When in uniform?!?!?!?!?

[Still Riding]

I'm going into my second year of my BSN program in the fall, and have been working as a manager at a coffee shop. And here is my rant, My store is close to a hopital and many nurses (I can see it on their I.D.) come into my store. Very few of them are even slightly friendly, they are rude, impatient:angryfire , and look down their noses at me and my staff.

Alot of my staff is still in high school, or secondary education, their are a few that this is their job for a couple years until they can get their lives under control and move on to better jobs. But I feel this gives no one the righ to look at us or treat us like we are sh!t.

Why is it that in a proffession of understanding can nurses at least not seem to be friendly. And if we don't want to have to act like professionals in public when not working then it would only take the small step of changing or at least removing the ID badge. because it doesn't help public relations.

And you would think that nurses who often have to deal, and care for all kinds of poeple whould but a bigger effort into being nice to others to make the lives of others run a little smoother, the idea of a smile can have a snow ball effect.

This is my rant for the day, so please be nice to the person serving your coffee and unhealthy food, because the person behind the counter might be a patient to someone one day and it may help if they have a possitive view on nurses, or even just to be nice,

SR

[Zaria]

I have seen some while working in the ward. These nurses are professional and the senior staff of the ward. They run the ward when the clinical leader wasn't there but one thing is missing ...smile.....They dont smile, we know we can be stressed out of work and problems usually arises when working but please give me that smile sometimes. They are very hard working people and do their job without any complains and worked in a organised manner which is great and I admire them but they lack one thing .....again the smile.

[SharonH, RN]

I have seen some while working in the ward. These nurses are professional and the senior staff of the ward. They run the ward when the clinical leader wasn't there but one thing is missing ...smile.....They dont smile, we know we can be stressed out of work and problems usually arises when working but please give me that smile sometimes. They are very hard working people and do their job without any complains and worked in a organised manner which is great and I admire them but they lack one thing .....again the smile.

So it's not enough that they are professional, hard-working, and organized but they have to run around with a stupid grin on their faces too? I don't mean to pick on you but that strikes me as quite funny.

[z's playa]

So it's not enough that they are professional, hard-working, and organized but they have to run around with a stupid grin on their faces too? I don't mean to pick on you but that strikes me as quite funny.

Strikes me as funny as well. I said I would be more aware of my actions like not being outrightly rude but to walk around like a cheshire cat....well no. Can't do that. My face doesn't do that very well right now as it is. I have a natural solemn look to me and I'd feel totally out of character.

Like I said..I would be careful NOT to offend anyone but I will NOT go out of my way to the point of making myself uncomfortable to make others THINK I'm all happy when I'm really not.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I agree with Vicky. Everyone is rude and impatient. Wait until your a nurse and have to deal with those "customers".

People behind the counter around her are rude too. You can go through a checkout line and not have the checkout person not even look you in the eyes much less speak a word.

[CCU NRS]

I agree with Vicky. Everyone is rude and impatient. Wait until your a nurse and have to deal with those "customers".

People behind the counter around her are rude too. You can go through a checkout line and not have the checkout person not even look you in the eyes much less speak a word.

You are very astute as always Tweety!

My point was going to be that we as nurses do a very high level of "Customer Service" and as such when we are in a place that offers service we expect not acceptable but exceptional service because we all know that the "Customer Service" we provide has to be exceptional. We have to be kind, caring, courteous and have a complete knowledge of the Pt's ailments, symptoms, possible complications. We also have to be aware of and responsible for all of the medications each of our "customers" will be taking and all possible side effects, untoward effects, and implications, we also have to be knowledgeable in all processes that the Pt may encounter during hospitalization and be able to explain these with out offending, either a college grad or someone with a 4th grade education and be completely sure that there was comprehension, we have to assist others in the ADL's(activities of daily living) such as bodily function whether these be bowel, blader, emesis or the act of intake such as feeding, drinking we have to assist in bathing, linen changes, and keeping the room tidy and free of odor. Then if this is not enough almost everyone we care for has at least some family, these are all of those people that were mentioned that are often rude, never smiling, looking down their noses at you and feeling superior in knowledge of all of the things mentioned above enough to tell you how to do your job! Yet we just keep smiling!!!!!

So when you talk to nurses about "Customer Service" be sure that everyone you are having serve nurses take their jobs as seriously and offer exceptional service because anything less just isn't good enough!

That is my little Rant!

[2ndgenerationnurse]

never attribute malice to that which can easily be explained by stupidity..... or a bad day, or a distracted mind, or a brain burp, or......

we all have our stupid days when we just don't feel like the pleasantries of civilized life... so if you meet someone like that, read them... if they seem to need their space... be kind and give it to them... if they look lonely or down ask them how they are doing and actually hang around for the answer, sypathize with them b/c we have all been there. think about it gang... the cashier that is not in such a good mood may have been the one that just had to listen to a cussing out for 15 min. just before you got there. and your manager could have all of your complaining pts on her mind.

and if we all go about bashing the entire human race then we will all get no where and perpetuate the whole crabby society that is painted here. so lets give eachother a break... i could meet you at work or play and we could be eachothers chance to brighten the world up.

one at a time

a friend of mine was walking down a deserted mexican beach at sunset. as he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. as he grew nearer, he noticed that the man was a local native and he kept bending down, picking something up, and then threw what ever he picked up out into the water. time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

as my friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

my friend was puzzled. he approached the man and said, "good evening, friend. i was wondering what you are doing. "

i'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. you see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. if i don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"i understand," my friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. you can't possibly get to all of them. there are simply too many. and don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" the local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied,

"made a real big difference to that one!"

i never do phony! but nothing is phony about actually taking a moment to say hello.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I agree with Vicky. Everyone is rude and impatient. Wait until your a nurse and have to deal with those "customers".

People behind the counter around her are rude too. You can go through a checkout line and not have the checkout person not even look you in the eyes much less speak a word.

It really bugs me when I spend $200. bucks or more at a grocery store, and the cashier does not even make eye contact.

I have started giving my business to a local store that is really expensive, but the staff is nice, polite, friendly, and helpful.

They even have carry-out boys that take your groceries to your car, load them into your trunk, and make friendly small talk all the while. These carry-out boys are not allowed to take tips, and ploitely refuse when you try to tip them.

As I said, the store is expensive, but the friendly staff and good service makes it worth it to me.

Also, I am polite to everyone, at all times. Even when I feel like being rude, I just can't.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

... this guy actually threatened to have his kid piss on our floor if we didn't let him use the bathroom....

Kick the ignorant guy and the kid out and let them pee outside...and remind him that any death threats are cause for arrest, and they have REALLY nice communal bathrooms in jail.

And...if I knew you were grading how I ordered my coffee, I would have smiled. :rotfl:

[Dayray, RN]

I don't think a smile is of any concern. I tend to smile most of the time at work and at home, it's just my personality. However, I really don't see a happy or cheerful disposition as being important to nursing. Caring yes, conscientious yes, competent yes.

I am a very warm and smiley person but that s just who I am. Still I know some very caring and compassionate nurses who don't smile and don't hold hands yet they show their caring in other ways that get across to patients. If you try to tell those nurses they have to smile you would be changing who they are and they wouldn't be nearly as good as they are.

I also find it a bit demeaning to characterize what we do as customer service. I like to make patients happy and I like for them to feel taken care of yet this is not customer service it's the nursing process and a holistic approach to healing. Making people happy and meeting their needs is part of caring for the whole person not a corporate customer service statement aimed at getting repeat and referral business ie "can I do anything for you, I have the time". To describe caring for patients as customer service is demeaning nursing as a profession.

As for rudeness toward customers: Whats up with bookstore employees? I go to the book store like 3 times a week. Those guys act so intellectually superior and all I can think is "you work in a book store, get over your self". It's kinda funny but I just don't see the source of the ego trip they are on.

[Energizer Bunny]

one at a time

a friend of mine was walking down a deserted mexican beach at sunset. as he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. as he grew nearer, he noticed that the man was a local native and he kept bending down, picking something up, and then threw what ever he picked up out into the water. time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.

as my friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.

my friend was puzzled. he approached the man and said, "good evening, friend. i was wondering what you are doing. "

i'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. you see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. if i don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"i understand," my friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. you can't possibly get to all of them. there are simply too many. and don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?" the local native smiled, bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied,

"made a real big difference to that one!"

i never do phony! but nothing is phony about actually taking a moment to say hello.

very nice story......thank you.

[Maggie Mae]

I will be the first to admit, I have some dark bad days. This is a real problem for me that has nothing to do with anyone else. On these days I just want to dissapear, to the person behind the counter it may look like I am "looking down my nose" at you, but I am just trying to make it through. I am often grateful for the smile offered from that other side of the counter.

[veteranRN]

To the OP, how do you know these people are looking down at you? Is it possible you are simply misinterpreting their facial expressions? Maybe they are working on a floor that is horribly understaffed, taking care of a terminal patient, or just needed a break after a code. One day you will find out how difficult it is to be smiling constantly after just completing a shift under the working conditions nurses are now facing.