[deespoohbear]

Oh, I don't have a problem with keeping patients and their families happy (within reason!). I have a problem being told that I have to take time to watch a 2 hour video on what should be common sense. The video itself wasn't too bad. The speaker had some good points. One of the points he made was about recognizining and rewarding employees for excellent service. We never hear about the good things we do, but we sure get told about the stuff we screw-up We also have a few employees who are downright rude to other employees and families who continue to work without any disciplinary action. Then, we have the nurse who was a manager who stole narcotics and had a "position" made for her doing paperwork for the DON and creating more paperwork for us!! This is the kind of stuff that bothers the bejeebers out of me!! I am always courteous to my patients and families, and try to go the extra mile for them. I am helpful to my co-workers. It is hard to try and provide top-class care and service to people when the administration doesn't give a squat about us. Another example of administration showing their lack of concern for us. Our schedules are posted in 4 week blocks. Our last schedule was made out until Jan 14th. Do you want to know when we got our new schedule posted? This last Wednesday!! I told the DON that I do have a life outside of the facility I need to plan-like kids who need to be a certain places, doctor's appointments that need scheduled, etc. I think it shows a total lack of respect for the people who are working for you when you wait until the last possible moment to post the schedule. I told the DON I was going to just start making appointments, and THEY could work around my schedule. This is the kind of nonsense stuff I am talking about!! In order for us to want to provide good service and feel good about ourselves and our jobs, administration needs to make us feel valued and appreciated!!

[leesonlpn]

after changing a colostomy bag, I leave my 'calling card"...hehehehe

[RN-PA]

In our hospital, we are required to watch four customer service videos (JCAHO requires it, I'm told). We were supposed to come to screenings put on by the education department and take a test afterwards.

Because of scheduling problems, I missed the fourth video on "Customer Diversity" and was told that I must now deduct three points on my upcoming job eval, and that I had plenty of opportunities to see the video. I asked why the video couldn't have been made available to be watched on our own during a dinner break but was told that there had to be a facilitator present. I don't even care how I do on my eval. anymore if I'm going to be deducted that many points for not watching some PC video!

[cheerfuldoer]

The phrase "customer service" has different meanings and initiates different responses and feelings from one person to the next, so it is interesting to see the variable opinions listed here about "Is customer service a nurse's responsibility?"

When I think of "customer service", I think of the following phrase: "DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE OTHERS DO UNTO YOU." Therefore, no matter what I am doing, or where I am doing it, or who I am doing it for, I always try to follow the above mentioned "Golden Rule". I always remember what it was like when I was a patient when I'm taking care of a patient.

I remember interviewing for a job at a military hospital one year where the interviewing panel asked me the following question: How differently would I treat a high ranking soldier versus a soldier who was of a low rank (general versus private would be one scenario). My response was this: I would treat them equally because every patient I care for is given VIP treatment by me because that is the way I believe people should treat one another. Did I get that job? Uhhh...NO!!! What I was suppose to say was that I would basically "kiss butt" to please the high ranking soldier which to them would indicate that high ranking soldier as being "more important" than a soldier of low rank. Huh! Not in my book they aren't! A Private is the first to die on the front line of a war, not a General, so why is the Private's life of less importance to the hospital over the life of a General? Their expectations of their nurses were NOT humane, in my personal opinion. Every person deserves the right to be treated important!

Guess I gave them the "wrong answer", huh? Whatever! The answer I gave them was the "correct answer" for the way I try to live my life.

Where should nurses draw the line when it comes to customer service? When we notice that our patients are deliberately abusing nurses just because they think they can get away with it. This is when the nurse should politely, but firmly, let the overbearing abusive patient know that the nurses are not there to service their every indulgence unless what they ask for is for their health and well being in getting well enough to go home.

[ClariceS]

Customer service is an everybody thing. I just get tired of all the weight coming down on the nurses when some of the public will rate the nurses on everything they experience at the hospital except for the doctors. That means that the nurses get poor ratings if the patient found that their room was too cold one day . If every staff member would get on board to customer service the way it is pushed onto the nurses, we would have much higher ratings overall.

[cheerfuldoer]

Hello ClariceS,

I say Amen to your comments about every hospital employee getting involved and participating in giving patients excellent customer service while they are temporarily "housed" under our care. Customer service should NOT be something that just nurses do, but ALL healthcare providers and other ancillary staff.

When I worked on a pediatric ward in 1995-1996 at a military hospital, we had to hand out a customer satisfaction/complaint sheet to every discharged patient's parent(s) to fill out in regards to the care their child received during their hospitalization. We received some good and some bad complaints, some compliments, and some statements were specific in stating what nurse they did not like, etc. There were a few complaints where the parents stated their dislike for the entire staff, and there were plenty where we received fair to excellent ratings.

_____________________________________

You win some, you lose some! Such is life! We just all have to do the best we can, and not punish ourselves for having done so.

[AmandaRN2be]

I think customer service is just caring about the reputation of your workplace and making sure that the patients that leave have a positive image of their visit. That does not mean that we have to "kiss butt" by any means, but it does mean taking a common sense approach to being curtious to others...of course given that they are curtious to you Sorry...I'm done my rant...I deal with customer service everyday at my current job and they have trained us on all the aspects of it, but I just think its silly to be trained on that kind of stuff...its common sense...be nice to people!!

[Brownms46]

Originally posted by fiestynurse
They will always be "patients" to me and not "customers."

I agree! I can along when patients were called patients, and visitor were limited in number and in time spent in the room! Trying to get to the pt. over visitors, having them all over the bed, being asked to take visitors blood pressures...bothers me When I have time I will do whatever it takes to have my pts feel cared for, but I'm NOT there to take care of everyone in the dang room ...who is NOT admitted!

(i)posted by furball(/i) Maybe I'm just too damn slow

Crackes me!