Because nobody is a better expert in the art of nursing than...

[PeepnBiscuitsRN]

(wait for it....) A CORPORATE P.R. representative! That's right! For the next however many weeks it takes, we un-enlightened nurses get to have a P.R. (could stand for public relations or patient relations, I don't know...same diff) rep shadow us on our shift, observing how we interact with our patients and offering critiques and feedback on how we are performing! WHAT A TREAT! You know, I'm surrounded by nurses who have worked on this unit since I was no more than a gleam in my parent's eyes, and I'm sure they know a lot- I'm sure, but when it comes to the real deal- I'll always look to the people in the snappy suits for knowledge. THEY know where it's at- and they've never even worked a day in their life as a nurse, now hey, that takes some talent right there, let me tell you!

I'm sure the patients appreciate it too- I know when I was a new mom when it came time for the nurses to squish my postpartum belly and pull down my undies, and help me waddle to the bathroom my thought was always "the more the merrier!"

Have I lost my nursing virginity? Is nurse PeepnBiscuits all grown up now? Never thought I'd see the day when I'd be so cynical, so jaded and so hard. It's a good thing I don't often speak my mind I guess. Since when has our unit come under scrutiny? Oh yes we have patients whine about nurses coming in to check them in the night- too bad so sad, I'm not going to let you hemorrhage tonight. Sorry! I'm also not going to let your baby have any number of things go wrong with him that could easily go wrong in the first 24 hours. We get complaints about the food- hey, guess what, I can empathize. I had both my kids here and I didn't touch a stinkin thing (except the cereal, you can't screw up boxed cereal) do you want me to go yell at the nutrition staff who aren't even there at 2 am?

I don't want some P.R. person tagging along with me. The person already held things up for the two people that were shadowed the other night! What makes it even worse is that these people who are shadowing are merely lackeys for the even bigger people who are just too awesome to step one shiny shoe'd toe onto a hospital floor- puh! Send the lackeys out to stay up all night long with the nurses while we get our beauty sleep. Perhaps I've always been this way and just didn't know it. I don't want someone telling me what words to say to patients and how to say them. I welcome constructive criticism, when it comes from a colleague who "gets it" or a patient who has to put up with me for 8 hours. I can't even PRETEND to smile and nod like a good little nurse when being told by someone who most likely doesn't even know what we're doing and why.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

So we have just figured out the advocates/Customer Service Reps are not best fitted for the hospital environment, and that they create confusion and cause distraction on the wards. Most of the time, I will ask if I'm running, "Is this for a patient or family member?" 95% of the time it's a family member! Then I have a little fun,... "So, is your job Patient Advocation, or Family Member Advocation?"

I'm not a nurse kratchet, but I do work in ED, I don't like family eating in front of NPO patients unless their diabetic. And as VICEDRN said, the snacks and even coffee here are at a premium for NEEDs.

They really should not be allowed in ED. I had a male advocate knock and go in a fully draped females OB room,... I was furious, she was embarrassed! It's getting rediculous!

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

I'm sorry but if they can find me or call my spectralink and ask me to get the patient a glass of water then I can tell them if the patient can have one and they can get it if I am busy. They would also be told not to if the patient is having a procedure. Of course I am expecting them to actually ask me first.[/quote']

Great theory. Works until they get tired of our attitudes and decide to do whatever makes the customer happy on their own which both undermines the nursing staff and complicates patient care. I assure you they will not be cleaning up the vomit when the patient gets sick.

They need to simply be told that that's up to care providers and if and when patient can have water and you are not busy, you will get it.

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

And they know if room five is npo or not how exactly?

Advocate: "Hey hiddencatRN, can room 5 have water?"

HiddencatRN: "Sure, they can have water." or "No, they are NPO right now."

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Great theory. Works until they get tired of our attitudes and decide to do whatever makes the customer happy on their own which both undermines the nursing staff and complicates patient care. I assure you they will not be cleaning up the vomit when the patient gets sick.

They need to simply be told that that's up to care providers and if and when patient can have water and you are not busy, you will get it.

Our advocates can be annoying but they are well educated on the importance of following the RN's communication about dietary orders. I guess I'm lucky to work somewhere I can delegate fetching water. That's a task I'm not going to fight over keeping!

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

Our advocates can be annoying but they are well educated on the importance of following the RN's communication about dietary orders. I guess I'm lucky to work somewhere I can delegate fetching water. That's a task I'm not going to fight over keeping!

Familiarity breeds contempt. Soon enough they won't even ask and it'll still be your fault and your problem if patient vomits.

[justin.j]

*** Uh, is this person also following the physicians? I bet not!

Sadly you might lose that bet. My husband is an M.D. and was recently shadowed on his shift because the hospital he works for is trying to up their customer...oops, I mean patient... satisfaction numbers. He did not have TOS to stop him from telling me what he felt about that! Nurses aren't the only ones who get crapped on when hospitals are expected to run like hotels...they just get it the worst. :-P

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Familiarity breeds contempt. Soon enough they won't even ask and it'll still be your fault and your problem if patient vomits.

Do you feel this way about UAP too?

[VICEDRN, BSN, RN]

Do you feel this way about UAP too?

Uap work here and largely know the routine. Frankly, my general opinion about uap is that it is easier to do their job then cajole them into doing it themselves. It's just less aggravating that way.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

If you have time to play wardwide-hide-and-go-seek, Lol(where I work). But then, that is if their on the ward somewhere(or didn't get pulled at beginning of shift).

Maybe a Nurse Advocate would be cool. One you could call when an MD isn't answering their pager, or when you get to the unit to find out they cancelled you-and swear they called, when I can't find an extra blanket for a child with fever, but the advocate has given 5 to a family camping out against policy(never enforced), or when the air conditioning went out in the middle of summer- and they put in a new vented system that served everywhere- but the nursing station(98 degrees one measurement). Yes, that's how you can have a Magnet Facility-just give me what I need to do my job without chronic improvisation, rare resources, and stocked supplies on regularly used items.

I spend too much time on "looking-for" instead of doing. Accessibility makes for most of my facility complaints.

(On a lighter note, one night I had a family member ask for an EXTRA pillow- I wanted to say soooo bad, "1432 is looking really bad peekid- if he goes- you have dibs on his pillow!")

I wonder if I'm the only one who thinks about that kind of stuff- like how many people have died under this blanket? This pillow? This bed? This room- no telling:)

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Uap work here and largely know the routine. Frankly, my general opinion about uap is that it is easier to do their job then cajole them into doing it themselves. It's just less aggravating that way.

My feeling is that if the "resource" of a patient care advocate is going to be foisted on me whether I like it or not, then by gosh they are going to be helpful to me when they can be. They can grab water for PO patients, hunt down pillows, bring extra blankets, change the TV channel and set up the phone in the room for the patient. I don't have to hunt them down- they're usually tracking me down anyway to ask if bed 15 (who I was just in to see 2 minutes ago) can have more pain meds (no, just went over this with them 2 minutes ago) so when they bring me those messages I use that opportunity to delegate whatever fluff task I have at the moment.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

I so went in to the wrong profession.....

[amygarside]

Nurses should be the only one attending to the patients. If there are conversations, these are private matters and should not be heard by other people except if they are doctors or medical health staff.