Sunday, January 25, 2009

Hospital Administrators

There are some great hospital administrators out there. I just met one. The hospital CEO can make or break your hospital... make it a great place to work OR a dangerous and stressful place to work. Here's a helpful hint born of painful experience. Speaking particularly of the Emergency Department ask the techs, nurses, and physicians if they would recognize the CEO if he walked into the ER. If most say 'no' then run away. If the CEO is not a nurse or a physician AND does not know his employees by name (most of them anyway), then he is a clueless, sold-out idiot (and he makes a lot more money than you and sleeps at night on a regular basis).
Posted by 911DOC at Sunday, January 25, 2009

9 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:38 AM, January 26, 2009

    I certainly knew the administrator at the VA where I spent six years. He had a pretty good sense of humor as well. Especially when a guy in a red tux with a monkey on his shoulder shows up in the middle of the afternoon with a singing telegram for an employee. I was sure I was gonna get fired for that one.

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  2. midwest woman7:26 AM, January 26, 2009

    i know my ceo and I will disagree. She's a prissy ex-psych nurse who regularly has her mother who has altzheimer's admitted with mental staus changes that happen to coincide with her leaving town. She sends us cheery emails when we work holdiays but don't email back about holiday pay..the free slab of ham and canned green beans will do fine thank you. She has regular meeting with the docs mostly to yell at them about not admitting enough. When they bring issues up she smiles politely very interested and concerned and then does absolutely nothing. Last time I actually saw her, it was when the unions were sniffing around and she wanted to make sure we were on board with management.
    I may "know" her but I can spot a phony. She's not about us.

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  3. Anonymous7:28 AM, January 26, 2009

    I could not agree more. I worked at a hospital for 20 years in different capacities, and I am watching the place slowly implode for this very reason

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  4. Special Sauce7:45 AM, January 26, 2009

    I could recognize the Super Higher Ups, and actually worked for their immediate underlings for a while before I switched jobs to go through school. It makes me giggle a little to see them eating in the cafeteria- they always travel in a pack. I doubt they could identify me (even though they saw me on a routine basis) or identify the names of any non-leadership RNs if they were held at knifepoint.

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  5. Brian and Jennifer1:27 PM, January 26, 2009

    at our hospital, the CEO knows everybody, from the techs to the kitchen staff, and up.

    He knows every resident, every physician and nurse. It's interesting..he's trying to build a family-like culture....but when he comes down to the ED, and says there's not enough admissions on the board...what's he want us to do? Needlessly admit? It gets to be a bit redic' if you ask me.

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  6. Anonymous9:24 AM, January 27, 2009

    @Brian and Jennifer: Good grief not enough admissions! Isn't less sick people a good thing?

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  7. Nurse K12:58 PM, January 27, 2009

    Know what he looks like? Maybe let's start with figuring out what his (or her?) name is. I suppose I could look on the INTRANET site or something, I guess.

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  8. Anonymous11:37 PM, January 28, 2009

    This exact thing bugs me A LOT about my current institution. The top doc and top RN have no visibility at my institution. I once cornered the top doc at a going away party for a long term employee. Wanted to express concerns re: a specific clinical issue. I explained my concern, how I had tried to correct it and had gone to the parties involved. He did not wish to get involved because he might step on some toes. I lost all respect for him after that - pt care was less important than the appearance that he may offend a couple people. About a year later one of our surgeons got a bit outspoken at an open town hall meeting. Was quite clear that he was not pleased w/ the administration.
    Later when I saw the surgeon I thanked him for speaking out. CardioNP

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  9. Just a little snarky11:03 AM, January 30, 2009

    Maybe I should be a hospital CEO. I'm good with money, good with people, I make reasonable safe decisions. I don't have an MBA so I'm not locked into all these screwy management trends.

    OTOH, you have to remember the CEO is beholden to the board of directors (directly) and to the stockholders (indirectly). So, if the Board wants more profit, that's the direction the CEO has to take, regardless of other short- or long-term issues, like patient care or personnel retention.

    Which is why I won't work for corporations that issue public stock anymore.

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