Question For approximately six months we have been posting the names of managers who are late in submitting evaluations. We have experienced fair success with this tactic. When you implemented it, did you find that you experienced peaks and valleys […]
Question I’ve read your articles on evaluations, but I’m curious about whether you personally endorse raises that are tied to those evaluations. Or do you believe that pay and evaluations are two separate entities? Answer This is an area that […]
Question Our Leadership Team decided to roll out the following key words to the entire organization: “Is there anything else I can do for you? I have the time.” There has been significant resistance, with comments ranging from, “It doesn’t […]
Question Our facility is small (38 beds), so bed turnover is very important. There are times when we desperately need a bed and we have a patient who is ready to go home, but wants to stay for dinner . […]
Question What would you suggest as a key phrase to say to patients who may have had to wait to have their call lights answered? Answer Here are some suggestions: Consider an acknowledgment as you enter, such as: “I see […]
Question Some of our patient care managers suggest that our scores are not improving because we are not communicating with our patients’ family members. How do we convince our staff that communicating with families is just as important as communicating […]
Question We have introduced key words for phone answering and have encountered major pushback from OR staff regarding internal phone calls. How do I show value in saying, “Good morning, this is the (Name of Hospital) operating room, Patty speaking” […]
Question We are in the process of implementing key words at key times to reinforce to patients that we want to give them “very good” service/care. Do you have any suggestions for measuring staff participation in using the key words? […]
Question We need better buy in at our facility for key words. How do we show team members the value of this practice? Answer I suggest you not call it scripting but “key words at key times.” Explain to the […]
Question Are there any key words available for discharge phone calls? We are working on this “Must Have” and would like some ideas to incorporate into ours. Answer Key points are: Empathy. “We are calling to see how you are.” […]
Question We are currently attempting to call all patients who have visited our emergency department. Our success rate at reaching these individuals is about 18 percent. Is there a benchmark by which we can compare ourselves with other hospitals to […]
Question JCAHO now says discharge phone calls should be documented in the medical record. I am concerned that this will reduce the number of calls. Any ideas on how to keep JCAHO happy and not overburden nurses, so they will […]
Question Is there a way to prevent multiple calls to patients after discharge? Not only do the nursing units do follow-up calls, but so do our trauma coordinator, the hospital programs, and therapy. Answer You have the right idea to […]
Question All nurses on our staff are to complete approximately five callbacks per shift. How can this rule be enforced? When we are very busy, the nurses just don’t get them done. Answer Here are a couple of suggestions: First, […]
Question Is there a preferred list of exit interview questions that your organization uses? Answer We recommend: When you were initially hired, why did you want to work here? What kind of assignments did you most enjoy during your time […]
Question We are implementing a 90-day follow-up meeting with new employees to find out how their time has been at the facility and what we could do differently to be more “employee friendly.” Can you suggest any questions we should […]
Question I am currently in the process of hiring a new assistant nurse manager (ANM). The current ANM and I interviewed each candidate, and there was also a separate peer group interview involving five staff members. The problem is that […]
Question I am looking for the ratio of thank you notes to direct reports. My leadership steering committee seems to think one note per quarter per employee from the manager is okay. What have you found works best? Answer Look […]
Question Has there been any “downside” to sending notes of thanks to an employee’s home? Answer No, there is not a downside. I believe that at times even low performers deserve a thank you note. When a leader has counseled […]
Question I have worked at my organization for more than 15 years. I received a few thank you notes from my administrator, but they were for trivial matters such as cleaning a coffee machine and running folders to a meeting. […]