What is the dumbest most degrading, most unprofessional thing...

Nurses Relations

Published

that you have heard of a hospital requiring nurses to do?

I was in a meeting with a group of nurses yesterday - most of us with more than 25 years as RNs - and was hearing about the lovely new practice of "scripting". What is that? It means giving you - a professional nurse with all of your experience and skills and knowledge - a cute little "customer relations script" that you are supposed to say to patients when in various patient interaction situations.

For example: before leaving the room at one hospital, you are supposed to say " Is there anything else you need? I have the time." (whether you have time or not)

I understand basic sense about being pleasant to patients. I understand courtesy. I even know that a few nurses can use a little work in these areas. but the indignity of giving a professional RN a script to use when we talk to our patients? All because some consultant has told them it will improve the patient satisfaction scores. Cartain of our chains seem to be stars at this sort of thing - part of the corporate mind set I guess.

Anyway, I wanted hear how wide spread is this and what other stupid ways of degrading our practice are you seeing out there?

Specializes in Medical/Surgical.
I am wondering how all these chores are supposed to get done in the middle of taking care of patients? :no: I'm in critical care and more than sometimes there is just time to get the important stuff done. I think administration feels the important stuff is tidy rooms and public relations. I, on the other hand, am thinking the important stuff is meds, procedures, titrating drips to keep the patient alive--could be wrong though! If the patient dies, you can bet administration is going to blame...ahem, the nurse...because then the patient really won't be satisfied :banghead:

THANK YOU... my sentiments exactly... you tell me how a nurse taking care of anywhere from 6-12 patients on her own is supposed to find the time to get down and dirty cleaning?? I mean, there's times I don't pee during my 12hours! And more often than that I don't get a lunch break!! Oh yeah... I'm really gonna do your chores at the expense of my club sandwich.:icon_roll not

Plus which... what would you think as a patient if you decided to take a walk in the hall and your nurse was out there with a mop and bucket?? Had a patient complain to my manager on my behalf... told her that he kept me busy enough on his own (he was lying) but thought it was terrible that the person who was educated to care for the sick was mopping the floors too! I was partial to him after that!

Specializes in ER, Float (MS, SD, CCU, OB).

Never had the pleasure of scripting thank goodness, but:

One year for nurse's week one of the administrators made a bunch of white construction paper nurse's caps which the staff was MANDATED to wear for the day!!! This was supposed to be a "Fun" way to remind us all and the pts of the 'traditional role of the nurse'. Managers actually roamed the halls issuing warnings and then 2 day suspensions to staff refusing to wear the hat. Thank God I work nights and did not have to wear the ******* thing!!!

Last time I wore a paper hat it was a pirate hat made of the comic page and I was 5years old!!!

:banghead:

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
Folks, I'm a nurse manager, and I can tell you, it's not nurse managers who came up with this stuff.

In fact, if my company were ever to initiate scripting for the floor staff, I would hang up my stethoscope for good......there is NO WAY I would enforce it, let alone practice it myself. I know how to take care of people and make them feel respected and cared for; I think most nurses and aides do it instinctively. We don't need some constipated PR type (who obviously has confused hospitals with hotels) telling us how to talk to our patients/residents. 'Nuff said.

Hey Marla!! You are so right! My dh is still employed at this facility as a ngs. supervisor and it comes from higher up than him. When all this stuff came to light in a staff meeting and he relized I had been in the meeting, "He was like, "Oh, you found out about that, don't think I had anything at all to do with this... I don't like this either..." I felt so bad for him. He almost was scared to come home at first, I think, r/t a disease that I have, that I JUST CANT KEEP MY _____ MOUTH SHUT!! No cure for it, either!

Anne, RNC

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

It's not so fun when its mandated. I would have told them to shove their paper hats.

Specializes in NICU.

We were told to ask "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

so as a special treat for nurses week they made you wear hats ?

this was there way of honoring you as nurses? :banghead:

you mean the low pay and constant barrage of pr crap from administration is not enough to let you know how appreciated you are ? i am with michigan rn take this hat and shove it !

Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

It would mess up my hair anyways

This stuff sounds like it's straight out of Dilbertville!

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
so as a special treat for nurses week they made you wear hats ?

this was there way of honoring you as nurses? :banghead:

you mean the low pay and constant barrage of pr crap from administration is not enough to let you know how appreciated you are ? i am with michigan rn take this hat and shove it !

you are so right!!! thank you! thank you!! and i would hope they would get paper cuts when i told them where to shove it!!

anne, rnc

Specializes in CCU & CTICU.
we had to wear huge yellow badges that read "are you very satisfied" lost mine to first day, do you know how many crude comments we had to put up with?

You just reminded me, before I left my old job, they started passing out to everyone from techs to nurses to housekeeping, huge badges that went w/ our IDs which read: "Ask me if my hands are clean." The staff was sooo P.O.-ed about this.

Somehow, I never got one. I think it had something to do with the look of disgust on my face whenever I saw one. It seemed to scare my old NM, at least. :chuckle

One year for nurse's week one of the administrators made a bunch of white construction paper nurse's caps which the staff was MANDATED to wear for the day!!! This was supposed to be a "Fun" way to remind us all and the pts of the 'traditional role of the nurse'. Managers actually roamed the halls issuing warnings and then 2 day suspensions to staff refusing to wear the hat. Thank God I work nights and did not have to wear the ******* thing!!!

So the message here is: thank you for all you do; now wear our silly shiznit, or your bass is grass.

Specializes in Medical/Surgical.
Never had the pleasure of scripting thank goodness, but:

One year for nurse's week one of the administrators made a bunch of white construction paper nurse's caps which the staff was MANDATED to wear for the day!!! This was supposed to be a "Fun" way to remind us all and the pts of the 'traditional role of the nurse'. Managers actually roamed the halls issuing warnings and then 2 day suspensions to staff refusing to wear the hat. Thank God I work nights and did not have to wear the ******* thing!!!

Last time I wore a paper hat it was a pirate hat made of the comic page and I was 5years old!!!

:banghead:

That hat would have went straight to the shred box. MANDATED my a**! What does that say about how much time they have on their hands to sit there and come up with these brilliant "ideas" for us to do? How bout you take the money you used to buy construction paper for a million little hats and throw it into the fund for getting your staff better equipment! Or use the time and effort you used to patrol the halls being a hat Nazi, to find out how the patients on the floor were feeling that day?? What a waste of time and efforts!

Specializes in ER, Float (MS, SD, CCU, OB).

LOL! So glad you all can feel my paper hat pain!!! I forgot to write the best part though....

That freakin construction paper beanie was our GIFT for nurses week AND hospital week that year!!! Cheap sons of *****!!!

I quit that hospital to start travel nursing- funny how I don't miss it...at all!:rolleyes:

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