My God, these family members!!

[SoundofMusic]

They are just killing me. Why is it that so many of them feel so entitled to sit in their aging parents rooms and just boss us nurses to HELL and back, while they sit there, fully able to do much of what we're doing for their parent, but simply do NOT have the time to do when we have other patients and issues to deal with. i MEAN -- can't they get mom up at least perhaps ONCE during the day? Does it have to be a nurse doing it every single time, ten times a day??

I just came off a shift tonight where I literally waitressed all day long, making and fetching coffee and water and 100 millions cups of juice for these patients (because we're always short a tech) -- and a patient's daughter was literally screaming at nurses at change of shift to come in and do something or other for her mother. It was absolutely NOT an emergency. (She was actually screaming -- "Good thing it WASN'T an emergency!!" These people have been on our unit for over 2-3 weeks, running every nurse on the unit ragged. Their mother is far over 80 years old and is only going to head to weeks of rehab after being on our unit. They want a private nurse -- that is what they want and need. But they can't get that on a floor. I think their call light was on for perhaps five minutes, max.

I am just SO tired of family members not understanding what we do -- and our managers from the floor to the corporate headquarters not backing us up to explain it to them. We are simply to treat everyone as our "family members" and go above and beyond 1000 percent of the time. Who goes above and beyond FOR NURSES??? DOES ANYONE???

We have no private space to do our charting, we are like fish in a bowl for these family members. If they see you at the nursing station -- that's it. They are ON YOU like flies. If they don't have a reason to bug you, they will find one. So, you don't get your charting done on time and are left to stay after a shift for an hour.

I am just so tired of it. So burnt out. Is it any wonder why they can't keep nurses for long? I mean -- come on, management -- take a LOOK at what you are doing to nurses nowadays. Put some LIMITS, please, on these family members. It is OUT OF CONTROL.

[moonischasingme1]

It makes me wonder how these people are to waiters; nevermind if they treat a NURSE that way who is taking care of their loved one. Scary!

[SoundofMusic]

know I'm not very eloquent right now. It just ticks me off when I work my tail off to make my patients and their family members happy, when I *know* that people in the hospital aren't going to be at their best (a big fat DUH!!!!) and have my words used in such a way. It's insulting. I am a damn good nurse, and I know the difference between a sick person who is reacting in a totally reasonable way, and someone who is being unreasonable in their expectations.

You are absolutely eloquent! BRAVO TO YOU for expressing exactly what I'm getting at. As a nurse, I absolutely BUST IT for these people. I am not sitting at the nurses's station filing my nails. I'm running my TAIL off!! I'm doing everything I can do, physically, mentally, entirely -- and it's still not enough. They are NOT behaving this way because they're not being cared for properly.They are doing it because they think they're entitled to something that goes beyond what a nurse can reasonably do in a 12 hr shift. They want hospitality service, on top of good, friendly, respectful clinical care. I'm sorry -- THIS is what has go to GO.

But will it ever? Has it ever, in so many years? Will it get worse before it gets better? I sure hope not, because I can't deal with it much longer, as the "provider" of this "product." Either I'm going to lose my license over some grave error I made while catering to obtain customer satifaction levels, OR, I'm going to drop dead. As a person who respects and cares for myself first, will not let either one of these occur, so I may just have to leave nursing at some point.

I will continue to believe that the institution of "customer service" into healthcare has done a great disservice to patients. It puts them at risk and denigrates our health care system more as time goes on.

[lindarn]

My God ...My God... I always say that. My friends you expressed my feelings... what a terrible situation.. Now i know I am not only the person who felt this waitress posting. management is so bad to handle this situation .. they just want to make us work hard to glorify their hospital status.. hospital want patients.. nurses can be terminated on the spot in this low economy position ..nurses should be very careful doing customer service..is there any changes gonna happen .. i don't think so. nobody there to support us. management watching for mistakes to question the nurse.what a terrible situation. we can do one thing..lets share , and share and again share our feelings ...

You can UNIONIZE, UNIONIZE, UNIONIZE!!!

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

[leenie123]

;)Unfortunately, I had to retire from nursing, and am now permanently disabled due to the 2 knee surg's, and repetative back inj's! Was depressed for a while to no longer be working at a job I loved doing, but finally accepted that fact! I too got to see what it was like to be a bed pt!;)All the body mechanics in the world couldn't of helped me the last back inj!. Psych pt in Isolation became afraid he was going to be dropped as an orderly & I assisted him from bedside chair to his bed! Due to 2-IVs,a TPN,I-vac machine and a indwelling cath, and trying to avoid all that; as we slid him into bed he wouldn't let go of me and half pulled me into the bed with him; thus jerking my back & injuring disc! That left me a pt in hosp, flat on my back, in Tx I was unable to even get out of bed without someone there to assist me! look and sent me back to the Surg that had done that surg, and further investigation showed lots of torn up cartledge that was removed with a 2nd surg!:uhoh3:Moral of that all is "If you got pain:cry:better c/o it approp to the Dr!:yeah:Hope in sharing this it will help others not to have to go where I have goneTo those of you working cudos, and keep on truckingGood nurses are needed more than ever today Leenie.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

We are not allowed to say the nurse is "at lunch". Per management. The scripted line we are to say is..."your nurse is currently unavailable at this moment, what may I assist you with." Apparently the family's and pt's aren't allowed to know that the nurses can take breaks.

You know, it's about time America put it's money where it's mouth is when it says it's the Land of the Free.

[RandeeN]

keep up the anger and you will go nuts and take all your co-workers with you. Try a little spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Lightin up my dear. you're too young to be that hostile.

[lindarn]

You know, it's about time America put it's money where it's mouth is when it says it's the Land of the Free.

What on earth is wrong with telling patients and/or family members, that their nurse is at lunch? Do we really have to propagate the idea, that nurses are so dedicated to their job, that they do not require meal breaks? Who is reinforcing this idea? No wonder patients and family members think that nurses are there to be at their beck and call for the entire length of their shift! No one is allowed to tell them that, yes, they are indisposed and not available. Heavans to betsy!!JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, Rn, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

keep up the anger and you will go nuts and take all your co-workers with you. Try a little spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Lightin up my dear. you're too young to be that hostile.

I'm unsure as to whom this comment is directed at. Please enlighten us - cheers.

[RandeeN]

can't find it,sorry

[RyanBillington]

Well, if "good customer service" is a priority with any hospital or medical facility, I suggest they employ the help of volunteers or hire medical hosts and hostesses to fill the roles of "hotel" maids and servants.:bowingpur

Nurses and other medical professionals -- including CNAs -- are far too important and valuable to be wasted and burned out on menial, trivial, slavish tasks -- things for which they really did NOT receive extensive training and education for in the first place!!!!

What you all deserve is a good extended paid vacation:onbch:!!!!!

And a nice big peice of :WHCk:!!!!!

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I brought her water, juices while she was alone in the room. My big frustration and disappointement was when she had her husband in the room while I was checking on her. She requested water. I told the husband that I can show him the location of the pantry i. He said: " I know where the pantry is" and he handed me the pitcher.

I think I would have imploded.:angryfire

Seriously, he would not have wanted that water when it came back, IF I had been able to keep from tossing the pitcher back at him.

My most diplomatic response would be "Sorry, the waitresses aren't working tonight," and it's still bad enough to get me fired isn't it? Sometimes I feel lucky that I haven't met up with one of these people at the wrong time.

[Batman24]

Nurses should be able to say they are going to lunch. When I go to lunch I always let my patients know and the other nurses I work with do the same. If they don't think we eat they'd prob die of shock to hear we pee and poop too. lol

It's a shame that many facilities have gotten away from patient care and have focused on customer service instead. This is bad for all the healthcare workers and patients. Let's get back to emphasizing that patients are there to get well and the workers are all there to help them onto their road to recovery and this can include some not so pleasant things...foleys, surgery, diets that don't like, walking after surgery, breathing treatments, dressing changes, etc. Let's be honest and treat the hospital for what it's there for. And let's not confuse the patients into thinking this is a spa and no one will interrupt their tv time. We will if need be because it's our job to keep them safe and make sure they get what they need to get healthy.