Nurses Not Answering Call Bells

[Dolphin777]

I travel on business several times a year and the hotels are usually less than $200 per day. In contrast, the typical hospital room costs around $1,000 per day not including all the extras. I am not the type of person to make alot of demands on the hotel staff, but when I call for something I expect an answer by the 3rd or 4th ring. At no time has any hotel employee failed to provide decent service.

In contrast, I had a family member in the hospital earlier in the year and there were numerous occasions when their call bell went unanswered or there was a very long wait for a nurse to respond. On one occasion, the dinner tray wasn't even delivered. There is simply no excuse for nurses not responding to call bells with the same efficiency one would get in the typical hotel. If anything, they ought to provide better and faster service because the hospital is charging way more than a hotel. Nurses whine about all the "work" they have. Well, guess what? I worked at a state hospital all four summers in college and we had ONE attendant (yes, that's what they were called) prepare medication for 30 patients two or three times on the day shift (only once on the evening shift). I just don't understand all the whining and complaining about getting medications for only 5 patients.

[BaystateRN]

Obviously you've never walked in our shoes. Are those nurses that aren't answering your relatives call bell fast enough sitting around doing nothing? I rarely ever even get a half hour dinner break in a twelve hour shift. Just pass out meds for five patients? I don't think so.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Well we've exhausted this subject. I'm closing this thread and leaving it out as an example of trolling and to add to our "Stupid patient questions" thread whenever someone starts one.