Time is $$Money$$

Budgeting is mainly focused on money as a strategic resource.  The amount of money that a unit has can significantly impact the amount and the type of supplies, equiptment, staff, and human resources that will be used to deliver safe and effective patient care.

Every nurse plays an integral role in budgeting process, but it seems it is not fully understood. Staff nurses involvment in this is needed to keep costs down.












Role of the nurse:

• Evaluate equiptment for purchase and use
• Manage and have access to patient care supplies (need to be "mindful on the decisions about supply and resource)
• Have to make decisons on how to staff unit (charge nurse/nurse manager)
• Make cost-effective decisions
• Be effecient
• Increase patient care while reducing cost
• Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
• Participate in education to increase knowledge
• Remember time is $$money$$

Cost and quality are two continuous concepts that are major themes for nursing practice. Nursing managers are constantly trying to figure out the most effective way to do things, and what the unit can do differently to save all that they can.

In my observation at the U of M hospital we are constantly changing things around for it to be less costly. Every unit had to cut down on their supplies. In the last year the nursing managers and a few staff nurses met and had to go through their supplies lists and decide on some things to cut and no longer be stocked in their supplies room. This makes it a little confusing as a float pool nursing assistant because some of the things they cut are some of the basic things we use a lot. Something that I notice a lot and what seems like a waste is all of the admission papers we give every patient. It is a pretty good amount of paper, and I feel like I throw them all away after the patients leave and they are usually in a corner or in drawers and are not even looked at. After reading this unit, I will definitely be more mindful on what supplies I am using and to make better cost effective decisions.

Huber, D. H. (2009). Leadership and nursing care management. 4th edition. Saunders, Elsevier Health Sciences. Maryland Heights, MO.

What does your organization due to reduce costs... and  what do YOU do to reduce costs in your workplace?