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[bernadettes]

I just read an interesting chapter on presenting ourselves as nurses that encourages nurses to act in the following ways:

1. Introduce ourselves to patients using both first and last names and identify ourselves as that patient's registerd nurse for the day.

2. Encouraging collegues (other nurses and physicians) to refer to nurses using the title "Nurse". For example, "Nurse Smith will be right back."

3. When calling physicians, we act assertively and tell them the patient's condition without apologizing for bothering them.

4. Nurses should not automatically clean up after physicians.

5.Nurses should dress professionally and not in child-like prints and colors. The authors suggest wearing solid scrubs with a lab coat.

Tell me what you think of this???

[fab4fan]

1. Saying "I will be your registered nurse for the day/evening/night" sounds kind of odd, to me.

2. Same as above. (I immediately think, "Nurse Ratched" when I think of putting nurse in front of someone's surname.)

3. I never apologize for calling a doc at night/weekend, etc. If it's a doc I really like & have known for a long time, maybe then, but as a general rule, no way.

4. This really pisses me off...happens all the time in the ED. I do usually wind up just cleaning up, but if a doc lets needles, suture equip. lying, they hear about it.

5. Sorry, I like printed scrubs; sometimes the scrubs are the only cheerful thing about the shift.

[MomNRN, BSN, RN]

I agree wholeheartedly with everyone's posts!

I especially agree with Jnette's feelings on how to assert one's self. You are right - it does come with maturity and life experience. I take nothing from no one. That does not mean I am rude, but I count just as much as you do in the game of life. One of my mottos: "You @^it just like I do!"

PS - I like the fun scrubs too! If I was working in a hospital setting, I would wear them.

[bernadettes]

thanks, everybody, for your thoughtful responses! I, too, am not sure that I want to be called Nurse Smith! But I will remain open-minded....

[Agnus]

Originally posted by LPN2Be2004

Speaking of the name thing, a nurse on another floor hands out cards to her pts. every night. It has her name on it, job title, what time she got there, and what time her shift is up, and a big smiley face at the bottom.

Anyone think this is too much?

Call me strange but I kind of like this. I don't know that I would go to the trouble to do it.

I am thinking if I were a patient I would really appreciate this.

[kimmicoobug]

I don't like the "Nurse" title either. Really prefer solid color scrubs. Would love to do the rounds with another nurse.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Calling someone "nurse jones" or the like brings up BAAAD memories of my childhood hospitalizations and the MEAN and very scary nurses who took care of me way back then. I rather not go back to that and am MORE than fine with my patients and family calling me by my first name. It works best in OB, I think anyhow.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Originally posted by Agnus

Call me strange but I kind of like this. I don't know that I would go to the trouble to do it.

I am thinking if I were a patient I would really appreciate this.

The nurse has gotten a lot of positve feedback about the cards, mainly from family memebers who said "Mother has a difficult time remembering names, but she remembered yours very well".

She prints them up on the computer with her name, fills in the date and shift later. Typically she's only doing 6 a night though.

[santhony44, MSN, RN, NP]

I don't like the "Nurse Smith" thing. First name is fine, am getting old enough that "Mrs" from younger folks at least is fine too. I also don't like being called *just* by my last name.

As far as apologizing for calling a doc, to me that's manners, not subservience. I've also done it when I've called nurses at home, too. In my current occupational health job, I might have to call a management person regarding an employee injury. I'd do it then, too. Maybe it's just a Southern thing.

I don't have much of an opinion when it comes to other people's scrubs. Clean and decent is about all that matters to me. I'd rather see cutesy patterns than walk down the hall behind someone in white uniform pants with their "Mercator Map of the World" underwear underneath. BTDT!

I kinda like the card idea.

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

Originally posted by santhony44

I'd rather see cutesy patterns than walk down the hall behind someone in white uniform pants with their "Mercator Map of the World" underwear underneath. BTDT!

Sadly the underwear problem our facility has the most is the lack OF underwear

[Brownms46]

I have worked and been a pt. in hospitals, where the staff writes down not only the name of the pt. taking care of them, but the CNA or tech also. This is done by either the nurse or the CNA depending on who gets in the room first. They write the date, and the time the staff would be caring for them.

I don't like the idea of being called NURSE so and so. It depends on the doc, whether or not I apologize for calling them. If he or she is a jerk, I don't:cool:!