Like many nurses, I spend a lot of time commuting to and from the hospital at all hours of the day and night. It may sound funny, but I actually look forward to my commute. It’s nice to have time alone to listen to my favorite CDs, catch up on the news, or simply daydream about life in a perfect nursing world.

What if we could create the perfect healthcare facility from the bottom up? What uniforms would we wear? What accessories would we carry? Who would we choose as coworkers and supervisors? What kind of structure would we create?

Let’s start with attire. After countless hours spent standing and walking, bending and stretching, I would choose comfort over style. But, I like to think that perhaps we can have attractive footwear that doesn’t assault both foot and budget. If only I had time and energy to shop for shoes on my days off! As for uniforms, I want scrubs with multiple (and accessible) pockets that don’t spill their contents every time I lean over to empty a catheter bag.

Sometimes my wish list expands to include the perfect nurse accessory. Imagine the quintessential nurse pen. It would easily convert from ink, to lead, to dry erase marker; thus, it would simplify documentation of flow sheets, Kardex, and patient white boards, respectively. Ideal computer templates would permit simultaneous access to relevant information. All phone conversations would be courteous and efficient; responses to requests would be prompt and considerate.

Of course, my ultimate supply closet would be consistently stocked in a standardized manner. In this ideal world, I would not be expected to make multiple visits to the supply closet to help strangers locate poorly marked supplies. The supreme staff lounge would come with consistently clean and operational refrigerator, microwave, ice and coffee machines.

Wouldn’t we all love to have a say in our facility design and organizational structure? Do you think nurses should run your facility? Is it practical or advisable for nurses to combine forces with other hospital personnel, perhaps sharing experience and perspectives with CEOs, CFOs, IT colleagues, and ancillary staff? Of course, in my utopian facility, colleagues and supervisors would be steadfastly immune to office politics.

How do you envision the perfect working environment? We hope to hear your ideas.