In addition to doing rotations as a part of my residency, I also have projects to work on occasionally. One project that I’ve been working on is with Materials Management.
I recently spent some time in Materials Management with the Director and with the second resident who is at Lake Pointe. After gaining an introductory understanding of the department, we talked about challenges the department faces with several employees. One thing we learned was that many nurses are unhappy with the hospital’s supply system because of challenges related to logging into it. Materials explained that this can result in lost charges, since nurses then resort to pulling items from their supply rooms without charging for them.
We decided to take on the project and have started asking nurses and other employees what challenges they have encountered with the supply system. Challenges we have heard so far include difficulties logging into the system, an inability to add new nurses to the system, challenges related to restocking items on weekends and after-hours, and concerns about where supplies are located.
Now that we’ve gained a better understanding of why the nurses are unhappy with the system, we’re looking forward to working with Materials to find a solution to make everyone happy. As much as we want to make sure we are charging for the items our nurses are using, we also want to make sure that the nurses are able to provide their patients with optimal care. I’m excited to be a part of finding the solution for everyone!
Erin