Nursing as a customer service profession?

nrw350 · May 3, 2003

I think that there is a very fine line between customer service and showing common decency and curteousy that should be shown to all no matter what. Yes I agree nurses should be kind and polite to patients, but not to the point that would allow the patients over-ride the doctor's orders for treatment and care. A nurse is not to sugar-coat things, or give mis-leading information either.

Quote: "I don't think that customer service is that big of deal. I think that it is just common curtousy and respect. "do onto others"." -- moonshadeau

Same thing that I am thinking..... it is not really customer service but just the decency towards our fellow human beings.

Sorry for the ramblings..... in my head I understand my feelings, but I can not put them into adequate words.

Please someone help lol.

Ellen · May 4, 2003

I get concerned about the importance placed on the statistics of Patient satisfaction. Every monthly staff mtg we look at our current 'ratings' - percentages of satisfaction - sometimes based on as few as 23 responses to a patient satisfaction survey!

It really bothers me when I am telling my Nurse Manager about a Nursing Assistant I feel could be dangerous but she doesn't tell me to write her up until I say a patient complained. The concern is too much patient satisfaction and NOT patient safety issues!

I have found it's mostly the family members that cause the most problems, not the patients. With lawyers on TV telling them how unsafe medical care can be, the general public is showing a general loss of respect to healthcare personnel. Waving the threat of lawsuits over our heads at every turn. I recently had a patient call his lawyer about signing the consent to GET blood! Malpractice has touched our profession in soooo many ways !

moonshadeau, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, APN, NP, CNS · May 4, 2003

Plus, I wonder if there is any correlation with customer service and being named in a lawsuit.

For example, a negative outcome occurs to a patient but the nurse provided above and beyond superior customer service, would the patient be as likely to name the nurse in the lawsuit if they were happy with the nurse but not the hospital,doctor,etc.

I don't know of any solid proof whether this would be true or not, but who knows in this age of lawsuit happy clients.

SmilingBluEyes · May 4, 2003

Ahhh, interesting point, moonshadeau....we were taught in nursing school ( I grad in 1997) that the NICER you were perceived to be by your client and his/her family, the LESS chance of being sued. She quoted some study showing this. So I believe there IS something to this. Still, I agree with the above adage:

I am here to save your ***, not kiss it.

But I DO treat EVERY patient as if she were potentially MY family member. How is that? With respect, courtesy and COMPETENCE (most important to me). The person I am caring for is a HUMAN to me, not a room number. IF THAT IS customer service, then well so be it. I am in the business. But NOT of kissing butts. It is how I have always practiced and always will.

udontwannabme · May 4, 2003

If a pt complains about me, I would be written up, but under no curcumstances am I allowed to complain about a pt being rude, abusive, or just down right mean.

I try to treat every pt with respect, and treat them like they are a family member. Most of the time if I get a really crabby pt, I give them a little extra tlc. So far no complaints, but you never know.

We were told by the sup that remember customer service when on the phone, Even with the new HIPPA laws, I guess some one wouldn't give out information about a pt being discharged and some one complained. The sup told us to remeber "customer service"!! I'll bet the world that if anyone came back on the law, that we would be at fault and be paying $$$ for the fines!! Go figure?

I think of customer service as returning things, getting help with something, and things like that. What we do at the hospital is CARE!!! If everyone cared for their pt, then who cares about customer service!

kitty=^..^=cat · May 4, 2003

There have been several studies linking malpractice claims with customer service. There's one I'll try to find and post a link to, that specifically addresses physicians, the amount of time they spend with their patients, their "bedside manner" and malpractice claims. The relationship is very clear.

I've seen several others in print journals, but I'm not sure if they're available online. If you're interested, you might check with your hospital's quality department. The folks there should have articles available.

Vailgang · May 4, 2003

One of my doctors was doing rounds on a patient and she had had surgery several days prior and most of our patients only stay one day. Anyway, he told the patient you need to go home, this isn't the hilton. It was so funny. :chuckle

mattsmom81 · May 4, 2003

Ya know, I went to nursing school a loooong time ago and 'customer service' was never mentioned as being part of my professional description. If it was I probably would have been turned off and gone elsewhere for a career.

I was taught (in the 70's) I was a professional and to behave as such. Not to cater and spoil and beg for repeat visits like we are expected to do today. If families were a problem they were escorted out. Not any more. Patients threatening nurses were visited by security and if desired, assisted in leaving AMA. Not anymore. Seems we are wrong if we set ANY limits on patient/family behavior.

This customer service deal is an invention of the facility, to meet their needs. Not ours. They seem to be reinventing our profession! Any old nurses feel similarly? Or was my nursing school experience simply unusual?

I'm amazed at how much more the facility wants of us in the past 10 or so years, but with NO improvement in nurse patient ratios. No wonder so manyf us leave or burn out.

I'm still taking care of 2 patients in ICU but the customer service they want me to provide to friends and family is huge, with open visiting and personal attention no matter what is going on...leaving less time for patient care. It's even worse on the floors, IMO.

This is the kind of things that fries me: A demanding family member of a patient transferred to PCU from ICU came to me on PCU demanding I go fetch her breast milk which was being stored in the ICU fridge. Now this is totally against infection control policy. But the nurses were so afraid of this woman and her numerous administration complaints they broke policy. I told her flatly she should bring her own provisions to store her milk, and that I could not continue to help her with this. Now she hit the roof and went to the higher ups, but I called the infection control nurse and she backed me up. I of course was told I could have 'handled it better'. Standard line, right? ( if they are mad we obviously did something wrong, right?) But who has time to massage egos of these primadonas? Not me...

But...in this case, enough was enough and I had to take a stand. How 'bout the rest of ya'll? When have you taken a stand??

Texagain · May 4, 2003

I don't find service and health care contradictory at all. I never fail to be surprised at how nurses will say it's so important to drink 8 glasses of water a day and gripe about filling a water pitcher. I don't like working with unpleasant people, myself. I've been at the bedside for almost 6 years and have been a patient twice (once for over six weeks). I think my expetience on both side of the rail make me better at my job.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · May 5, 2003

Originally posted by Puffie
I've been in nursing for more than 40 years. I remember when nurses were allowed to be nurses and provide nursing care to their patients. I've also been a waitress on the side and a hostess. Now a days my nursing role consists mostly of being a waitress and a hostess to my patient while they quote nursing care advise given them in the local restraunte or hotel.
I don't feel that it is my legal, professional, nor ethical duty to be "best friends" with my patients as I let them continue to harm not only their own body's but often the bodies of those around them. When did nurse begin to be spelled ENABLER!

Excellent, excellent post!

Riseupandnurse · May 5, 2003

"Customer service", I believe, is pushed by the hospitals' boards members. Most of them are businessmen, and this is what they understand. They do not understand nursing. I am a customer at McDonald's. I can order anything on the menu I want, but I can't demand I be served raw meat because of health regulations. I can't scream at the staff or invite several of my family members and friends to go back to the grill and supervise how my food is cooked. I can't expect that the employees will routinely give up their lunch breaks and work overtime because I want extra personal attention. In the hospitals, it seems as though patients are being encouraged to believe that they will have a great experience, be waited on in ways that you couldn't pay a personal servant to do, and will be able to call all the shots. Patients, families, and casual visitors are told to expect they can order the staff about in ways they couldn't at McDonald's, substitute their judgment for the health care professionals', and enjoy the whole experience even though they or their loved ones are sick and in pain.

I have great compassion for my patients and their families, but I do have some expertise and a perspective they don't, and I also have a responsibility to prioritize my time in such a way that those who need nursing expertise get it before those who would merely enjoy some customer service skills.

There is no need to lecture me about customer service, because I am a NURSE. A nursing relationship with your patients and families goes way beyond anything a customer relationship could achieve. If the hospitals want the look and feel of a resort, more power to them; let them hire hostesses and greeters. I will be pleasant and kind and do everything I possibly can for my patients, but the nursing has to come first. Otherwise, why did I go to school at all? Why not just ask people what they want me to do? I think more of nursing than that, more of myself, and more of my duty to my patients.

nrw350 · May 5, 2003

AMEN janhetherington!!!!!!!!!