It's that time of year folks where our education department screws it's collective heads on long enough to take a crack at getting everyone through their annual competencies. Usually most places I have worked it's a day or two of doing skills and a test or two maybe a mock code on a life like automated mannequin, nothing big. For the last few years that I have been at big inner city hospital the process is more shall we say convoluted. The only thing that stays the same is that you have to do a certain set of skills. Then there is the computer learning modules which it seems like someone decides to change providers for each year. So you need new logins and passwords different than your regular ones.
One year they opened up the computer modules a month in advance for us to get everything done before getting skills done. As a tech we don't have much to do, the nurses though have got a shit ton. This ain't about nurses it's an ER tech blog so we talk about medicine's equivalent to sherpas. Any how, I suppose that idea of opening up the modules a month early was a bit too smart. So education decided to only open it up AFTER you talked to them on the day you wanted to get your skills done. Hell, they even gave us 4 non-productive hours to get it all done, awesome. Seriously Crusty ER Tech will roll with the punches to a point. I guess their idea was that folks would come in early get their shit done early and not dog pile in on the last day of annual skills. I'm following the thinking, fuckin' A. It was a good idea until it wasn't.
Case in point my experience of getting annuals done. Lately I have drunk the kool-aid and started to believe that hey as an employee I am being treated better and that I am valued as a team member. Sure there have been minor head aches it's part of the job. I thought that for once I'll get ahead of the herd and take advantage of the annuals being done in the ER for once (instead of in the secret hall on the other side of the hospital up on the 10th floor.) and I'd be smart and take advantage of these stations being open for two full weeks instead of one. The ol' Crusty ER Tech has really been using his noggin since he started nursing school. We were assured in our morning meetings that this area would be staffed the entire time M-F 0800-1700. Fantastic!
I show up and sure as shit no other techs are around and there is one nurse who is there to check off my lowly ER tech skills. There is a slight problem, I have to do my modules first and the head educator has to unlock my access. I'm here on my off day and I get 4 non-productive hours for it, remember ol' Crusty can roll with the punches. I go over to the head educator (gasp she is in her office) and she unlocks my access. I tell her that I'm gonna knock all this out and get everything done today, hell I even wrote her to say I was coming in on an off day. No problem she says. I get the modules done pretty quick despite another third party educational module provider and slow computers. Right when I am printing my completions up the nurse that was at the check off area walks up and says. hey Crusty my time is up over there but the head educator will get you checked off lickety split.
No problemo Crusty ER tech will go with it. I am a valued team member, which I am up until the moment I need something. I go find the head educator She is gone and one of her minions tells me that she'll be back "in the late afternoon" I ask how late and i get told "I dunno...LATE." No prob the old CERT will adapt. I walk over to the check off area thinking that the head educator would not leave me hanging because I am a valued team member, certainly she'd have someone over there waiting and not waste my time.
No one is there. Alrighty, the charge nurse will help me out it's slow and she's sitting in the office on her ass. I ask Condescending charge nurse for some help I get told "That's not my responsibility or job.' said of course in her usual condescending tone. Which is fine because I expected that. She's a useless bag of flesh anyways. So I do what they have told us to do use the chain of command, if someone won't help you go up the chain. So I go to her bosses, which no surprise at all they are in their office. I walk in and ask for help with my situation. I get asked very rudely "And who are you?" I'm close to the boiling point now.
Some one in the office says "that's Crusty ER tech, he's been around forever." These two birds I am talking to are new managerial types that were hired from outside the department, double ugh. They give each other a look shuffle some papers around and say "we can't help you" then turn their backs on me.Now I simmer out of my pot for a bit. "Hey, I've been here for awhile and you know what drives us employees crazy, this kind of thing right here, I come in on my day off get everything done to avoid the last day rush and get blown off by everyone. I learned my lesson, I'll show up on the last day that way at least there will be someone around to sign me off." With that I calmly walk out the door and straight to an open computer to email their boss.
In the old days of this urban ER that was unheard of speaking out because there was a price to be paid if you said anything that would be considered criticism of any manager type. You'd get written up or given assignments that sucked the life out of you. Trust me I know it happened to me a lot in the old days of this urban ER. After awhile I learned to keep my fucking mouth shut and bear the often idiotic leadership we had to put up with.
Now with a new corporate management team upstairs we have been told that those days are over, just use the chain of command. I use it and email their boss and vent my spleen about nearly everything. lo and behold the I get an email from my immediate supervisor (well I guess she is because they swap us around like horses between supervisors) I get told that my problems will be solved but only in a cursory kind of way. I'm still pissed, so I email their bosses boss again to say in essence, ya know how you guys said things have changed, well nothing has changed you guys just added another level of management it's the same old managerial style in the old inner city urban ER. I also said that since that has not changed that I fully expect some sort of disciplinary action or retribution for me saying something, just like 2 managers ago or shit was it 3 hell I forget.
Well old Crusty ER Tech shot his mouth off and again will pay the price, my next shift is tomorrow. Time will tell if anyone there gives a shit enough bout the old Crusty one to make amends. I doubt it because after all Crusty ER Tech is only a pawn in the game of life:
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