Getting Hooked Up On Time

[pklipe57]

I have been on in-clinic hemodialysis for over two and a half years.  I sat in the same chair and was usually hooked up on time.  I am the first person scheduled for the third shift. 

That all began to change about three weeks ago.  I was 20-40 minutes late getting hooked up in 7 out of 8 treatments.  The nurse practitioner saw the problem and talked to them.  They moved me two chairs down so I could follow the first person on the second shift.  It made great sense to me.  Then last Friday they moved me back to my regular chair.  Said they had it all worked out and I would be able to get hooked up on time.  Then I go in on Monday and guess what I had to wait 20 minutes.


I am dreading tonight.  I still work and adjust my schedule so I can be there on time.  I have never been late getting there.  It makes for a long day when you work and then spend the evening at dialysis and like everyone else want to get home as soon as possible.  They wonder why my blood pressure is so high when I first get hooked up.

I don't want to be a problem patient, but if I am late getting hooked up today, I am going to ask to be moved back to the third chair.  Doesn't it make sense that the 1st person on the third shift should follow the 1st person on the second shift?

Thanks for listening and any comments you may have.

pklipe

 

[cattlekid]

I totally hear you.  Like you, I still work full time and adjust my schedule so I get to the clinic exactly on time, even to the point of leaving work early if there is bad weather. 

There has only been *ONCE* that it took more than 5 minutes past my start time to get hooked up.  I was pretty stern with the tech and since then, I've been hooked up on time.  I figure that since I am adjusting my schedule to get to the clinic on time, the least the clinic staff can do is get themselves organized to keep with the scheduled times. 

My suggestion would be is to start with the clinic manager and see what he or she has to say.  They should be able to come up with some acceptable alternative. 

[HILINE]

some techs are slow, I had 1 today

[ESRD Survivor]

I am first stick of the first stick.  We are to be there at 5:45 am for a 6:00 hook up.  It has only happened once in the year and a half.  I am lucky to be up and running by 6:15, usually more like 6:25.  Talked to the clinic nurse, nothing changes.

[YLGuy]

Hi, I am chair 1, 2nd shift, MWF.  Sometimes that is all I feel that I am.  I have told them before that we patients are not cattle.  We have lives outside of dialysis.

[sullidog]

Don't get me started on slow techs! and I have been accused of being late when it was the tech who was late!

[lmunchkin]

Yea, they were always late with J. too.  He never complained about it much, but I sure did.  If you get along with one of the techs, ask them if they can see that you are closer to your times.  GOOD LUCK!

lmunchkin

 

[Riki]

I think it's petty to complain about waiting a few minutes to get in, even if you schedule yourself so that you're on time.  Something could have happened to cause them to be late; maybe the person in your chair had an issue with blood pressure, and they can't let him leave, or maybe there was a major emergency in the unit, or they are short staffed because someone is sick and everybody is behind.

I once waited 45 minutes to get on, because the lady in my chair had to be transported from the hospital (our unit is in a nursing home, 20 minutes from the hospital), and the ambulance transporting her was late getting her at the hospital because they had an emergency call.  That lady needed her dialysis as much as I needed mine, and the issue itself was out of the control of the unit, so I couldn't really complain.

The only time I really did complain about being on late, was on Labour Day.  I was sitting in the chair for 45 minutes, waiting to get on. They had a skeleton staff, because of the holiday.  I don't agree with that, since it's an essential service for us, so they should have to have full staff, holiday or not

[jazzin11]

Riki, I agree with you about the short staffing issue on holidays. My center did that too. In regard to the late hookups, I experienced that many times too, but it was pretty plain to see that the techs were working along a quickly as they could to do it safely. Usually it was not planned or able to be avoided.

I work rotating twelve hour shifts, so the center was very flexible about scheduling me, and they were very nice about working around my weird working schedule. Now that I have a transplant, it'll be really nice to not worry about getting to the center on time!

[cattlekid]

Sure, that would be understandable and acceptable if it happened once in a blue moon.  However, the one time that it happened, the reason the tech gave was that "no one told him I was here".  Well, buddy, I've been coming to this center for nine months and I've never once been late.  I think a lot of the problem is that we have a locked door between the waiting room and the actual clinic with a sign warning of stern consequences if we even *think* of knocking on the door.  So when you arrive at the clinic, you sit in the waiting room praying that your tech hasn't lost track of time. 

There needs to be a better way to let the staff know that we have arrived so that if they are not busy, they could even (gasp!) hook us up early if we get there early.  Maybe a note slipped under the door?   

I think it's petty to complain about waiting a few minutes to get in, even if you schedule yourself so that you're on time.  Something could have happened to cause them to be late; maybe the person in your chair had an issue with blood pressure, and they can't let him leave, or maybe there was a major emergency in the unit, or they are short staffed because someone is sick and everybody is behind.

[lmunchkin]

In some circumstances, I agree with Riki, but the one in-center we went to was deliberately "taking their time" and causing everyone to be late on and off, unless the director of the clinic was there. We transfered to another clinic a little bit further from our residence! 

I know that these in-centers do have nurses & techs who really do try to accomadate the patients!  I don't believe all nurses and techs are bad either, but some of them don't give a "flip" about anything but the money they make and getting home! It is nothing more than just a pay check to them and they are not going to get close to any of you.  They are cold and heartless, and want to remain that way!  Nothing more than a regular job to them.
Sad, but so true!

lmunchkin

 

[sullidog]

I agree with Rikki, the only reasoned I found it unacceptable was because I was usually the last patient off and the techs weren't working on anyone, they'd just sit around and laugh and have their fun then come back and say sorry we were charting.
Also I got accused of being late and also got that excuse no one told me you were there, but the bp thing or the emergency issue I can understand, when you are just laughing and having fun that is not acceptable. I believe the only reason why they cut me to 2 and a half hours was not because the doctors orders, but was because the nurses at my old center wanted to go home and make their money.

[Riki]

You all must have some crappy nurses.  I had 2 stay late for me a couple of years ago, so I could go to a funeral in another province.  I came in 2 hours late.  Once everyone else was gone, and they had their charting done, they sat with me and watched tv till my treatment was finished

[sullidog]

Yes, my former center even came up with a policy, if you're late your time gets cut, it doesn't matter if you had a doctors apt, car broke down, etc. no matter what you will not be running your full time even if it wasn't your fault.