Nurse meetings

Re: Nurse meetings

Stuart Ford-Fennah — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:24:38 GMT

We are just going to change our meetins to every 2 wks and they will follow a vet meeting with me and PM so any items can be passed thorugh easily, we always have an agenda and alwyas take minuets makes sure we all know whats 'coming' and if anyone isnt pressent hte can cathch up on hte minuets or pass comments to me before hte meeting on specific agenda items. We have an open session at the end of hte meeing for anything whihc has been thorugh about between minuets being published and the meeting itself.

we have been doing weekly - but i thinks thats a bit too much now as we have been open for 4mths now and the 'isses' seem to be reducing

Re: Nurse meetings

SmegSlayer — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 23:37:28 GMT

back to scheduling nurse meetings-

does anyone else find that if the vets set a date for their meeting and request light ops it happens BUT if the nurses do the same, no one takes the blindest bit of notice?

and then they moan that something hasn't been done or updated but they're the one that booked in 3 dentals, 2 xrays, a bitch spay and 2 lump removals for themselves to do...

Re: Nurse meetings

Emma Purnell — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 07:59:04 GMT

The Monica I know is from Scotland, she isn't Polish! Maybe we are talking about the wrong Monica!

Re: Nurse meetings

Vykki Elleby — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 22:31:05 GMT

Monica from poland, who knows krystyna niemczuk! How is Monica? Hope she's well x

Re: Nurse meetings

Emma Purnell — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:57:58 GMT

Hi Vykki!

I would second most of what is said, definately make a note of everything.

We have weekly short meetings and slot them in around other things, in some ways that works, in others it can get frustrating being put off due to one thing or another and it is a big bone of contention for us.

Keep notes of everything as it is very good to refer to.

Best of luck with it all, any other questions we are all free to talk to!

P.S. I work with a vet called Monica who I think you know, she was telling me about your pets the other day!

Re: Nurse meetings

Celine — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:12:02 GMT

Make sure you ask reception and the vets if there's anything they want to request / add to the agenda, (like can everyone make sure lab results are put onto the clinical notes immediately after the tests have run, or whatever) - that way the whole team is told the same thing at the same time.

Also the opposite - if there's anything the vets need to do (erm, stop putting pooey thermometers back into the hibi pots without wiping?!?!) this can be brought up and relayed back - although I'd agree you don't want it to become a whinging session

Re: Nurse meetings

Sal the 1st — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:57:28 GMT

yes I always asked for an agenda - I also used to have a limit on how much time was spent on each item on the agenda otherwise you could find one person hogging the floor on one item. Minutes are always a good idea so there is a permanent record of what has been discussed and decided for the benefit of people who couldnt make it

Ours were( mostly) pretty light we had them once a month and usually picked a venue ie bowling alley, local restuarant - somewhere you could balance the serious stuff out

Re: Nurse meetings

Honeybadger — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 22:48:52 GMT

We have a list on a notice board where people write topics that they would like to discuss. It can turn into a bit of a moan list so I think it is important to add in nicer things as well.

Re: Nurse meetings

Vykki Elleby — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:45:56 GMT

I have regular meetings with my clinical coach, but not nurse meetings. I was thinking every 8 weeks, to follow the vets meetings.

Re: Nurse meetings

Juliet Drummond DAVN (med) RVN D32/33 — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:41:31 GMT

[quote user="BengalcatRVN"]

I thought nurse training practices had to have meetings?

[/quote]

they do.

hi vykki,

i would keep your first meeting light and informal. make a notice for the staff board advising of the date, time and place of meeting, include a deadline for agenda item's, to give you a couple of days to plan the meeting.

you can always discuss the fact that you are now having regular meetings, and how this will work.

try to stick to meeting dates, staff can become demoralised if their time is put off for other things. so i agree with previous post re blocking out diary time- but make sure you stick to the time limit.

make notes (or get someone else to!) of any actions, and who is to do them, and make sure they havebeen acheived by the next meeting.

i have monthly meetings with my nurses, but you could start with bi-monthly and progress to monthly.

good luck

Re: Nurse meetings

Vykki Elleby — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:41:13 GMT

I am 1 of 4 HN we have 4 practices, The vets hold meeting for themselves currently, but info is emailed to us. I have organised that a vet + Pm will meet up with the 4 of us to discuss anything from a Vet / pm point of view, then the 4 of us will relay it back to our individual teams. The big thing is non of us have ever held nursing meeting.

I can have influence on the rotas, I helped re organise our rotas, and holiday cover.

So the more help the better.

Re: Nurse meetings

BengalcatRVN — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:33:37 GMT

I thought nurse training practices had to have meetings?

We have to mention any health and safety issues and nurse training in ours (gives us an idea on where my trainee/student is at with portfolio) and then add any other bits, like any issues from recently (had a problem with over-booking ops on days where we were short-staffed) ideas. I must say, as a small practice these are staff meetings (inc the vet) Would you be having a sep meeting with the vets as head nurse?

Re: Nurse meetings

Phrin Vernon RVN — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:26:47 GMT

Congrats on your HN promotion! And for initiating nurse meetings

I would suggest letting fellow vets and nurses know that they can approach you about any issue they would like to be discussed - we used to use email, and HN would make a note and bring it up. Some places have a notice board where staff can write down things they would like discussed. Perhaps a 'suggestions box' only to be opened by you, with everything presented anonymously?

From my experience its mainly clinical nursey stuff that comes up, although rotas seem to come up a lot too - do you have any influence over them?

I'd also advise trying to keep ops light on the day, so that all the nurses actually have a cat in hells chance of meeting! Lunch on the bosses always goes well down too