Are you my waitress today?

[adria37]

I work in an oncology clinic and this was the question ask to me. How would you have responded? My response was "I did not go to school for 10 years to be called a waitress. I am now 4 courses away from my second master's degree in nursing so I can provide you the best care possible. What do you need."

Tell me how you deal with these kind of comments.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

I don't understand what people are getting so worked up about. We are very much trained, skilled, knowledgeable customer service representatives. You need to keep in mind that the patient is equivalent to your customer. They do have a choice. They do NOT have to return to your facility. NO customers, NO jobs. I don't think it is any big deal to make my patients feel as comfortable as I can. The only thing I would do if I couldn't take care of their needs at that time is say that I need to go take care of something first and I will back to get them what they would like.

It absolutley chaps my hide when I read or hear comments from people that they will not come to my facility because they had a bad experience. Only to find out later that their experience was that no one cared enough to bring them comfort items and simple things. It does not take much to make most pts happy. Not to say that there won't be that pt that no matter what you do you can't make them happy.

Just keep in mind, your pts do have a choice and it doesn't take much to keep them coming back.

So they base their choices on how rude they can be and how much abuse the staff will take? I highly doubt it.

Nobody here is complaining about taking a patient a cup of coffee or a meal. They just want common courtesy and respect.

[NYCRN16]

I did have one occasion where a patient asked me if I was her waitress today..But she was a pleasantly confused alzheimers patient in the nursing home I worked, and the sweetest old lady you would ever meet. She asked so sincerely, and after trying to reorient her a few times, I just told her I was, and if there was anything I could get her. She just asked for a cup of water "if it wasnt too much trouble". She was so cute, and I didnt mind letting her think that I was since it made her feel like she had someone there to help her and she wasnt alone.

I now work in a busy ER, and if some 40 y.o. A+O x 3 person asked me if I was thier waitress, I would def have a different answer than the one I gave to the old lady! :devil:

[GI Jackie]

So they base their choices on how rude they can be and how much abuse the staff will take? I highly doubt it.

Nobody here is complaining about taking a patient a cup of coffee or a meal. They just want common courtesy and respect.

I am not saying that anyone is complaining, but I think that people should realize that customer service and nursing go hand in hand. I know loads of people who DO rate a hospital based on how friendly and courteous the staff is to them while they are there. I know many people that will not go to facilities anymore for that reason alone. Do I think that PR should replace competent nurses? Absolutely not. I do think that people should not take offense at someone calling them a waitress. A little humor can go a long way. Joke it off and get them what they are asking for.

Just keep in mind pts DO have a choice.

Jackie

[oldshoes]

I do know that in past generations some people viewed nurses as "loose women." I had an older lady tell me once that she had always wanted to be a nurse but her father wouldn't allow it- he thought nurses were basically immoral women.

And then there's the other extreme, with the idea of nurses as something like nuns. There is some precedence for this one, though: there are nuns who are also nurses, and, in fact, the concept of the nursing sister is so embedded in Australian culture that many nurses are still addressed as "sister", and a sort of veil is to them what the white cap is to American nurses.

But, like I said, there is a precedent for that. I don't get where the whole "naughty nursey" thing came from. There's nothing sexy about being admitted to a hospital!

[buddiage]

naughty nursing costumes make me sneer.

After all this brain work with school, I'm not thinking "I've always wanted to portrayed as an empty-headed, sex-starved bimbo."

[mariedoreen]

I would've laughed and said, "I dunno, is there a tip involved? And do I have to do anything besides bring you something to eat or drink??? If I don't have to start your IV, analyze your labs, change your dressing, listen to your lungs, or check all your medications... then yeah I'll be your waitress!"

[blueiwahine]

LOL...I'm glad to know other people feel the way I do....I'm a new nurse, only been working 4 months and I'm starting to think why the hell did I suffer through 4 years of school to become nothing more than a glorified drug pushing waitress. lol

[sweetcheekers]

No, I'm your nurse. You must be disoriented because you are at a hospital not a restaraunt.

[Pbelle]

If that waitress had made that comment to me, I wouldn't have left her a tip at all. Maybe someday some 'glorified waitress' will save her life - it would be interesting to see if her attitude changed.

Oh what am I thinking.....?

[MAP1]

Nurses did not do as much technical stuff as now but in someways I think they were given more respect. With the price of medical care nowadays patients want to be waited on - They see us as waitresses because so little public relations is done for nursing. They do not have a clue as to what we do. One time I had a very difficult patient - up and down to the bathroom and unable to move by himself so for 12 hrs I helped him do many things that day and at the end of the day he said to me - Nursing is so easy = I am surprised there is a shortage. I was thinking - you don't even realize how difficult caring for you today has been- oh well

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

LOL! How about the costume that includes Plumber Butt?

I see more of that from the women in my class than i do from plumbers anymore.:uhoh21:

[RN BSN 2009]

I was a waitress for 2 1/2 years... whew glad that was over!