Are NPs expected to be happy and cheerful?

[Soliloquy]

Honest question. My experience at the bedside, it seemed like hospitals always tried to shove down our throats the need to have a smiling, servitude style "Is there anything else I can do for you?" demeanor. In a more independent and authority role, do you find that you are also required and expected (I'm sure it can help) to have this demeanor as well?

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

I agree that nurses are still seen by many as handmaidens and not professionals.

And I think the expectation that we act like Ms. or Mr. Congeniality perpetuates that perception. We should all be courteous and respectful to our patients and co-workers, and strive to listen to our patients, but the Little Mary Sunshine act is a bit much. Nurses in all roles are skilled professionals, and that is the image we should put forward. Are MDs expected to act the same way?

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Duplicate

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

And I think the expectation that we act like Ms. or Mr. Congeniality perpetuates that perception. We should all be courteous and respectful to our patients and co-workers, and strive to listen to our patients, but the Little Mary Sunshine act is a bit much. Nurses in all roles are skilled professionals, and that is the image we should put forward. Are MDs expected to act the same way?

I'm sure most hospitals would kill to have their MDs put forth even a little more "Mary Sunshine" toward their patients.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm sure most hospitals would kill to have their MDs put forth even a little more "Mary Sunshine" toward their patients.

Maybe, but they're not expected to do so. Therein lies the difference. MDs are usually cut much more slack than any other provider or staff.

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

Maybe, but they're not expected to do so. Therein lies the difference. MDs are usually cut much more slack than any other provider or staff.

Probably depends on the facility. I worked at a quasi-boutique hospital that was run by a former hotel chain CEO. Every employee and MD were put through "world class customer service" training. MDs were absolutely expected to improve their bed-side manner and some even left when falling short of expectations were brought up. Now granted, these docs were employees of the health system first and they rarely gave privileges to outside physicians. But that was their standard and with the numbers of patients who went there because of how new the facility was, they could easily dictate those standards.

I'd never suggest everyone should be a cheerleader and sometimes frank discussion trumps having a cheery attitude. But when your reimbursement starts to be reflected on an MD's inability to talk to a patient with some sense of understanding or interest and that patient starts reviewing the hospital accordingly, you can guarantee that hospital will address it.

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

I'd never suggest everyone should be a cheerleader and sometimes frank discussion trumps having a cheery attitude. But when your reimbursement starts to be reflected on an MD's inability to talk to a patient with some sense of understanding or interest and that patient starts reviewing the hospital accordingly, you can guarantee that hospital will address it.

This.

The Miss Mary Sunshine thing -- I agree with whoever said nurses are putting that on themselves.

Also this subject has nothing to do with the independence and authority a NP has (or doesn't have). If the OP is wondering about some sarcastic comments from other posters regarding this --

All nurses -- and providers -- need to have boundaries and self-respect. You can choose to relinquish these things, but no one can take them away from you. All nurses -- whether they are APNs or not, are responsible for owning their own practice.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Probably depends on the facility. I worked at a quasi-boutique hospital that was run by a former hotel chain CEO. Every employee and MD were put through "world class customer service" training.

This makes me cringe a little bit. I'd much rather be treated and/or employed at a place that puts a higher value on evidence based and skilled medical care and treatment than on "customer service". Smiles don't save a patient's life. I wonder if these same places put equal emphasis on ensuring staff are well compensated and are not overloaded with patients. I think we all know the answer to that.

Personally, I don't choose my providers or hospitals based on customer service ratings. I want to go to a place where I will be treated with expertise. I'm not saying staff should be rude or grouchy, but I also don't expect them to fall over themselves ensuring I am happy with the "Customer Service" I was provided. Getting out alive and healthy is my priority.

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

Probably depends on the facility. I worked at a quasi-boutique hospital that was run by a former hotel chain CEO. Every employee and MD were put through "world class customer service" training.

This makes me cringe a little bit. I'd much rather be treated and/or employed at a place that puts a higher value on evidence based and skilled medical care and treatment than on "customer service". Smiles don't save a patient's life. I wonder if these same places put equal emphasis on ensuring staff are well compensated and are not overloaded with patients. I think we all know the answer to that.

Personally, I don't choose my providers or hospitals based on customer service ratings. I want to go to a place where I will be treated with expertise. I'm not saying staff should be rude or grouchy, but I also don't expect them to fall over themselves ensuring I am happy with the "Customer Service" I was provided. Getting out alive and healthy is my priority.

It isn't so much about customer service though. Ours about maintain high survey scores which can positively impact reimbursement. To the hospitals credit, it wasn't lacking in qualified staff and nursing ratios were good given its smaller size. I remember from a Pacu perspective, nurses being appalled at goals to allow patient families in the Pacu (at all) and and ideally within 30 minutes of arrival. Coming from bigger hospitals, this was a huge culture change. Anecdotally though I did see better recovery and family interaction with staff when they were brought back sooner.

[Libby1987]

It's an over correction that nurses as a whole missed makimg on their own.

Hundreds (thousands?) of pages on this site describing some pretty lousy behaviors of co workers and MDs wrecking the experience of other nurses. Think those same nurses and MDs flipped on a kind respectful professional switch when they interacted with patients and families?

*You* might have been appropriately kind respectful and professional but those who were/are not triggered this correction to what some perceive as being forced to be Pollyanna-ish.

If everyone could have just taken a simple moment of kind eye contact with each patient and family encounter, it wouldn't have gotten to this point. But that didn't happen, patients and families reported dissatisfaction with such behaviors as being dismissed by nurses and MDs alike (we all know this happens, I've certainly observed it) and it's easier for mgmt to mandate scripts and delivery of sodas than to convince an entire workforce (many of whom are pissed and burned out) to adjust their mindset.

It's unfortunate that those who were mindful of their patient encounters had to be swept into this over correction.

[BlondieMSNRN]

"Happy and cheerful" sounds like like a sexist expectation.

No. I'm expected to take good care of my patients and treat them respectfully.

[The Incredible Nurse, ASN, BSN]

It isn't so much about customer service though. Ours about maintain high survey scores which can positively impact reimbursement. To the hospitals credit, it wasn't lacking in qualified staff and nursing ratios were good given its smaller size. I remember from a Pacu perspective, nurses being appalled at goals to allow patient families in the Pacu (at all) and and ideally within 30 minutes of arrival. Coming from bigger hospitals, this was a huge culture change. Anecdotally though I did see better recovery and family interaction with staff when they were brought back sooner.

Allowing everyone's families in the PACU so soon after surgery is a recipe for disaster. I suppose it depends what kind of surgical center we are talking about, but my managers, coworkers and I, would not want family members crowding the small space we have when dealing with fresh surgical patients. We are a Level 2 trauma center in its way to Level 1, and some of our post op patients can go south quite quickly, I would not want anyone in my unit to be distracted by having to cater to family members of our patients. This without accounting for the fact that PACU is usually an open space so it can be infringing upon patient privacy to have people all over the place. Families can wait the 45 min to 1.5 hours it takes to get the patient out of the PACU to see them once they are stable. We only allow 1 parent for our pediatric patients as it has been proven by our own internal studies and data gathering, that it helps to have a parent for when a baby or child wakes up from anesthesia. As much as this probably is valid for adults too, I believe it too be much of an inconvenience and risk to have family present.

[GoodNP]

NPs and all other healthcare personnel and all other persons in all other professions should be expected to be pleasant.