Q: As a director of nursing, do you feel that audit tools are really beneficial to organize where we are with areas such as psychotropic meds, restraints, catheters, etc?
A: Yes, I sure do! Meet with your leadership team to decide which areas you feel that you need to routinely track.
Develop your audit tools based on regulation guidelines and have them updated on a monthly basis. Have the managers complete them in pencil versus pen, so they can be corrected as they go along.
I have a multitude of audit tools that I have developed and am willing to share. Email me at the address below and I will forward them to you.
Q: How would you approach a charge nurse whose job performance is barely meeting the standards, has an excuse for every mistake she makes and has been with the company for many years?
Make an appointment to meet with her to discuss expectations, his or her job performance and her career goals. Give examples of practice that you have observed that you would like to see improvement in, such as med pass, documentation, follow-up on resident concerns, GNA oversight, etc.
Review your expectation of quality in his or her work. I am sure there are some areas that he or she does well in, so let him or her know that you observe them as well.
You might want to ask your nurses where they see themselves five years from now, or maybe ask what areas they feel they need to work on as they continue to grow as a nurse.
Spend at least a half hour with this employee, allowing time to get a better idea of what support he or she might be needed to improve his or her nursing skills.
Please send your nursing-related questions to Anne Marie Barnett at [email protected].
From the March 01, 2012 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
