Redefining the Work
I just participated in something called a "time-out session" at the falls clinic I work in. It involved looking at what the local commissioning board has stated they expect of our service and how well we met that expectation. It was done primarily to revise and inform the commissioners about how far we have come, how the service has evolved and whether they are getting what they paid for. It is an interesting process of saying, "Here is what you said you wanted, here is what we are providing, here is how it is (or isn't) working and here is what we think should be the revised remit for a new time period."
It was a great opportunity to examine our services, contemplate whether we were actually fulfilling the needs and advise those purchasing our services about how well things were going. We discovered that we met almost all the requirements we were commissioned to provide. Many of the things we didn't provide had either become irrelevant or were determined to be extraneous to our services. All of the original wording stated, "Nurse-led team..., nurse-led assessments... etc." It was really nice that the nurses volunteered this language was no longer appropriate because we were now a multidisciplinary team providing interdisciplinary assessments.
Through my work of the past year and that of the physiotherapist I hired earlier this year, this is evidence we have changed the mindset of our colleagues and they respect our work. As much as I have said I loved working for my last employer in New York, PTs were always kept in place by being reminded, "There's a reason ‘nurse' is the center of our company name."
It is nice to be respected and appreciated on this level.