Posted by Dr. El - June 22, 2011 - Motivating staff
I didn’t want the week to go by without giving a “shout out” to our Nursing Assistants. You work so hard and your job is so important!
Some thoughts and experiences on CNAs:
- Prior to graduate school, I worked in a residential setting for adolescent girls with behavior problems. My role was similar to that of a CNA, and because I spent a huge amount of time with the girls, I knew them very well. I remember sneaking into the charts to read consults done by the psychologist and finding important information about why the children were the way they were and how to work with them because of it, and I thought, “Well, it would have been nice if someone had told me this!” I would have approached the children differently because of it.
- In one of the psychiatric hospitals I worked at later in my career, the psychiatrist who led our team wouldn’t start morning report on the unit without a CNA-equivalent being there, because important information would have been lost.
- A quote from a resident reflecting on her experiences with nursing assistants, spoken years ago: “Some of them are angels sent from Heaven. Others — from Hell.”
- Let’s give our CNAs the tools to be Angels.
CNAs, what tools do you need to do the best job you can?
Posted by Dr. El - November 9, 2010 - Business Strategies, Motivating staff
“Some staff members may never have eaten at a fancy restaurant or stayed at a 5-star hotel,” the speaker at a long-term care conference pointed out, “How can we expect them to provide good customer service when they don’t know what it is?”
That comment got me thinking about the nursing home staff dining room and the opportunity it presents to teach workers about customer service. I’m not suggesting the dining room should offer table service and fine china, but it’s worth considering what lessons are being learned at lunch. Those lessons are being repeated when workers head back to those under their care.
Is the dining room clean? A spotless dining area is a model for the level of cleanliness staff should provide for the residents.
Is food served in an appealing fashion? Residents eat more of their meals when it’s presented well. Demonstrate how to present a meal by offering staff a colorful, attractive meal served with a positive attitude.
Are the dining room fixtures in good condition? A pleasant, comfortable environment sends the message that staff members and their wellbeing are important – exactly the philosophy you’d like them to take back to their units.
Does the environment give staff control over their meals? Providing a microwave, toaster oven, food choices, and other mealtime essentials creates a sense of freedom in what can sometimes be a confining environment. This, in turn, teaches staff how to present options to the residents.
There are many opportunities throughout the day to send the message to workers, “This is how we do things here.” For readers who haven’t had a meal in the staff dining room lately, take lunch at noon and see what your dining room is teaching your staff about customer service.
Posted by Dr. El - September 1, 2009 - Business Strategies, Common Nursing Home Problems and How Psychologists Can Solve Them, Motivating staff
Taking a page from my industrial/organizational psychology colleagues, I’ve been thinking about easy, inexpensive ways to improve efficiency in nursing homes. I recently read an article about the Starbucks company asking managers to put together a Mr. Potato Head doll as quickly as possible and then apply the experience to their work behind the coffee counter. This resulted in moving the supplies around for ease and faster turnaround of customers. I think about this when it takes me 15 minutes to photocopy a face sheet from a chart because the copy machine is located five floors away. Then I multiply that by the number of staff members needing to make a copy or two, and the outcome is this blog post.
Here are some simple ideas for improving efficiency (and reducing staff frustration) in nursing homes. I’m sure there are many more; please add your suggestions to the Comments section.
- Have a fax machine at each nursing station for faxing and small copy jobs.
- Set up all the file drawers the same way on each floor so there is no guessing where one might find an interim order sheet and other important forms.
- Put frequently used forms in an easily accessible location. Move less frequently used forms to a secondary file drawer.
- Color code the doctor’s communication books so that if Dr. Lewis is Lemon Yellow on the first floor, she’s Lemon Yellow on all the floors.
- Color code the weight books, CNA logs, etc, or at least have them all be the same type of book on each floor.
- Post important telephone numbers and procedural information in the same places at each nursing station.
- Standardize the location of the charts, logbooks, etc.
- Standardize the organization for the medication rooms, supply rooms, and linen closets.
- Be sure to include the staff members in deciding how to organize each aspect of the facility. For example, the decisions about the linen closet should be made by a small committee including representatives of the CNAs, the people who deliver the linens, the Director of Housekeeping, any other departments involved with the linen room, and someone able to guide the discussion of the committee. It’s important for every department to be represented because moving certain items might make it easier for one group but harder for another. Having all the information will make for better organization, improved job satisfaction, and greater buy-in from the staff.
Posted by Dr. El - May 16, 2009 - Business Strategies, Customer service, Motivating staff
The best nursing home staff dining room I’ve ever seen was a large bright room with a wall of windows and plenty of welcoming seating. Staff members purchased discounted food, which was tasty enough to entice those outside the nursing home community to come in and pay full fare. A salad and sandwich bar was offered, as well as a choice of three hot entrees. On pigeon pea soup day, there were lines down the hall and folks buying extras to bring home for dinner.
Unfortunately, most nursing home staff dining rooms are cramped, windowless, basement spaces, renovated some time during the Reagan administration. With peeling wallpaper, inadequate seating, and unappealing food, these dining rooms offer no refuge from the busy units on which the staff work.
It is essential for the line staff to have a place where they can be nurtured and replenished so they can return to their units to nurture others. Those working on the floors spend their days dealing with often unattractive aspects of life: toileting, wound care, agitation, etc. Providing a clean, cheerful, well-maintained dining area can go a long way toward creating a psychologically healthy work space. Upgrading the staff dining room is an instant morale booster, affects the greatest number of people, and lasts longer than a staff party.
One nursing home I know made a vast improvement in their basement dining room with a very low budget. A fresh coat of paint, some artwork by the staff, and matching secondhand tables and chairs completely changed the atmosphere, and the attitude of the diners.
