Dear Boss,


This letter is an attempt to express what I believe to be some vital ideas for improvement of patient care at RTC and to give you a snapshot of how a conscientious employee perceives working at RTC. This letter is in four parts, the first being an introduction on this page.

The second page is an attempt to offer concrete ideas for improving patient care, strengthening accountability, increasing productivity, and retaining MHT staff.

The third page is an expression of the frustration I and other conscientious staff face every time we come to work. I believe it is important information you need to know in order to better understand some serious problems in the organization and why turnover is so high.

The fourth page is my personal request for items and incentives that would improve my productivity in the additional work I do for RTC beyond direct patient care.

Recently I applied for and was given a new position at RTC so page four might have been omitted from this letter, however I include it due to the recent posting for a Night Shift Lead Tech as I believe it represents the needs of any staff attempting to do what I did, especially a Lead Tech trying to turn around the current atmosphere and do additional work on the night shift.

I believe this letter contains important information and equipment necessary for a Night Shift Lead Tech to have in order to be able to do an effective job of turning around a long standing atmosphere of poor work ethic and staff with either lazy or entitled attitudes.


Since I started working at Residential Treatment Center, I have attempted to provide structure and organization to the medical and behavioral documentation while working the night shift. From the start my work ethic and efforts were met with resistance, ridicule, disregard, and at times, direct hostility and deliberate undermining from other staff and from supervisors.

In my opinion, this reaction came and continues to come from an atmosphere of laziness, entitlement, and an acceptance that little is expected of night staff beyond rounds (in some cases without actually paying attention to or providing a compassionate atmosphere for the patients) and clearing out the filing box as quickly as possible (sometimes without regard for filing properly or worse, discarding documents) so that socializing and breaks can remain the priority.

Attempts at solving this, at least on the night shift, have largely revolved around memos that restrict what staff can do. I do not believe the solution is to tell staff what they can not do. I believe the solution lies in supervision and accountability for what staff are paid to do.

One challenge on the night shift is that, most nights, the work can be done in a few hours. This creates down time in which staff get distracted with socializing or get sleepy and this can deflate moral. Over the years my techniques for keeping staff alert and keeping moral up have included group activities like playing cards or a board game during the down time. I've found solitary activities like TV or videos are much more likely to provide distraction and sleepiness.

For the first few years I did not sense managers were receptive to my ideas or initiatives. This may have been a mistaken impression or in part due to my presentation.

Recently my efforts are being recognized by managers and directors. I wish to especially thank you, AA, DON, HR, AT, MIS, HS, IF, and LTS, and all who've actively supported my efforts to help improve the work ethic, operations, and patient care.

. o O ( NOTES ARE THE NEW HAPPY PILL ) O o .
(just let me know you were here)