Golden handcuffs

[xiphoid2010]

Just was wondering if anyone has the same feeling and frustrations I'm increasingly feeling.

So I'm at this LTACH, the pay is good, quite good. The pharmacy department is now ship shape, but nursing, and direct patient care, is still significantly worse than where I had worked before. Documenting and reporting the nursing med errors, rather than resulting in changes, are getting push backs. Pushing any harder is not worth the risk when the size of the 2 departments are so unequal.

Over time, the feeling have gone from, "I'm going to help change them to be better" to "it's frustrating and hopeless". The easiest thing to do is close the window blinds and collect the good pay. Not sure I can feel good about being a part of something like that. But man, those paychecks...

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[fauxden]

what is LTACH?

oh long term acute care hospital...

 

[pharmacy7424]

Just was wondering if anyone has the same feeling and frustrations I'm increasingly feeling.

So I'm at this LTACH, the pay is good, quite good. The pharmacy department is now ship shape, but nursing, and direct patient care, is still significantly worse than where I had worked before. Documenting and reporting the nursing med errors, rather than resulting in changes, are getting push backs. Pushing any harder is not worth the risk when the size of the 2 departments are so unequal.

Over time, the feeling have gone from, "I'm going to help change them to be better" to "it's frustrating and hopeless". The easiest thing to do is close the window blinds and collect the good pay. Not sure I can feel good about being a part of something like that. But man, those paychecks...

It would be easier to form an opinion if you gave a better idea of how good the paychecks are.

 

[PhunwithPharm]

I always assumed hospital pay was always lower than retail yet the work was better/easier than retail so worth the lower pay.

 

[confettiflyer]

I always assumed hospital pay was always lower than retail yet the work was better/easier than retail so worth the lower pay.

Yah that's weird to me, for me hospital has always carried a $5-7/hr premium over retail, sometimes more.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Not going to give out numbers, but I make a bit more than the average DOP in the area according to salary.com. Keep in mind the average DOPs typically have 10-15 years experience.

LTACHs usually pay higher than major hospitals mainly because otherwise they can't get people to choose them.

 

[rxdawg21]

Not going to give out numbers, but I make a bit more than the average DOP in the area according to salary.com. Keep in mind the average DOPs typically have 10-15 years experience.

LTACHs usually pay higher than major hospitals mainly because otherwise they can't get people to choose them.

Are we seriously not giving out our salary on a forum...dude its anonymous. I make 125k at retail plus about a 15 k bonus. Uh oh someones going to find out who I am. Who cares about what people think, it's just money.

 

[npage148]

So much for being the Rockefeller of pharmacy...

 

[awval999]

I make $108k in a large hospital setting. No golden handcuffs for me. Full 5.5% 401k match though. And the equivalent of 5 1\2 weeks pto/vacation.

 

[type b pharmD]

Xiphoid . Ill write more on this later.. but coming from an extensive ltach background as a tech. .. there is a particular type of cunning you need to possess to win the nursing war in this practice setting. Med errors are kind of the tip of the iceberg I suspect. You may need to choose a small easy battle and offer them a conciliatory gesture to start off your long term game plan.

Do you guys barcode? I worked at a huge ltach.. we only started barcoding like 5 year s ago . The root cause? Nursing not reporting their own errors.

Dont even get me started on multidose vial hoarding, lack of insulin documenting, narcotic theft, and lack of proper abx and tpn hanging.

It helped to have a director who was very socially adept and very good at dealing with passive aggressive , and people with very conflicting agendas.

Find out what nursing wants most, offer them a small bargain, and then slowly work your way toward your ultimate goal.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Are we seriously not giving out our salary on a forum...dude its anonymous. I make 125k at retail plus about a 15 k bonus. Uh oh someones going to find out who I am. Who cares about what people think, it's just money.

Whether a pay is good or not is relative to local average, job, experience, ect, not a set amount. A dollar amount is irrelevant to this discussion. This isn't a $$$ comparison topic.

This discussion is for people who wants to talk about being torn between job satisfaction and the pay.

 

[MatCauthon]

I make $108k in a large hospital setting. No golden handcuffs for me. Full 5.5% 401k match though. And the equivalent of 5 1\2 weeks pto/vacation.

I would think 5.5 weeks of vacation would be a golden handcuff? I don't even get that much after 20 years at my hospital. I started at 107k with 2.5weeks vacation and a generous pension plan (over 10% of my annual pay given to pension every year, no required match). My pay started low, but will already be over 120k after 2 years.

However, I would love a job with more vacation time (4 weeks plus). Unfortunately, those jobs aren't too common around here.

 

[type b pharmD]

Started with 5 weeks vacation if you include the 10 paid holidays .. Of course the downside to this is that the senior people with 7-8 weeks, are ALWAYS gone, especially when you need them!

 

[type b pharmD]

I'm not so much worried lack of job satisfaction vs handcuffs.. but .. if I were ever to want to move , I doubt I'd be able to find another employer who would match what I was getting before So at the moment it's looking like i'll be a one-company man for the duration of my career

 

[awval999]

I would think 5.5 weeks of vacation would be a golden handcuff? I don't even get that much after 20 years at my hospital. I started at 107k with 2.5weeks vacation and a generous pension plan (over 10% of my annual pay given to pension every year, no required match). My pay started low, but will already be over 120k after 2 years.

However, I would love a job with more vacation time (4 weeks plus). Unfortunately, those jobs aren't too common around here.

I earn exactly 28 days PTO. Of course that includes sick days/holidays/vacations.

You are required to work 2 of 6 holidays.

Therefore I earn 24 days of "vacation" and 4 holidays.

So it's more correct to say I earn "almost" 5 weeks vacation + holidays. Not too shabby. After 5 years, then 10 years, then 15 years it increases to earn even more. I think you max out at 8 weeks vacation + vacation days.
Of course when someone gets older they may take more "sick" days.

 

[awval999]

Yah that's weird to me, for me hospital has always carried a $5-7/hr premium over retail, sometimes more.

Only in California does hospital pay anything close to retail. I assume we're talking Kaiser, UCSF or something like that.

 

[MatCauthon]

Costco has a really good vacation plan schedule. After 15 years one caps out with 5 weeks of vacation, 9 personal days, and 8 paid holidays. If one couples this with the fact that they never have to work on Sunday, there are a ton of 3-day weekends throught the year without ever taking a vacation day.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Just was wondering if anyone has the same feeling and frustrations I'm increasingly feeling.

So I'm at this LTACH, the pay is good, quite good. The pharmacy department is now ship shape, but nursing, and direct patient care, is still significantly worse than where I had worked before. Documenting and reporting the nursing med errors, rather than resulting in changes, are getting push backs. Pushing any harder is not worth the risk when the size of the 2 departments are so unequal.

Over time, the feeling have gone from, "I'm going to help change them to be better" to "it's frustrating and hopeless". The easiest thing to do is close the window blinds and collect the good pay. Not sure I can feel good about being a part of something like that. But man, those paychecks...

Is it really that hopeless or have you lost perspective? I find it to be more hopeless at the larger facility that I work for than I do at the LTAC, because I find that it's more difficult to corral more people.

Nursing will push back. No one likes getting written up.

In addition to write-ups, you can always keep pushing for better patient outcomes, though. I don't believe anyone would argue with that kind of progress. Type B brought up barcoding. That's a good place to start... Are there any clinical protocols or hospital procedures that you think could use some updating? What about cost savings? Are you charging nursing for their own waste of resources whenever they don't hang antibiotics, miss IV doses, etc? Could your IV hood use some improvement? What about pharmacy technician training? Remember, it's your department and that's what you can control. You can't control nursing. Nursing will have to fix itself and with the right justification, you can indirectly force them to change their evil ways.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Xiphoid . Ill write more on this later.. but coming from an extensive ltach background as a tech. .. there is a particular type of cunning you need to possess to win the nursing war in this practice setting. Med errors are kind of the tip of the iceberg I suspect. You may need to choose a small easy battle and offer them a conciliatory gesture to start off your long term game plan.

Do you guys barcode? I worked at a huge ltach.. we only started barcoding like 5 year s ago . The root cause? Nursing not reporting their own errors.

Dont even get me started on multidose vial hoarding, lack of insulin documenting, narcotic theft, and lack of proper abx and tpn hanging.

It helped to have a director who was very socially adept and very good at dealing with passive aggressive , and people with very conflicting agendas.

Find out what nursing wants most, offer them a small bargain, and then slowly work your way toward your ultimate goal.

Thanks for the input. Realistically, pharmacy has very little control over how nurses behave, and frankly I know they will say it's not our place to tell them how to do their job, and they are right in that.

The issue is that when my department is following the rules, they see nurses slacking off, violating rules, med errors because they don't care, and blatantly faking documentation, it's unfair to my people and also make our jobs harder.

Now the DON is trying to do her job, but the culture is already set and taken on a life of its own. I hand her a list of med errors and nurses involved, she does bring them in for counseling, but the behavior continues or some nurse even try to retaliate. She told me one long time nurse told her "you will just have to write me up again because it'll happen again".

Of course, it's easy to stick to what's behind the 4 walls of pharmacy, keep our noses clean. And that's probably what we have to do to preserve the working relationships. It is just depressing to be doing our part, but see patients not getting the care they deserve because the bigger wheel is broken. And while the paycheck can feel good, it also make you feel a bit guilty.

 

[PharmDstudent]

And while the paycheck can feel good, it also make you feel a bit guilty.

Don't!

I believe that all you can do is to lift up your department and hope that the others will follow...

 

[type b pharmD]

And while the paycheck can feel good, it also make you feel a bit guilty.

I feel you there. But you can only do what you can do. At our LTAC, the pharmacists and the house staff (MD's) were the only ones providing any type of ethical care. It almost made me sick .. but at some point I just decided you do what you can, and hopefully after enough nurses get fired, sued, or jail time, CEO and DON will realize they need to pay more.

At our place, CEO and DON were fired simultaneously. Also worth mentioning: at one point, I would say nearly 50% of nurses and CNAs had licensure action against them, and half of those were for stealing narcotics. Guess that's what you get when you pay your CNA's $9/hr and nurses half of what real hospitals pay.

Worst situation is when you go in to check a heparin drip rate or something and the family is in there yelling, lawyers yelling, etc, and you are seen as part of the evil machine. The amount of staff we had to hire just to deal with smoothing over litigious situations and angry families didnt seem to justify skimping on the nurse pay.

 

[rxdawg21]

Well then post your salary I'm comparison to average in your market, I like solid concrete numbers not generalizations. On the other hand getting 4+ weeks vacation starting out is a huge plus of non retail routes. From my limited experience in non retail (rotations last year) I would say for me getting around 20k plus extra retail would make it worth it if retirement is similar and hours. If you get all weekends and off by 5 everyday it's even bigger difference in my eyes. I wish I had foresight to do clinical just for better hours and vacation alone. Quality of life is far more important for me . My job I work every third weekend and have a 4 day weekend and a 2 day. If I time my two weeks vacation right I can effectively get 6 full weeks if used during my 4 day weekend. So a little better then most chains but doesn't seem comparable to some or the clinical benefits I'm seeing. I also get 6% 401k match well see how long that will last. Our gross profit this month was down 4 % from last year, not good sign of the further dismal reimbursement

 

[opinionfree]

Dude, enough. You're a glorified pharmacy supervisor, not responsible for finding a cancer cure. You have a wife and kids, yet your incessantly pining over your career. I don't understand people straddled with a job performance mediated ego. Your job sounds easy. Be grateful and do it. Your employers don't need you to recreate the wheel. Tiger Momma only got a pharmacist with you. Why your not satisfied is beyond comprehension.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Dude, enough. You're a glorified pharmacy supervisor, not responsible for finding a cancer cure. You have a wife and kids, yet your incessantly pining over your career. I don't understand people straddled with a job performance mediated ego. Your job sounds easy. Be grateful and do it. Your employers don't need you to recreate the wheel. Tiger Momma only got a pharmacist with you. Why your not satisfied is beyond comprehension.

To some people, career and contributions back to society is actually important. Some has a sense of justice and want to see people held accountable.

Nursing is doing exactly what you suggest, "forget job performance, make it easier for myself, if the patients are worse off, not my problem, give me that paycheck.".

 

[type b pharmD]

To some people, career and contributions back to society is actually important. Some has a sense of justice and want to see people held accountable.

Nursing is doing exactly what you suggest, "forget job performance, do less, screw around, make it easier on myself, if the patients are worse off, not my problem, give me that paycheck.".

Lol @ opinionfree.

Agreed. Some of us actually care about our jobs and the ability to make a difference.

Probably just a retail mindset.

 

[HouTX]

Lol @ opinionfree.

Agreed. Some of us actually care about our jobs and the ability to make a difference.

Probably just a retail mindset.

let's not stereotype the whole retail crowd. some of us actually care and kicking ass while doing it

 

[type b pharmD]

let's not stereotype the whole retail crowd. some of us actually care and kicking ass while doing it

You caught me!

Actually I love retail pharmacy and was wholeheartedly passionate about it, main reason I left was simply due to opportunity elsewhere.

I respect 'good' retail rphs more than pretty much any other type.

Keep up your great work on the front lines! Its your zeal that gets patients excited about pharmacy.(ok maybe "excited" isnt the right word.. but you know what I mean)

 

[npage148]

Lol @ opinionfree.

Agreed. Some of us actually care about our jobs and the ability to make a difference.

Probably just a retail mindset.

There's a difference between caring about your job/patients/outcomes and having a weekly extrastensial crisis because you are not immediately changing the world. I'll provide the best care I can within the system I work but I'm not going to toe the edge of a cliff because some doctor/nurse I work with refuses to meet my expectation of optimal care.

It sounds like jacked up nursing units are a part if LTAC due to several factors and if you can't reconcile that a different setting would probably be best for you unless you decide to go to nursing school and take over that dept as well

 

[type b pharmD]

There's a difference between caring about your job/patients/outcomes and having a weekly extrastensial crisis because you are not immediately changing the world. I'll provide the best care I can within the system I work but I'm not going to toe the edge of a cliff because some doctor/nurse I work with refuses to meet my expectation of optimal care.

It sounds like jacked up nursing units are a part if LTAC due to several factors and if you can't reconcile that a different setting would probably be best for you unless you decide to go to nursing school and take over that dept as well

Valid. Accepted.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

There's a difference between caring about your job/patients/outcomes and having a weekly extrastensial crisis because you are not immediately changing the world. I'll provide the best care I can within the system I work but I'm not going to toe the edge of a cliff because some doctor/nurse I work with refuses to meet my expectation of optimal care.

It sounds like jacked up nursing units are a part if LTAC due to several factors and if you can't reconcile that a different setting would probably be best for you unless you decide to go to nursing school and take over that dept as well

This. I do a good job with the tools I'm given at work. Where there is opportunity for improvement, I work within the system and my team. But I don't derive my sense of purpose in life from work, and I certainly don't expect work to by my source of happiness in life. That's friends, family, etc. A job is a job.

 

[xiphoid2010]

This. I do a good job with the tools I'm given at work. Where there is opportunity for improvement, I work within the system and my team. But I don't derive my sense of purpose in life from work, and I certainly don't expect work to by my source of happiness in life. That's friends, family, etc. A job is a job.

People derive happiness from different sources. Some from what they do, some from home, others from hobbies. I would think that most get some from all of these, at least I do.

I know getting pharmacy in good order can't change nursing screw ups. Just pointing out that is a source of lowered job satisfaction for my department where I am. Where you are, it's probably crappy software or long insurance hold time.

So let's not get off topic of golden handcuffs, which I suspect many here do, especially in retail, where the job satisfaction is low but the pay is just too good to give up.

 

[All4MyDaughter]

People derive happiness from different sources. Some from what they do, some from home, others from hobbies. I would think that most get some from all of these, at least I do.

I know getting pharmacy in good order can't change nursing screw ups. Just pointing out that is a source of lowered job satisfaction for my department where I am. Where you are, it's probably crappy software or long insurance hold time.

So let's not get off topic of golden handcuffs, which I suspect many here do, especially in retail, where the job satisfaction is low but the pay is just too good to give up.

No, I'm in corporate management. Whole other set of issues. I've spent my entire morning talking with different national account reps from pharma. I can't get anything done today. But at the end of the day it's a job. A way to pay bills and get money for fun stuff. And tomorrow is really fun because we're getting our bonus checks!

 

[Dr Wario]

Speaking of, I was recently offered a job at an independent that I had to turn down for this exact reason. The work environment would have been vastly superior and I would see my first actual lunch break in nearly five years of being a pharmacist. The problem was, the job was not only offering a $12/hr pay cut, but the loss in benefits would have been another 25k/year hit, thus all told, the loss would have been around 50k per year. I can easily live with the income loss as it would not have affected my lifestyle in the slightest, but I couldn't see my annual savings hit so hard.

 

[PharmDstudent]

Speaking of, I was recently offered a job at an independent that I had to turn down for this exact reason. The work environment would have been vastly superior and I would see my first actual lunch break in nearly five years of being a pharmacist. The problem was, the job was not only offering a $12/hr pay cut, but the loss in benefits would have been another 25k/year hit, thus all told, the loss would have been around 50k per year. I can easily live with the income loss as it would not have affected my lifestyle in the slightest, but I couldn't see my annual savings hit so hard.

Is this with or without taxes taken out?

 

[xiphoid2010]

Speaking of, I was recently offered a job at an independent that I had to turn down for this exact reason. The work environment would have been vastly superior and I would see my first actual lunch break in nearly five years of being a pharmacist. The problem was, the job was not only offering a $12/hr pay cut, but the loss in benefits would have been another 25k/year hit, thus all told, the loss would have been around 50k per year. I can easily live with the income loss as it would not have affected my lifestyle in the slightest, but I couldn't see my annual savings hit so hard.

Over dinner few days ago, my wife was venting to me me about her long term care pharmacy. More nursing home nurses, it's lazy people in the pharmacy and a manager who is too that's pissing her off. The work is still easy and pays better than hospital staff pharmacist, but it's not fair to the patients and honest workers.

In the end she circled back to her old aspirations to eventually have her own pharmacy. Meanwhile she's gonna use the education benefits to get an MBA to open more upward opportunities. It's good to see she still has some of her ambitious nature. Maybe that's the way to break the golden handcuffs.

 

[opinionfree]

To some people, career and contributions back to society is actually important. Some has a sense of justice and want to see people held accountable.

Nursing is doing exactly what you suggest, "forget job performance, make it easier for myself, if the patients are worse off, not my problem, give me that paycheck.".

So are patient mortality rates on the rise, due to 'Nursing' in your facility? I sincerely doubt it.
More importantly, if they were, are you claiming 'Pharmacy' could somehow play a role in decreasing them. Please.

I'm at a loss for what constitutes YOUR reasons, for seeking justice and holding people accountable. It's all ego driven. The system is working, yet you think- it not only needs fixing, but your qualified to fix it. You're a pharmacist- first, administrator- second. You just know better. Not sure where your business credentials were learned, but what is painfully obvious is, you're NOT a team player.
If you somehow think being critical of other departments makes you a valuable manager, you have much to learn. Stop trying to show your facility how poorly other departments are run and focus on your department. I've worked with your type, for a quarter of a century. Find your validation from your family, NOT in the workplace. Your wife and kids will be with you, long after this job is over. Well, that remains to be seen. Napoléon complex?

 

[opinionfree]

Lol @ opinionfree.

Agreed. Some of us actually care about our jobs and the ability to make a difference.

Probably just a retail mindset.

Whining about other departments, that won't follow some mid-level pharmacy manager isn't indicative of job concern or difference making. It sounds more like an insecure, petulant child desperately searching for validation.
People working in retail (is that supposed to be a dig?) are much more involved in patient care, than some paper pusher, that can't handle the trenches of pharmacy.
You must be another progeny of a Tiger Momma. No matter how much self-aggrandizement you proffer up, you're still- just a pharmacist.

 

[type b pharmD]

Whining about other departments, that won't follow some mid-level pharmacy manager isn't indicative of job concern or difference making. It sounds more like an insecure, petulant child desperately searching for validation.
People working in retail (is that supposed to be a dig?) are much more involved in patient care, than some paper pusher, that can't handle the trenches of pharmacy.
You must be another progeny of a Tiger Momma. No matter how much self-aggrandizement you proffer up, you're still- just a pharmacist.

I dont care to respond to most of that .. but I will say nursing is definitively the biggest institutional related driver of mortality at many LTACHs

 

[xiphoid2010]

So are patient mortality rates on the rise, due to 'Nursing' in your facility? I sincerely doubt it.
More importantly, if they were, are you claiming 'Pharmacy' could somehow play a role in decreasing them. Please.

I'm at a loss for what constitutes YOUR reasons, for seeking justice and holding people accountable. It's all ego driven. The system is working, yet you think- it not only needs fixing, but your qualified to fix it. You're a pharmacist- first, administrator- second. You just know better. Not sure where your business credentials were learned, but what is painfully obvious is, you're NOT a team player.
If you somehow think being critical of other departments makes you a valuable manager, you have much to learn. Stop trying to show your facility how poorly other departments are run and focus on your department. I've worked with your type, for a quarter of a century. Find your validation from your family, NOT in the workplace. Your wife and kids will be with you, long after this job is over. Well, that remains to be seen. Napoléon complex?

Obviously you have no idea what it is like in the LTACHs world, and I can just as easily write a long ignorance ladden attack and telling others on how to live their lives. But not gonna waste the bandwidth and let youwaste other people's time further. Don't want to talk about the topic at hand, you are free to start your own rant somewhere else.

But wow you sure type long diatribes.

 

[opinionfree]

I dont care to respond to most of that .. but I will say nursing is definitively the biggest institutional related driver of mortality at many LTACHs

Of course you don't. Casting aspersions and mocking me, is easy. Accountability, in your words and actions, is obviously not your strong suit.
Nursing is also the most hands on, of medical care provided to patients in LTACHs. So the likelihood of it's responsibility in mortality causes, is obvious. DUH! How anyone thinks that some pharmacy person will create breakthroughs in reducing nursing related mortality, is ridiculous. Whining about it, is even worse.
By the way, people desiring to make a difference or achieve job related satisfaction, aren't obsessed with drawing attention to themselves. Humility? Retail pharmacist have the greatest impact on patient care. Mid-level pharmacy managers obsessed with financial data and staple inventories, aren't really on the cutting edge of anything. Except, the delusion of career superiority.

 

[xiphoid2010]

I dont care to respond to most of that .. but I will say nursing is definitively the biggest institutional related driver of mortality at many LTACHs

Some people who are most ignorant of a subject has the most opinions. The irony of the user name... Lol.

 

[opinionfree]

Obviously you have no idea what it is like in the LTACHs world, and I can just as easily write a long ignorance ladden attack and telling others on how to live their lives. But not gonna waste the bandwidth and let youwaste other people's time further. Don't want to talk about the topic at hand, you are free to start your own rant somewhere else.

But wow you time are long diatribes.

You really are such a victim. You and your wife (is she still with you?) really should open your own pharmacy. The both of you are too smart to suffer dealing with the inferiority associated with the rest of the health care world. Keep believing you make priceless contributions to pharmacy. Because no one else does.

 

[opinionfree]

Some p

Some people who are most ignorant of a subject has the most opinions. The irony of the user name... Lol.

Unfortunately, people like you, operate under the delusion that they are more important than they are. Go inventory something and convince yourself you're a valuable member of the health care delivery system.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Some p



Unfortunately, people like you, operate under the delusion that they are more important than they are. Go inventory something and convince yourself you're a valuable member of the health care delivery system.

aww shucks, people not buying your clueless bs and yo' mad? Mountain had some really choice words for you that was hard to beat.

"You can take sincerely and..."

 

[HouTX]

You caught me!

Actually I love retail pharmacy and was wholeheartedly passionate about it, main reason I left was simply due to opportunity elsewhere.

I respect 'good' retail rphs more than pretty much any other type.

Keep up your great work on the front lines! Its your zeal that gets patients excited about pharmacy.(ok maybe "excited" isnt the right word.. but you know what I mean)

i actually went from retail to mail order and back to retail.

People derive happiness from different sources. Some from what they do, some from home, others from hobbies. I would think that most get some from all of these, at least I do.

I know getting pharmacy in good order can't change nursing screw ups. Just pointing out that is a source of lowered job satisfaction for my department where I am. Where you are, it's probably crappy software or long insurance hold time.

So let's not get off topic of golden handcuffs, which I suspect many here do, especially in retail, where the job satisfaction is low but the pay is just too good to give up.

lol I'm in retail and looks like my job satisfaction is greater than yours. great boss, great partner, great techs, and great patients.

 

[xiphoid2010]

That may well be true, but by the looks of all the complaints by CVS/Walgreen pharmacist, there are lots that seems have the golden handcuffs.

Working inpatient don't automatically make theyou happy. I got a good team in my department and smooth sailing, on friendly terms with the other directors including the DON, and a good CEO. But what non-LTACH people don't get is th nature of it. Patients are usually sicker than medsurg, in for 3-4 weeks so you get to know quite a bit about them. So for example, you walk in one day and find out Mr xyz who was just talking yesterday is now on a vent and transfused 6 units of blood because nightshift was sleeping on the job and let wound vac suck the patient dry, how would you feel?

 

[PharmDstudent]

Maybe that's the way to break the golden handcuffs.

You have an excellent point!

Whining about other departments, that won't follow some mid-level pharmacy manager isn't indicative of job concern or difference making. It sounds more like an insecure, petulant child desperately searching for validation.
People working in retail (is that supposed to be a dig?) are much more involved in patient care, than some paper pusher, that can't handle the trenches of pharmacy.
You must be another progeny of a Tiger Momma. No matter how much self-aggrandizement you proffer up, you're still- just a pharmacist.

WTH is a Tiger Momma? I'm lost... are you talking about an Asian mother?

Working inpatient don't automatically make you happy. I got a good team in my department and smooth sailing, on friendly terms with the other directors including the DON, and a good CEO. But what non-LTACH people don't get is th nature of it. Patients are usually sicker than medsurg, in for 3-4 weeks so you get to know quite a bit about them. So for example, you walk in one day and find out Mr xyz who was just talking yesterday is now on a vent and transfused 6 units of blood because nightshift was sleeping on the job and let wound vac suck the patient dry, how would you feel?

Keep writing up the repeat offenders as it relates to pharmacy or "break" them however you see fit. Just don't take responsibility for their recklessness and don't feel guilty for getting a good paycheck. You are not a martyr; when I'm not on a crusade, I am a martyr and it sucks!

In other words, don't get dragged down because of sloppy nursing... it's not your cross to bear.

The DON needs to start recruiting decent nurses ASAP! It's her responsibility, not yours.


Please understand, LTACH patients can and will go "bad" regardless of diagnosis, nursing, pharmacy, etc.

 

[type b pharmD]

You have an excellent point!

WTH is a Tiger Momma? I'm lost... are you talking about an Asian mother?

Keep writing up the repeat offenders as it relates to pharmacy or "break" them however you see fit. Just don't take responsibility for their recklessness and don't feel guilty for getting a good paycheck. You are not a martyr; when I'm not on a crusade, I am a martyr and it sucks!

In other words, don't get dragged down because of sloppy nursing... it's not your cross to bear.

The DON needs to start recruiting decent nurses ASAP! It's her responsibility, not yours.


Please understand, LTACH patients can and will go "bad" regardless of diagnosis, nursing, pharmacy, etc.

All of this.. Yes.

LTACH patients WILL go bad , in general lol. Which really necessitates a higher level of better quality care. The fact that a lot of these LTACH organizations are given special monopoly power by CMS does not help things though.

 

[xiphoid2010]

You have an excellent point!

WTH is a Tiger Momma? I'm lost... are you talking about an Asian mother?

Keep writing up the repeat offenders as it relates to pharmacy or "break" them however you see fit. Just don't take responsibility for their recklessness and don't feel guilty for getting a good paycheck. You are not a martyr; when I'm not on a crusade, I am a martyr and it sucks!

In other words, don't get dragged down because of sloppy nursing... it's not your cross to bear.

The DON needs to start recruiting decent nurses ASAP! It's her responsibility, not yours.


Please understand, LTACH patients can and will go "bad" regardless of diagnosis, nursing, pharmacy, etc.

Right on. We all know these sicker patients can go bad, and need more intensive care. It's the preventable bad outcomes, as much as it's no fault of yours, it bothers you, like that patient.

The DON is doing her job. But the turn over in nursing is high, difficulty getting good nurses to work LTACHs vs medical centers, disciplining poor performing nurses vs losing them and using agency nurses which can be even worse. You can see she's trying, but can't slay the beast. I feel for her. Pharmacy is much easier to get into shape in comparison.

 

[xiphoid2010]

Woot, pharmacy and nursing just gained something in common -- more demands and budget cuts.

Nursing was forced to increase nurse to patient ratio to by 1 recently. Corporate had sent their "right hand man" to "talk to" the DON. The DON objected but still had to give ground. Yesterday, my CEO forward me an e-mail from corporate (with me not included on the recipient list) that wants pharmacy to cut PRN pharmacists hours. I guess when they are done with nursing, its pharmacy's turn. But how about at least have the courtesy of cc the DOP?

I spoke with the CEO today for quite some time. Have to laugh bitterly at the directives coming from above that don't bother with to the ground truth. The strategy is to counter attack, not to win but for a more tolerable compromise, at least for a while. But even if managing that, i wont get any thanks. Corpoate will probably see me as a roadblock, and my PRN staff will think I don't care about them.

Gota laugh at it all. Golden handcuffs, how much a year buys a pair? $30k, $40k, $50k?