Customer Service and 24 hour visitation

Drysolong · Jun 28, 2008

This seems to be the way the bottom line is sending us.

Bottom line being not patient health but revenues.

I once thought that patient and nurses could be allies in advocating for better direct patient care and considerations, but so many patients and their families are focused on hotel amenities rather than actual healthcare.

PiPhi2004 · Jun 28, 2008

What a load of crap....all I can say is :banghead::banghead:.

GooeyRN, ADN, BSN, CNA, LPN, RN · Jun 28, 2008

I wouldn't be working there anymore. It's a hospital for sick people. NOT a hotel/resort with maid service. :argue:

TexasPediRN · Jun 28, 2008

If everyone turns in their notices when the change takes place...

Maybe they will think twice.. as there will be no nurses to do massages and catering..

:)

nicurn001 · Jun 28, 2008

Whilst I agree with you that customer service should be secondary to clinical excellence , because it is less tangible than leather bound menu cards , WIFI etc., administrators and the public like to implement these feel good services .

Your best course of action is to comply with what does not get in the way of fulfilling your clinical tasks , whilst ignoring that which interferes with your time management , so much that you cannot complete your nursing care .If management isn't happy about this just politely / diplomatically remind them you were hired to provide NURSING Care , if they want these feel good services they need to provide the resources to implement them .

shellsgogreen · Jun 28, 2008

On August 5, 2008, My hospital is going to implement a new Customer Service master plan that will surely make every employee's life a living hell. Some of the new "Improvements" to this horrid design include: 24 Hour visitation, 24 hour room service, leatherbound menu's, DVD, WiFi internet, Massages (that we nurses are to do since we have soo much free time), flatscreen TV's, Starbucks coffee carts, Quiet time/Do Not Disturb time, Valet parking, and sleeper cots in the rooms. The last one I detest the most. Our room are VERY crowded (some with 3 beds) and the last thing we need is to break our backs trying to maneuver around a family member. Needless to say, I am very very anxious about all these changes. Now we will have administration barking at us for politely asking family members to step out of the room while we provide pericare. With all these new changes about to occur, somethings will remain the same - for example our old vital signs machines and telemetry equipment from 1980.

Sounds like the patients are checking into a hotel with "quiet time/do not disturb" plus all inclusive massages.

Amazing how they want to implement things like massaging while we still have to hunt down every unit to find a decent working v/s machine.

SDS_RN, RN · Jun 28, 2008

That is BS and I would be looking for a different job.

Being a maid and a waitress is not what we signed up for nor do we get paid enough to roll 3 occupations into 1.

crissrn27, RN · Jun 28, 2008

Massages (that we nurses are to do since we have soo much free time), .

Let us concentrate on this one statement. WTH!!!!! Please tell me I misread this, or you mistyped it! So, if you guys are to do all of this, you are just going to have 1 pt on the medical floors, right? And the ICU pt will have 2 nurses, no?

jmgrn65, RN · Jun 28, 2008

On August 5, 2008, My hospital is going to implement a new Customer Service master plan that will surely make every employee's life a living hell. Some of the new "Improvements" to this horrid design include: 24 Hour visitation, 24 hour room service, leatherbound menu's, DVD, WiFi internet, Massages (that we nurses are to do since we have soo much free time), flatscreen TV's, Starbucks coffee carts, Quiet time/Do Not Disturb time, Valet parking, and sleeper cots in the rooms. The last one I detest the most. Our room are VERY crowded (some with 3 beds) and the last thing we need is to break our backs trying to maneuver around a family member. Needless to say, I am very very anxious about all these changes. Now we will have administration barking at us for politely asking family members to step out of the room while we provide pericare. With all these new changes about to occur, somethings will remain the same - for example our old vital signs machines and telemetry equipment from 1980.

24 hour visitation, as I nurse I never agreed with it. As a family member, when my mom was very sick (she had a private room) I stayed with her 24 hours I didn't leave but 2 times for about 2 hours. I don't agree with 24hr visitation in semi private rooms.

Massages we were taught in school to do them. Having said that who has time?

Our hospital has gone to the room service but it is only avail. from like 7a-7p or something like that.

It does seem a bit exsessive. good luck

bethin · Jun 28, 2008

On August 5, 2008, My hospital is going to implement a new Customer Service master plan that will surely make every employee's life a living hell. Some of the new "Improvements" to this horrid design include: 24 Hour visitation, 24 hour room service, leatherbound menu's, DVD, WiFi internet, Massages (that we nurses are to do since we have soo much free time), flatscreen TV's, Starbucks coffee carts, Quiet time/Do Not Disturb time, Valet parking, and sleeper cots in the rooms. The last one I detest the most. Our room are VERY crowded (some with 3 beds) and the last thing we need is to break our backs trying to maneuver around a family member. Needless to say, I am very very anxious about all these changes. Now we will have administration barking at us for politely asking family members to step out of the room while we provide pericare. With all these new changes about to occur, somethings will remain the same - for example our old vital signs machines and telemetry equipment from 1980.

Even with family members stepping out, I think this could possibly lead to a HIPA violation. What if the family member who spends the night is male and the patients are female? That's a BIG no-no where I work. Family members may stay if they're loved one is in a room by him/herself. We try not to admit to that room, but if there are no more beds we will and the visitor must leave. We tell this to them upfront and we haven't had a problem yet.

I have been a pt many many times with roommates. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be very sick (I have Crohn's and it is very painful), receive pain meds and phenergan wanting to sleep and have a roommate's visitor show up at MN yacking like it's social hour in the local pub. I find it rude. The hospital is for SICK people who need their rest. We do have visiting hours from 9-9 and it is paged when they are over but people think it doesn't apply to them.

I do have a problem with family members spending the night, but they need to understand that we have a job to do and they need to get out of the way to do care. I know I'm only an aide, but it's a pain in the butt to trip over blankets on the floor family has thrown around, getting them coffee when it's just down the hall. I stopped taking visitors vital signs because I consider it a liability to me - I cannot diagnose nor treat high or low bp.

I'll never forget a few months ago - my charge nurse wanted me to put a family member who was bound to a WC in a bed so I could change his depends. I said no way. He was not a pt and while I felt bad I did not have time with 29 pts on the floor, 4 nurses and me as the only aide. I could barely provide the most basic care to the pts I had.

Sorry for the rant but this really frosts my crack!

EarthChild1130 · Jun 28, 2008

I would start examining my other options...sounds like they're trying to turn it into the Ritz-Carlton instead of a place where sick people come for healthcare.