do my job. Some people don't know. Some don't care. But that doesn't change the fact that they matter.
That being said I wonder, why do some facilities have some of the problems they do? My thought? Someone doesn't understand the importance of their role, or that it needs to be their main focus. What do I mean? Well, imagine me going into the office and trying to take care of the paperwork. That's not my job, and if I'm not doing my job, then who is? I know my role. I know the importance of sticking to my role. If I want another role than I need to leave the currant one. But there are those who don't think like that. There are those who would rather criticize others on their faults then work on their own.
That's where the expression "Too many cooks" comes in. The saying goes "too many cooks spoil the pot" because there is such a thing as too many people doing what can be done with only one. It's sad really. It's already my duty to do my best, but when someone in another department takes it upon themself to tell me how to do my job it seems a bit unbelievable. That hasn't happened to me yet, but I've seen it happen to others. In many of the facilities I go to. I watch as the departments interact, gossip about each other, criticize each other, and generally cause dissension from within. And what does that accomplish? It causes indifference. It causes a stressful work atmosphere, and does not promote teamwork.
I'm mainly writing about my own work environment because that is where my experience is, but this can be applied anywhere really. From restaurants, to grocery stores, to clothing stores. Everyone can benefit from this basic knowledge. And that is to do the job you are hired for to the best of your ability. Every part matters, even the guy who mops matters. And we should all treat each other in different positions with respect too. I guess I'm tired of watching as things that could be prevented with this simple principle happen.
So easily fixable, yet people can't seem to help themselves. I had a third grade teacher who used to say something that drove me crazy, but now it seems the most fitting.. MYOB. Mind Your Own Business. We all should absolutely take that to heart, because if we aren't minding our business, than who will?
Just as an example I can tell you that the laundry staff doesn't seem like it's very important when you first think of it, or maybe the cleaning staff.. at first thought you think they really weren't that important. But then I think of the times when I've gone to get clean linens to change a patient's bed, or towels to use to help clean them up.. those laundry staff just got a lot more important. I've had times like that happen.. there were no clean linens or towels. Or worse.. no wash clothes! Man oh man, when that happens things get a lot more complicated. Or how about when the floor has been the recipient of a nasty spill.. Or the toilet gets clogged.. or even yet, needs cleaning.. things get dusty, and if they aren't taken care of it causes breathing difficulties for patients with weak lunges, asthma, and allergies. So imagine there was no one to take care of that! Yikes!
As an aide my duty is to assist the nurse and doctor in the medical care of each patient assigned to me. I work under the nurse, taking care of the physical needs of the patient, according to their own personal plan of care. I don't take care of medications, and I don't treat wounds, but I do help with daily needs the patient cannot perform on their own. What has become more than obvious to me is that if one part of the team is not functioning then my job has suffered. Looking for a clean wash clothe and not finding one when my patient needs to wash up is frustrating. I need the laundry staff to do their job, because without them I can't do my job. A clean environment also helps me do my job, it keeps bacteria and germs away so patients aren't unnecessarily sick.
Most of the job's importance are more obvious than others. The kitchen staff makes sure the patients are fed, and the administration takes care of all the paperwork. But everything serves a purpose, and everything is just as important.
I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to take someone aside to tell them just how important their job is, so that I can do my job. Some people don't know. Some don't care. But that doesn't change the fact that they matter.
That being said I wonder, why do some facilities have some of the problems they do? My thought? Someone doesn't understand the importance of their role, or that it needs to be their main focus. What do I mean? Well, imagine me going into the office and trying to take care of the paperwork. That's not my job, and if I'm not doing my job, then who is? I know my role. I know the importance of sticking to my role. If I want another role than I need to leave the currant one. But there are those who don't think like that. There are those who would rather criticize others on their faults then work on their own.
That's where the expression "Too many cooks" comes in. The saying goes "too many cooks spoil the pot" because there is such a thing as too many people doing what can be done with only one. It's sad really. It's already my duty to do my best, but when someone in another department takes it upon themself to tell me how to do my job it seems a bit unbelievable. That hasn't happened to me yet, but I've seen it happen to others. In many of the facilities I go to. I watch as the departments interact, gossip about each other, criticize each other, and generally cause dissension from within. And what does that accomplish? It causes indifference. It causes a stressful work atmosphere, and does not promote teamwork.
I'm mainly writing about my own work environment because that is where my experience is, but this can be applied anywhere really. From restaurants, to grocery stores, to clothing stores. Everyone can benefit from this basic knowledge. And that is to do the job you are hired for to the best of your ability. Every part matters, even the guy who mops matters. And we should all treat each other in different positions with respect too. I guess I'm tired of watching as things that could be prevented with this simple principle happen.
So easily fixable, yet people can't seem to help themselves. I had a third grade teacher who used to say something that drove me crazy, but now it seems the most fitting.. MYOB. Mind Your Own Business. We all should absolutely take that to heart, because if we aren't minding our business, than who will?
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