Title says it all . Second semester baby nurse in clinicals at a major hospital.
Patients = Awesome
Most Nurses = Very sweet and helpful
Some nurses are rude, terse, horrible with patients, horrible with students and horrible with each other.
To those nurses I say this, please retire.
Its only a matter of time before management figures out they can live without you and hire some very hungry and very competent new grads that want to be there to fill your dusty shoes....
word...
sadly the vast majority of the time these happen to also be charge nurses....in charge of what? Misery?
You have a long way to go and a whole lot to learn. Yes, patients are customers but they don't have as large of a choice as you make it out to be. They go where their health insurance allows them to go and where their physician/NP/PA practices at.
And when you become an all knowing nurse manager, we lowly, old, and dried up nurses would appreciate it if you'd hire some more RNs, force the CNAs and techs to do their jobs without begging them, and since you're all focused on customer service....Go ahead and hire some Customer Service Representatives for your unit. She how that works out for you in in the service line budget meetings.
Anyway, bed time, please know that I realize that all of you have your unique perspectives and opinions and that I have great respect for each of you...
My only problem with the OP was the word "old", because dried up bitter nurses come in all ages! I agree, it doesn't matter if you're keeping a job because the economy is bad and you have to - everyone deserves to be treated with common courtesy. Anyone, young or old, who shows a crappy attitude toward their customers (and I do agree - patients are your customers) and coworkers needs to be looking for another job. Having years of expertise is no excuse for acting horrible to other people.
I was recruited by a hospital during clinicals. This particular hospital had a high ratio of bitter, horrible people working in the unit where my clinicals were. I turned down their offers and told them exactly why - I would not even consider working in a place where the nurses treated the students the way these nurses did. And the way they treated the patients was not much better.
I'm with you, OP. And this doesn't even just apply to nursing - it applies to any job. If you hate it so much that you make it part of your job to make everyone around you just as miserable and hateful as you are, then it's time to move on. The only point I would differ on is that age has anything to do with it.
OP, I dont know what hospital you've worked at, but at my hospital, its a whole different ball game. I get treated like a freaking waitress all night. Ice, juice, water, snacks, soda, bring me this, hand me that, move this, where's the remote, scratch my foot, mix up my chicken broth, put sugar in my coffee, fluff my pillow, dont come in my room tonight, let me sleep.... And if i dont do exactly what they say, I'll be reported to the team lead so fast my head will spin. Too scared to report the way they were treated... HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
The whole customer service crap is the reason for that. I barely get to focus on my actual nursing duties all night b/c people treat the hospital like it's the Sandals Beach Resort and Spa.
They are in the hospital to recieve treatment, not to be serviced
And the patients are the easy ones....Some of the families and their expectations - now you could write a whole book on that one. While I do actually agree with the customer service "in theory" someone forgot to take away the thousands of obstacles that make it possible. Example - "Yes Mrs. Smith, I will bring you a snack. Yes Mrs Smith's daughter, I would love to grab you some coffee"....next room coding....return with snack and coffee 30 minutes later to a wrath of hell. Happens every day, every health care setting, every where. You just haven't had the experience (and daily frustration) that some of us have dealt with for YEARS. If you came upon me immediately after having my butt chewed by daughter for being late with that coffee I could pretty much promise you you would think I was bitter too.
Is customer service part of healthcare? of course it is. But your ORIGINIAL post was talking about "Older nurses who are dried up and need to retire" Then once you got some responses you then said you were talking about nurses being rude to the patients. But I have seen nurses who are 20 somethings be very rude and mean to their patients. So I think you it is the way you approached the subject is why you are getting so much flack! Plus, it is easy to say "Nurses need to do this!" When you are not a nurse yourself yet.
Good luck with your management ideas also. When you fire every nurse you think is "rude" to the patient and are having problems staffing your shift, you may want to reconsider your tactics as well.
Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.
Customer service does have its place in nursing practice, but it should not dictate nursing practice, to allow it to do so is entirely unsafe. I'm sorry, I don't mean this offensively but you are the one in for a very rude awakening. Yes, you've received healthcare services and have been a patient, yes you have an impressive career in management but the world of bedside nursing is an ocean you have not sailed yet be careful what conclusions you come to as the journey will not truly begin until you are in the trenches.
See how much you cling to the customer service philosophy when you have a water pitcher thrown at your face for not bringing a warm blanket to someone because you were tied up in a code.
Recently went for a job interview when I asked a nurse how she liked working there she said I hate it, only do it for the money she needs to reassess her options however there are those of us who do love it
Focus on customer service isn't going away, unfortunately. Coming very soon reimbursements will be tied to patient satisfaction scores. For all I know, it may have already started. I know my facility stands to lose 380,000 next year if we don't maintain a score above a certain number. Crabby nurses may have a huge impact on the bottom line.
I have a degree in management and tons of management experience, as soon as possible it is my goal to become a nurse manager and guess what, It is going to my mission in life to bring customer service back to nursing care. Remember the customer? Yes, the one in the bed, yes, thats right, the patient.
Be careful what you wish for. The customer service model has turned many enthusiastic nurses into "bitter dried up old nurses that need to RETIRE". Many nurses feel like glorified waitstaff and that hospitals are trying to emulate 5-star hotels at the expense of patient care. Working as a nurse is rewarding but the politics of health care can numb the mind and suffocate the soul. Most nurses get into the profession because we want to "help" people but ridiculous nurse to patient ratios, administration focus on Press-Gainey scores, and inordinate amounts of paperwork can burn out even a saint.
You have been through a difficult journey that has given you a unique perspective on what it's like to be a patient. But please remember, the nurses whom you are judging so harshly have likely also had personal struggles with illness, family issues, financial problems, and hospital politics. They, too, are on a journey. I am not defending the actions of any nurse who might be rude to students, other staff, or patients. But keep in mind that compassion fatigue is a reality and it happens to even the best and the most enthusiastic.
If you want to go into management, you may wish to find out what turns enthusiastic, caring nurses into "bitter dried up old nurses that need to RETIRE" so that you can become part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
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meandragonbrett
2,438 Posts
You have a long way to go and a whole lot to learn. Yes, patients are customers but they don't have as large of a choice as you make it out to be. They go where their health insurance allows them to go and where their physician/NP/PA practices at.
And when you become an all knowing nurse manager, we lowly, old, and dried up nurses would appreciate it if you'd hire some more RNs, force the CNAs and techs to do their jobs without begging them, and since you're all focused on customer service....Go ahead and hire some Customer Service Representatives for your unit. She how that works out for you in in the service line budget meetings.