I have this friend in the Union….
She tells me that she LOVES working with our nation’s warriors, “ her vets “ as she
so protectively refers to them. However, increasingly, she tells me that the work
is much more difficult, oftentimes driven by onerous and duplicative documentation.
Case in point:
Everyone involved in patient care is aware that pain and pain issues for
our vets are vitally important factors to be considered in the care of the
vet. The powers that be, both nationally, and also from the local V.A.
administrative hierarchy, have deemed it so….and RIGHTFULLY so !
These powers that be, maintain that these pain and pain issues must
at all times be addressed. And again, RIGHTFULLY so
Well….. ya know what ? Being the great nurse and ferocious veteran advocate that
my friend in the Union is…..she WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREES ! My friend would NEVER
want to see “ her “ vets go hurting, especially if she could make a difference !
PAIN, within the VA system, is documented in a number of ways. Upon admission, a
detailed note is written, formatted, and included in what is known as the Nursing VANA.
Subsequent to this, if a vet reports pain, there is a template and a note which follows,
detailing EXTENSIVELY:
location,
duration,
quality,
and
intensity
of that pain.
This template and note is utilized, each and every time the vet is assessed as being in
pain. It takes a bit of time to fill it out, but again, it IS the RIGHT thing to be doing for
the vet, and for his or her pain.
On the other hand, in order to save time, should a vet NOT have any pain, a simple
zero ( reflecting, you guessed it, NO pain ) is entered in the vital signs area, FOR ALL
TO SEE, each and every time the vet is assessed and reports no pain ! This too, makes
sense…..and again, IS the RIGHT thing to do !
However….. my friend also tells me, should she have a vet, as she often does, who
has NO pain, and has NOT had pain, even for days and days, that IN ADDITION to the
pain score of ZERO being entered into the vital signs area ( again, FOR ALL TO SEE )
she must ALSO, IN ADDITION take additional and valuable time ( time taken away
from being with “ her vets “ providing EXTRA, and DUPLICATED and what she sees
as UNNECESSARY documentation, reiterating, each and every shift, that the veteran
has no pain ! Again, mind you, this is done, DESPITE the fact that this same
information is first also entered into documentation in the form of the simple zero in
the vital signs tab !
“ What a waste of valuable time “… my friend in the Union was overheard to say one
day.
Well, fortunately, that “ overhearing “ was overhead by one of her Union reps. The
issue is now ( and has been for awhile ) before the nursing administration of her V.A.
facility, and the Union is awaiting word back on the administration’s “ official “ take
on this one instance of needless duplication of efforts and documentation.
Stay tuned. More to follow !
Yeah, I have this friend in the Union……..
Union ! It works !
I have this friend in the Union….
He tells me that he was asked if he could take some time out of his busy
schedule last week to go downtown and help show some support for
some local Nursing and Health Care Workers Union Organizing Activities.
My buddy really didn’t feel like breaking up his day and heading back into
the city on his day off. But….he KNOWS what he has with the backing of
his Union ( NAGE in the VA ) so…..
…..he broke up his day
…..he took the drive into the city
and….with what seemed
to be numbers in the hundreds
….he saw to it ( by his presence and
that of his Union brothers and sisters
in NAGE) that those colleagues of his,
other Nurses and Heath Techs, and
other Health Care Workers throughout
Maryland who do NOT have the benefit
of representation,
SAW THE NUMBERS, FELT THE SUPPORT,
as they demonstrated for the simple right
of representation in the work place.
I have this friend in the Union….
He really DIDN’T want to give up a portion of his day last week to go
Downtown….. but went anyway….. and came back home, a few
hours later….. KNOWING he’d done the RIGHT thing !
The struggle continues ….. !
