The Nurse Who Wouldn’t Clock In

February 10th, 2009

I was talking to a friend of mine – a single mom and an RN at a local hospital. She mentioned that her patient did not come down from ICU until late in the afternoon. She had been at the hospital, as expected, from mid morning on. She handled some little things, but did not clock in until the patient came down because she wasn’t adding any value until that time. I was surprised and asked her if she was told to show up in the morning why she would not get paid for that. She said that in these times, she wants to be part of the solution not part of the problem and that hospitals are having just as hard a time as other organizations. She said she is confident it will all work out if everyone does their part to add value to the hospital without being a drain.

I thought about that and was humbled by her attitude. I am still thinking about it. Adding value. What a concept! What if everyone shared that attitude? It isn’t about a “body” being present, it is about adding value. I am renewed in looking at ways that I can add value to my clients.

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