Reflective Journal Nursing Argumentative

The position of a manager is a foreign occupation to me. I have worked as a charge nurse for about 3 years but to be manager has always seemed overwhelming to me. I have to the opportunity to precept with Wayne Martin, who is currently the manager over the Emergency Department at Southeastern Health. He is also managing the MedCare Unit which is a critical care transport team for the hospital. To begin the morning, we started with a financial meeting with different departments such as the IT department and different business departments. The emergency department is required to go to this meeting because this is the initial part of patient care. Discussions seemed every overwhelming to me. I have never really understood the financial situation of the hospital but with the changes with Obamacare, the hospital has really taken a big hit. Conversations about cost and ways of saving and processing patients seemed to be the focus. In my opinion, the individuals involved with this meeting see patients as dollars bills and not humans. It was very dishearten to hear some of the discussions. I do understand that bills have to get paid but it was very foreign to me.

After the first big meeting, we had to go to small meetings such as one about the approval of painting the emergency room. This has to be approved by the infection control nurse. Then the manager has to round on different patients. A situation with a patient who sat in the ER for 10 hours without being offered a meal had to be address. After evaluating the situation, the problem was miscommunication. A small meeting with the charge nurse, registration, and the triage nurse was done to discuss the game plan for the day. After that meeting, we had to go to another meeting in which every department must inform how many patients they have and productivity for the day.

Finally, I discovered that we were taking a field trip to another meeting at RCC. Wayne represents the hospital in a quarterly meeting with all the different ambulance services for the county. Each quarter, discussions about current practices and certifications are brought to the medical director of the ambulance as well as representatives from all services such as MedOne and town/county ambulances. Most of these services bring patients to Southeastern Health so this is why Mr. Martin has to attend the meeting.

Reflection
I did not realize that I was going to be sitting in meeting for my entire clinical day but I understand that he has to represent his department in every aspect. I found the first meeting to be the most influential. Information about the budget seemed very overwhelming. I have never really grasped the concepts of finance so it was really hard for me to follow. Each department, no matter technical, business, or patient care, has a part and responsibility to make Southeastern successful. Currently, they are in the “negative” budget wise, so this meeting is done daily to discuss how to make a change.

Rounding on patients was second nature to me because I have to do this on a daily basis. The manager is the “go to” person to help solve as many problems as possible. I think Mr. Martin had at least 20 emails to respond to as he walked through the door. He is a huge responsibility to the quality of care provide and all compliments/problems follow back on him. I was impress with his quick response and evaluation.