Nurses Humiliated, Demeaned by Hospital Boot Camp: Complaint

Joliet, IL — A “boot camp” training session aimed at disciplining nurses for faltering patient satisfaction scores has left some feeling a hospital went too far.

Emergency room nurses from Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center have submitted a petition complaining to hospital management about a boot camp training session that violated the collective bargaining agreement between the nurses and the hospital, according to the Illinois Nurses Association, which represents the nurses.

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According to the INA, boot camp activities included requiring nurses to drink water without access to bathrooms, sitting on a patient care bed in a public hallway while wearing goggles to mimic poor vision and headphones to simulate a patient with poor hearing, all while on top of a bedpan for 30 minutes.

Andre Harrison, Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center's regional chief human resource officer, said the hospital's mission as a healthcare provider requires it to deliver an exceptional, high-quality patient experience.

"This is our top priority," Harrison said. "In our associate training, we do everything we can to bring the needs of our patients into as clear a focus as possible for our dedicated clinical teams. Our nurse training includes simulating real-world situations to enhance the understanding of our patients’ needs. As with all of our training exercises, we will review feedback from the participants so that we can continuously improve our programs to bring the very best experience to the patients we serve."

The INA says the hospital boot camp violated several provisions of the contract with the hospital:

• The nursing schedule for a six-week period must be posted two weeks in advance.

• Nurses shall not be scheduled to work day, evening and night shifts within same pay period unless by mutual agreement or in emergency situations.

• Nurses will be scheduled to complete mandatory education during scheduled work time.

One nurse who participated in the alleged forced boot camp said the program consisted of having nurses drink a bottle of water and then not being allowed to urinate, lie on a backboard with a c-collar in place while being “accidentally” banged into doors and walls by a member of leadership, or sit in a “Hall of Reflection” reading insults that patients have said about the staff.

Rather than force the nurses to attend the camp, ER nurse Lisa Simmering recommended the hospital do a better job of encouraging collaboration to fix problems.

“I think our time and money would be well spent if the hospital leadership collaborated with the physicians to increase our throughput times since many complaints are regarding the ridiculous wait times our patients experience,” Simmering said. “It may also be beneficial to have the organization allocate funds to hire additional nursing staff to fill the large holes to allow for safe staffing on the night shift so that our patients can receive the timely, safe and effective care that they deserve.”

Simmering added that she does not see how the hospital’s actions would help increase patient satisfaction scores.

“All this does is shame, humiliate and demean nurses, and I cannot understand how an organization that is actively pursuing Magnet status can find this even remotely dignifying to our profession,” she said.