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Rumor
Mill separates fact from fiction
Leaving While on the Clock
Rumor: I have heard that nurses occasionally
leave their work area and go to stores or some even leave to jog then come
back and shower in the residents call room. They are still on the clock
and work in the SICU. Isn't this illegal to take this time off and be on
the clock? Also who watches their patient?
Truth: Reportedly the concerned employee
jogged during his/her lunch break, and that arrangements were made for
patient coverage. Most recently, the respective manager and employee have
been asked to voluntarily schedule jogging outside the normal lunch break
period to avoid any perceptions of abuse of work time.
Patient Privacy
Rumor: I am just curious what the hospital
policy is concerning the wallboxes that are located in-house, that are
supposed to hold patient clipboards. Why did we spend all that money having
the Walleroos installed to lock up the patient clipboards, and a majority
of registered nurses will not keep the clipboards in them.
Truth: The Walleroos were never installed
with the intention of locking them. The policies that govern confidentiality
of patient records include two policies in the Medical Center Manual: 1.
Policy C-1, Patient Rights and Responsibilities, Sections E4 and E5. 2.
Policy C-3, Patient Confidentiality, Section C—Open Medical Records. Your
question is a good reminder for all of us to be aware of protecting patient
confidentiality. Thank you for voicing your concern.
HOP Nurses
Rumor: Is there a possibility of working
both critical care units, if qualified, as well as medical floors? Also,
can you request, as a HOP nurse, not to work certain areas if your reason
is justified?
Truth: Current HOP registered nurses requirements
include the ability to work in all units included in the zone of employment,
for instance, the Pediatric Critical Care Zone or the Adult Medical Surgical
Zone. Exceptions to these requirements may be made, but must be discussed
with and approved by the nurse manager of the HOP. If the employee has
current experience in more than one of the zones, he/she may be qualified
to add other units to their core zone of employment if desired.
Assistance for PPP for Off-Campus Use
Rumor: I have heard that CCIT offers at-home
support for off campus PPP users.
Truth: The Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP)
provides remote access services to the Internet and some on-campus computer
systems. PPP is not intended to provide
unrestricted personal access to the Internet and should be used only
for those activities which directly support the university's missions.
CCIT processes accounts and maintains the PPP server, but does not offer
at-home support. Detailed documentation on setting up, accessing, and using
PPP is available at: http://www.musc.edu/ccit/ppp/index.html.
There are also links on that site to frequently asked questions, a PPP
Help Mailing List, and local service providers who can be contacted for
specific at-home assistance.
Phone Outages
Rumor: Recently there appears to be a
rash of phone outages? What is the problem?
Truth: The campus telephone system is
generally very reliable. During the last three months there was one instance
of downtime or outage that affected approximately 600 telephones for less
than one hour in the Institute of Psychiatry, Strom Thurmond/Gazes, and
17 Ehrhardt Street. This un-scheduled outage was on Dec. 30, 2002, and
was caused by a faulty circuit pack in the system that had to be replaced.
As it was failing, the faulty circuit pack actually caused intermittent
problems for six hours, preventing some calls to other campus telephones
from the above mentioned locations. The only other known problems are the
normal trouble calls on individual telephones that are reported on a daily
basis. We receive an average of 66 trouble calls per month on telephones.
These trouble calls are addressed on an individual basis and are generally
repaired within one business day. If you are aware of any further problems
or have any other questions, contact University Communications at 792-9980.
Safety in Parking Lots
Rumor: Why aren't the lights in the parking
lots closest to MUSC not on consistently at night. If we have to walk from
the garage, the least the hospital can do is ensure our safety on off shifts
and weekends. While walking in tonight, as mentioned in earlier rumors
I have seen, public safety officials are supposed to be around. I have
seen not a single official in the past week at 7 p.m. when I am walking
in to work. Is this really safe?
Truth: We apologize for the recent lack
of lighting in the G surface parking lot. Because of electrical work associated
with the Children's Research Institute, power was lost to that area of
campus. The MUSC Facilities and Engineering Department have now installed
temporary lines that have restored lighting to the parking lot. The CRI
contractor will permanently fix them later in the contract period. In regards
to Public Safety coverage in that area; a uniformed officer is assigned
patrol duties during the 7 p.m. shift turn over period. This coverage includes
both the G surface lot and the Parking Garage II building. Depending on
the patrol patterns or activity on a given evening, it is possible the
officer would not be in a position to be seen.
Smoke Breaks
Rumor: How do I get a smoke break (on
the clock, in addition to my lunch break) like other MUSC employees I see
out of the window while I work away seeing my patients...I mean, of course,
without actually taking up smoking? I mean if I have to start to get my
10-15 minutes out of the office. How many man hours are lost per year due
to this?
Truth: Breaks may be allowed, but are
not required. Any employees who are concerned about smoke breaks taken
by others are encouraged to share their concerns with their managers or
directors. Smokers should be attuned to the fact that excessive breaks,
which impose burdens on others or that potentially compromise care or service,
could lead to curtailment of the breaks.
Work Schedules
Rumor: I have heard that in quite a few
departments on campus the employees are still allowed to work a 37.5 hour
schedule, but get paid for 40 hours. Meanwhile employees in other areas
work 40 hours to get paid for 40 hours. Why is this inequity allowed to
continue? Especially in these times of tight budgets...it doesn't seem
fair that taxpayers are paying these folks for 2 1/2 hours per week they
aren't working.
Truth: According to State Human Resources
Regulations, employees must work a minimum of 37.5 hours to be considered
full-time. However, a full work week at MUSC is considered to be 40 hours.
Employees who hold benefits eligible positions and work less than 40 hours,
have their annual and sick leave accrual prorated based on the number of
hours they are established to work and the full time equivalency associated
with the established work hours. Although state regulations require employees
to work a minimum of 37.5 hours to be considered full time, employees,
who are not exempt from wage and hour laws, must work in excess of 40 hours
per week to be eligible for overtime pay or compensatory leave. Employees
are expected to work in accordance with their established work hours and
the approved work schedule for their unit. Ensuring that non-exempt employees
are paid appropriately is the responsibility of each supervisor. Any questions
or concerns about hours worked by a specific employee or the work schedules
of an individual unit at MUSC should be directed to the supervisor or manager
of that unit. Representatives in the Department of Human Resources are
also available to assist individuals or supervisors with specific questions
or concerns.
CHS and College of Health Professions
Rumor: On Jan. 10, the Rumor Mill stated
that the HSF plan for the Charleston High School (CHS) property was to
“develop the site into an office complex/parking garage for the use of
MUSC and MUHA.” I had heard that there was also a plan approved by the
Board of Trustees to request proposals to develop the property as an academic
building for the College of Health Professions and include commercial space
and a parking garage in the complex. My sources reported that the university's
priority was to use the space for this combined academic, commercial and
parking combination if this proves feasible. Is this accurate?
Truth: There are two RFP options being
developed. One is for office space, commercial space and parking
as previously mentioned. The other is for academic space for the College
of Health Professions. The CHP option includes a new addition to CHS, commercial
space and parking. The CHP option has priority, if it is financially feasible.
Reproduced from http://www.musc.edu/rumor/.
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needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations
for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South
Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107
or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst
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