Posted by By AHRA Staff
April 2012—Every month, a hypothetical management situation is posted. You are encouraged to share your thoughts (in the comment box below) on how you would address the issue. Here is this month’s question:
What would you do if you noticed that your staff members were not being diligent about tasks such as checking and initialing crash carts? How do you get them to understand the importance of this and the ramifications if not completed, without having to counsel staff?
Be sure to check out others’ responses and join the discussion.
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I assign the task to a particular modality and to the associate in that modality that starts work at a particular time. For example, the 06:30 CT tech (M-F) and the 07:30 CT tech (S & S) is assigned to complete the daily crashcart inspection & documentation. So the task is assigned to an individual – sort of. When the person that routinely works the shift with the assigned task takes vacation, then the scheduling office sends a reminder e-mail to the person covering the vacation / shift telling them of their responsibility to complete the task.
I try to make my expectation clear and make compliance simple – no drama. Framing counseling, when needed, around how the individuals’ action or in-action affects the teams’ reputation seems to resonant with all generations.
I agree with Michael (see above). I do not feel the need to “motivate” anyone to understand the importance of crash cart maintenance. The fact that we have a crash cart in my department is like a roadside advertisement that we could, and have had situations that require the use of a crash cart. I put the onus on staff to check the crash cart at the beginning of the day (EVERYDAY) and log it on the attached clipboard. It is not a hope that this task gets done, it is a showstopper when it does not get done. All managers, coordinators and staff level employees should know how to check the cart and test the defib unit. Hold all employees accountable on tasks such as this because not holding them accountable will have tragic results for someone down the line.