Cell Phones: Help or Hindrance?

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  1. Cell phones: help or hindrance?

    • 11
      I love having a cell phone to alert me of patient needs.
    • 23
      It's OK, more pros than cons.
    • 34
      It's OK, but I think more cons than pros.
    • 15
      No opinion/Other. Feel free to explain/discuss.

83 members have participated

Do you have a cell phone that the facility makes you use at work? What's your opinion - do you like them, hate them, are they a help or a hindrance to do your job?

Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

Don't have them. Don't want them.

We have pagers, and they are annoying enough!

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We don't have cell phones or pagers. Thank God.

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I understand what they are meant for, but Ugh...hate the phones! Always calls at the worst times, and usually it is nothing important or that cannot be handled by someone else. I could go on for days grumbling about this...but I will spare you. :banghead:

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Specializes in ER, Medicine.

I'm not a fan of the cell phones. They always ring at the worst and most inappropriate times. And usually when I'm with a patient they ring more than once. I don't like being interrupted or interrupting my patients to answer the phone.

The thing about ours is they have no silencing function, they simply ring and vibrate nonstop. I always have to apologize and explain to the patient it is a company phone because I feel like they think it's a personal phone call. Either way, I feel like I'm being rude when the phone rings.

Generally on an average shift I'll recieve 15-20 calls. (Yes, I do keep a tally of calls).

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

I hate cell phones. I'm sure my patients hate it, too - how would you feel if your nurse is in the middle of something with you and takes a call on a phone? I frequently won't answer the stupid thing if I'm in a room, which just results in the ward clerk yelling down the hall for me, and getting upset with me for not answering the phone. They get upset when they have to take a message, which I think is ridiculous. This is partially born out of the fact that we only have 1 WC assigned to our incredibly busy unit on days, none on nights. They have a ridiculous amount of work to do, but then so do I. I don't appreciate how this is handled, and is one of many reasons I'm looking for a way outta there.

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i believe cellphones is an advantage to you and to your work. all you have to do is to have to phones: one for your personal stuff and the other is for work. keep your work phone turned on when working because you know that if it rings or have an incoming mesages then its definitely work related. so you know that you wont be disturbed meaninglessly.after duty time then you can switch on your personal phone. maybe its kinda expensive to have to phones. maybe you can have two simcards instead of two phones.. to use cellpones while working that is a different sotry already that is being unprofessional and rude to your patient and your co-workers...

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I frequently won't answer the stupid thing if I'm in a room, which just results in the ward clerk yelling down the hall for me, and getting upset with me for not answering the phone. They get upset when they have to take a message, which I think is ridiculous. This is partially born out of the fact that we only have 1 WC assigned to our incredibly busy unit on days, none on nights.

If we don't answer our phones it goes to another nurse. If they don't answer it goes to the clerk, who then forwards the call to ... yep, my phone. :banghead:

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.

they haven't suggested a cell/pager as yet....they were talking about getting walkie talkies !!!! Oh my, I won't carry it.....I can just see myself on the pot and "Judy, can you hear me??"" "You are needed in so and so's room " !!!!! NO WAY!!!

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My facilty does not have cell phone for nursing staff on the floor, thankfully. It's hard o answer a call it the middle of resiting a IV, doing a dressing etc.

When at work a cell/pager show be left in you locker. You could check your missed called during a break or at the end of your shift.

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Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.

those of you that are given them at work to use, and do not want to....There was a special on TV today about cell phones causing brain tumors, cancer.....I know this was brought up about 5 yrs. ago but now they are getting pretty serious about it....No Children should be using them at all....very bad for developing brains....it all does make sense...get a hands free set and keep phone away from head..

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they haven't suggested a cell/pager as yet....they were talking about getting walkie talkies !!!! Oh my, I won't carry it.....I can just see myself on the pot and "Judy, can you hear me??"" "You are needed in so and so's room " !!!!! NO WAY!!!

Just be careful. I had paged a doc about an hour before and just had to go. Sure enough there I was and "ring, ring". I reached over to the sink, grabbed my phone, clicked talk, and "WHOOOSH" - guess I moved just enough to set off the automatic toilet. :uhoh21:

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i believe that using cellphones will be a hindrance in rendering healthcare since you will putting much attention when your cellphone "beeps" or "rings" rather than going to you patients or clients more often and establishing rapport and support system.

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