Do YOU answer call lights in a hospital?

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm curious, at my hospital only one in every five nurses I would say answers call lights, and one in particular will stand, literally stand, infront of their patients room waiting for a CNA to walk around the corner wondering why the call light is still going off. She will then point at the light then at the CNA and ask them what took them so long.

I asked her one day why she feels the need to do this rather than answer her own patients call lights. "Not my job to do the CNA's.":eek:

So I ask this community: Do YOU answer call lights when they go off or wait as long as possible before the noise makes you go see whats up?

I used to be a CNA so you can be damn sure I answer them unless I am busy with another pt at the moment. CNA's are underpaid and over worked and thats the truth.

Well, I've been a patient whose call light was never answered (during a critical time, may I add).

I, like many others who have posted on this topic, can't imagine ignoring a patient?!

It's really sad. . .

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yes i do, otherwise i will br writing incident report.

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Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

We all answer call lights. Nurses, cna's, unit secretary. All of us.

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Specializes in Education and oncology.

I'm so glad to see this brought up, it's my main pet peeve at work! I'm in a large hospital in Boston, and our "culture" on our unit is that the nurses don't answer the lights. I'm embarrassed when I hear lights ringing and ringing- and doctors, visitors, patients can look in the conference room and see nurses sitting down, talking or eating. Or reading a magazine. No one says anything- if I were a doc or a visitor of a patient, I would be appalled. It makes us look lazy and like we don't care, very unprofessional.

BTW, I do answer lights, feed patients, take them to the bathroom. It's what I get paid to do. Anyone who has ever been a patient knows what it's like to be on the other end of the call light waiting, not knowing when someone will come. I think everyone in healthcare should spend some inpatient time- just once. I think it would change all attitudes and perspectives. Just MHO.

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Specializes in orthopaedics.

the call lights are there for all to answer. i work with a nurse that will do what she needs to do in a room then put on the call light for the aide to come in if the pt. needs to use the bathroom or get out of bed for whatever reason. she has even gone as far as to tell the aides "i am getting ready to draw my morning labs. i need you to follow me and make sure each of them get up to the bathroom.":madface: whatever!! while the rest of us are drawing our labs, medicating our patients, taking them to the bathroom, and getting them fresh ice and water.

sorry didn't mean to hijack your thread. :lol2:

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Specializes in postpartum and gynecology.

I absolutely answer them! First off the sound is freakin annoying, second off your patients are needing you. I work postpartum so a call bell could mean a choking baby, a hemmorhage, patient passed out. I just can't imagine not answering thinking its not my job:nono: Patient care IS my job.

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Specializes in ED.

Absolutely, it is the responsibilty of everyone on the floor to answer call bells. I have seen nurses sit there and wait to see if the aide will answer the light and then get mad if she is busy elswhere. I've also seen nurse's answer the light, then run around for 20 minutes looking for the aide to put the pt on the bedpan. If you have time to look for the aide, you have time to toilet the patient. I'm an RN, I answer my lights, toilet pts, get fresh ice and water, bathe incontinent pts. Pt care is my job. I try to do all my own pt care and delegate to aide to assist in the things I can't get to. We work as a team. And yes, I answer other nurse's call bells and take care of what I can. They do the same for me. My shift we all work as a team.

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Actually our unit sec. answers the light, turns to who ever is in the area and tells us what is needed. Anyone who is at a point to leave first, will do what is nec. All nurses and aides do this for all the patients, not just assigned pt.

When the patient cannot answer what is necessary, the unit sec. asks whoever is near to check it out. Most of the time the CNAs are busy with pt. baths, showers, ice water, etc. so don't answer. It works for us very well.

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Specializes in LTC, home health, private care.

For 7 long years I toiled as a CNA in LTC. I cherished the nurses that took the time to help me turn or clean residents, and tried to be understanding when other couldn't or wouldn't help.

When I became a nurse my most difficult adjustment was realizing that I couldn't help the CNA's as much as I wanted. My own responsibilities were overwhelming... 32 residents for med pass and treatments. 5 of those were skilled, high acuity residents on another floor. Anytime I had a spare moment I would answer lights, or if I knew my aides were busy I could take someone to the bathroom or provide assistance when needed. But truthfully, I was just learning my role as a nurse so I had to learn my own responsibilities.

I would not be the nurse I am today without aides that understood that, and covered my lights while I learned my new role. When I became faster, and had more time to help them I did with pleasure. After all, we are on the same team.

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I absolutely answer them! First off the sound is freakin annoying, second off your patients are needing you. I work postpartum so a call bell could mean a choking baby, a hemmorhage, patient passed out. I just can't imagine not answering thinking its not my job:nono: Patient care IS my job.

I wish you had been my nurse when I had my first child.. ;)

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Specializes in Med Surg, ER, OR.

I definitely answer my lights if I have the time to do so. Like some of the other nurses have mentioned, it is more difficult to assist when you have treatments/skills/meds that need to be done and you just don't have the time. As coming up from the NA role to the RN role, things are much different, but if you have time to sit and Google the weather, then you have more than enough time to answer a light. I understand nurses are busy and have to use the computers to chart on (not chat on), but, as one of my former bosses advised me of when I worked in the food industry, "if you have time to lean, then you have time to clean." This is one adage that can be passed along to any position!

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