Do you need to carry your personal cell phone while at work?

ktwlpn, LPN · Jul 5, 2008

Not that it would be used for anything but an emergency, but how do you feel about being told that you may not even carry your cell phone while working?
Even if it's off, even if it's on vibrate. Even if it's part of your PDA that helps you get your job done.
I kinda feel like I'm back in high school. All the "grownups" -- docs, managers, administrators -- may keep their cell phones. But I, a lowly staff nurse (middle-aged, educated, professional, and presumably with decent morals and good judgment), cannot.
:angryfire

Same policy in the LTC-all departments and all nursing staff (cna's and nurses alike) Staff are are permitted to use their cells in 2 places-the employee caf and outside.....Not the breakrooms on each unit-I can't remember the last time I was in the caf..After a few aides were let go for sitting behind resident's privacy curtains chatting in front of the residents for the policy to come out.I really resented the fact that the policy includes ALL nursing staff-but then I saw the ADON walking down the hall on her cell-obviously on a personal call ....

WickedRedRN, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2008

I still carry mine and we have the same silly rule. My reason is my cell phone is my link to home. I work a lot of agency hours, so I don't always have the facility number to give my family. Even when I am at my full time position, it's in my pocket because too many times I have heard family members call the desk and the messages not get passed on to staff.

Bottom line, I never have it out in patient areas, I don't text, and it's in my pocket for my lifeline. I am an adult and can be expected to act like one. I agree with you, the docs, mgrs, and others still carry theirs so until the rule applies to *EVERYONE* I will keep mine.

delta32 · Jul 5, 2008

While I am told that I am not carry my cell phone, i do anyways, my child has very bad food allergies and asthma. If the daycare needs to get ahold of me I am not going to risk them not being able to find me in an emeregency.

you know some one had posted earlier in the week about nursing being a indentured servent. I have to agree, its salvery in a modern form.

they can make what ever rules they want but I am going to do whats best for my family. There is plenty of nursing jobs out there!

Jamie

catlynLPN · Jul 5, 2008

My job says the same thing...leave your cell phones in the car.

Hmmmm. What they don't know won't hurt them.

meither · Jul 5, 2008

My thought is that it is all "BS" that we as nurses cannot carry our cell phones. What if, if I have an emergency? What if, my family needs me?

How come only Doctors have emergencies and we don't ?

I am thinking that the main reason why they make this a policy is really direct to nurses who are on their phones 24 hours a day. I used to have an older nurse working in our place and she had a side business. She was a massage therapist or something (who knows what she does for a living) and she would have people calling her cell phone to make appts. I think that's unacceptable. :no: Maybe that is why the management make up this rule. This policy is for people who do not respect their jobs or their patients.

My work has this policy that we cannot use our cell phone during working hours but I also set my own policy. I still carry my phone around with it on vibrate during working hours. I won't answer phone calls if I am with a patient. I will walk out of my floor and return a phone call wheneve I get a chance. This is how I see it, if I cannot take my 15 mins break during my work, I should be allow to take 2 mins to return a phone call and I consider that as my 15 mins break of the day.

Thanet · Jul 5, 2008

I carry my mobile phone with me all the time at work. This is mostly due to the fact that my wife is seriously long term ill.

My senior nurses know that if I am called home I WILL leave and go home.

( touch wood this hasn't happened yet.)

CHATSDALE · Jul 5, 2008

too many people ruin the situation for everyone...i have seen nurses talk on their phones all the time and then c/o of aides when they do the same thing

act like an adult and demand to be treated like an adult

tell them when you are hired that you really need to have the phone with you but that you will not abuse it

Plagueis · Jul 5, 2008

I am a CNA who works in LTC, and the policy for all employees is that we are not to use the cell phone during working hours. We can use them during lunch/dinner, and during our 15-minute breaks. There is no particular rule that states we can't have them on our persons, but I have seen coworkers get caught by higher-ups when they have answered them, and get told that we shouldn't be using them.

As a parent, I do carry a cell with me, and I have made it clear to my daughter that she is not to call me at work, unless there are specific emergencies, such as a sudden illness/pain, accident, bleeding, smoke/carbon monoxide alarm going off, etc. However, I have seen coworkers using their cells at work DURING patient care:

1. Nurses who talk (obviously not a life-threatening emergency) on them while preparing meds.

2. Nurses talking on cells while giving injections.

3. CNAs and nurses talking or texting while feeding residents.

4. CNA talking or texting while bathing and changing clothes of residents.

There is no need to be talking on cells while performing our job duties, and it is very unprofessional to me.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 5, 2008

I'm old enough to remember when people didn't have cell phones, and somehow we survived. Somehow all the mothers got the calls from their kids when they got home from school, somehow night shift moms were able to call their kids to wake them up, somehow we all got our emergency calls.

I'm very anti-cell phone while at work. I leave mine in my locker with the rest of my stuff.

If you could count on adults following the rules, or using some common sense, then I'd be o.k. with it. Too many people think they rules don't apply to them and they can do what they want, or they think it's not a big deal.

The problem with it being on vibrate is people answer them anyway.

I might make an exception to the cellphone/pda that is necessary for one's job.

caliotter3 · Jul 5, 2008

I work in home health and carry a cell phone as a necessity. It is not always advisable to use the client's phone to call the office and I have my phone for an emergency. I also use it when I have to call the client, such as when they don't answer their door or when I can't find a place and call to get directions and to let them know I'm lost. I've called the police from my phone when I needed to and have my phone on so that I can check my voicemail if I need to. I've noticed that my employers don't hesitate to call me on my cell phone while I am in the client's home. I answer if I notice the phone call coming in and have actually told them that I can't talk. I will wait until I go to my car to avoid talking about my client within earshot. I find the cell phone very necessary in home health. On the other hand, I've had clients tell me that they had a nurse who wouldn't take care of the patient and spent her time on her cell. It is pretty bad when a family member enters the room, and the nurse doesn't have the brains to get off the phone immediately. :confused:

leslie :-D · Jul 5, 2008

I'm old enough to remember when people didn't have cell phones, and somehow we survived. Somehow all the mothers got the calls from their kids when they got home from school, somehow night shift moms were able to call their kids to wake them up, somehow we all got our emergency calls.
I'm very anti-cell phone while at work. I leave mine in my locker with the rest of my stuff.

i was just about to post something similiar to yours.

that, 20 yrs ago, this wasn't even an issue.

and yes, we survived.

i see nurses continually checking for messages, even if they're not talking.

they're distracting and oh so unprofessional.

count me as another anti-cell phone user.

leslie