Recently, I see a group email pop-up on my computer that basically states that surveyors showed up in a particular building and they may need electronic medical record access, so please stand by.
Everyone who works in a corporation knows this as a typical email you see almost weekly. This one supposedly was for a complaint.
Next thing you know, another email goes out that says that the surveyors actually showed up at the wrong place. The resident they were looking for apparently was not there, so the surveyors said, “Oh, it must be ‘XYZ’ home down the street,” and left. A “whew!” email went out and that was that.
But wait, there’s more. Somehow, this facility gets wind that the resident the surveyors are looking for was not at XYZ facility, either. They end with a humorous, “Be on the lookout for wandering surveyors at a facility near you.”
So now smart-aleck me sends out an email, “Oh my, how scary, feral surveyors.” To which someone replies, “No, Jackie, State, not Federal.” I am assuming she thought I was voice-to-texting. So now I am laughing hysterically. I will never voice to text again without checking what I sent. This is a good reason.
About five years ago I was running late to meet my husband since he and I were supposed to meet a couple for dinner but I had worked late. So being the rule follower I am and would not text and drive, I activate the voice messaging and attempted to send my husband a voice text. What I thought I set was, “I am late. I’ll beep out front.” Apparently what I sent was; “I am gay, I’ll be all drunk.”
Now my husband, sweet man he is, was more worried about me driving drunk then coming out in a text, though he still teases me to this day.
So, all around what we had was a failure to communicate. But hysterically so. And, gee, I hope someone found those feral surveyors by now.
Just keeping it real,
Nurse Jackie
The Real Nurse Jackie is written by Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC, Senior Director of Clinical Innovation and Education for Mission Health Communities, LLC and an APEX Award of Excellence winner for Blog Writing. Vance is a real-life long-term care nurse. A nationally respected nurse educator and past national LTC Nurse Administrator of the Year, she also is an accomplished stand-up comedienne. The opinions supplied here are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of her employer or her professional affiliates.
