Not that it would be used for anything but an emergency, but how do you feel about being told that you may not 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.
I'm sorry but this sounds so high school to me. When are we going to treat each other as adults and professionals? An adult and professional knows the proper use of communication, both in methods and devices. Someone who abuses such should be addressed individually. We all shouldn't have to stay after school because one of us misbehaved.
As BrokenRNheart posted, and said it best "people have screwed it up." Nurses and CNAs who are caught texting and gossiping on their cells during patient care are the reasons for the rules against having cell phones. I assume that the nurses and CNAs who are doing this ARE adults, and should be considered professionals, but they still text and talk while working (nonemergency calls).
Also, I don't consider it childish for an employer to institute rules. For instance, it is "childish" for an employer to require a dress code, such as green scrubs? That can be considered "high school."
One reason I think that all of us who use cell phones responsibly (i.e. no texting, no gossiping/arguing/updating while passing meds, feeding) are punished is that many of us who have cells tend to answer it when it rings or vibrates, and we start talking, even when we find out it's not an emergency call. I've seen this during report, during feeding, while a patient is showering, and during med passes. I know that many of us have seen that, and nurses texting at work (but no one has yet copped to doing it).
Oh my gosh! I wonder how any of us ever survived before we had cell phones. It does make one wonder.
And I wonder how people survived without clothes during Stone Age!!!1 People, we should b able to adapt to new technology and b flexible in changing our attittudes towards cellphone use at work!
How r we gonna survive in ''Heaven since God has no Washing Machine!'' This is 4 those who do not like change n yet as christians, they wish they could one day go to heaven!!!
I don't run a " high school". I run a LTC facility. The employess are not forced or do they "have" to work at this facility. There are plenty of other facilities in St. Paul/Minneapolis to work. If they do not like our policies or want to adhere to them, then they are free to go elsewhere to work. If an employee has a family memeber or child's teacher that calls the facility's main phone, they will be asked if it is regarding a sick or ill child or if it is an emergency... those calls the employee is paged for. All other calls, the caller is told to contact the employee at home.
We are here to take care of these residents. They pay $8000-$10,000 per month to live here and deserve to have the full attention of the staff when here. There is always something to do. If anyone has time to talk on a cell phone, then it means someone may not be getting toileted, repositioned, fed etc when needed. We also use walkies at our facilities to contact other staff.
I have heard every excuse in the book. I myself raised 4 children (without a cell phone) and managed to give my employers 100% of my time while at work. So, as a professional, I expect others to also be professional when they are being paid by the facility.
The Cell phone issue is my pet peeve, We must alll recognise that all rules are based on something that happens in the past. Like a friend of mine always say wht was been done to patients in the past for them to institude a patient bill of rights. I must say I am a Nursing Supervisor and a Nursing Faculty and can to tell you the number of times I had to talk to family because they are upset with nurses who are on their cell phones in the patient room, and who have answered there phones while patient are talking to them. This is a matter of common courtesy but some people have no discipline. Hence the reason for this this discussion in the work place. I carry a cell phone, leave it in my purse and check it and intervals throughout the day. If people do the right thing then we would not have this problem.
My husband is a heart transplant pt. If they try to take it away I will go to Americans with Disability, my state obudsman and/or whomever it takes. We have the right to remain in contact with those we love. There should be a quick answer such as "Call you right back". Which I have done. My patients do not seem to care. There should never be a conversation while at the bedside, and there shouldn't be one in the hallway. It is unprofessional. We get so little respect as it is. Let's not make ourselves look as if we are at Walmart.
I am a CMA that works for a urgent care center I carry my cell with me but I do not answer it or make calls while taking care of patients my daughter also has asthma as well as some other medical problems. My mother knows not to call unless it is an emergency. If I do not answer it because I am busy and not on break or lunch she will leave me a voice mail that I will listen to as soon as I can. Those that abuse their phones while on duty are the ones who make it hard for others I work with a MED TECH who gets personal calls on our work phone and sits at the nurses station talking to whoever may call. i feel that if I have to take a call at least I am not doing it on the company phone or while I should be careing for patients as she does.
My husband is a heart transplant pt. If they try to take it away I will go to Americans with Disability, my state obudsman and/or whomever it takes. We have the right to remain in contact with those we love. There should be a quick answer such as "Call you right back". Which I have done. My patients do not seem to care. There should never be a conversation while at the bedside, and there shouldn't be one in the hallway. It is unprofessional. We get so little respect as it is. Let's not make ourselves look as if we are at Walmart.
The problem is the clerk at Walmart realizes that they could be immediately replaced thus losing not only their earning power but any benefits they may have. These unprofessional RNs, CNAs feel they are untouchable, and in many ways they are; as we've all seen, management rarely follows through on the existing rules of professional behavior.
It's a two way street staff takes advantage of loose reigns, management turns a blind eye.
Specializes in telemetry, med-surg, home health, psych.
I don't run a " high school". I run a LTC facility. The employess are not forced or do they "have" to work at this facility. There are plenty of other facilities in St. Paul/Minneapolis to work. If they do not like our policies or want to adhere to them, then they are free to go elsewhere to work. If an employee has a family memeber or child's teacher that calls the facility's main phone, they will be asked if it is regarding a sick or ill child or if it is an emergency... those calls the employee is paged for. All other calls, the caller is told to contact the employee at home.
We are here to take care of these residents. They pay $8000-$10,000 per month to live here and deserve to have the full attention of the staff when here. There is always something to do. If anyone has time to talk on a cell phone, then it means someone may not be getting toileted, repositioned, fed etc when needed. We also use walkies at our facilities to contact other staff.
I have heard every excuse in the book. I myself raised 4 children (without a cell phone) and managed to give my employers 100% of my time while at work. So, as a professional, I expect others to also be professional when they are being paid by the facility.
I cannot believe that you would have employees question people that call for someone at your facility. To ask them if it is an ill child or emergency???? Unheard of.....Invasion of privacy I would think...Unreal:nono:
you're right... people have the choice to work or not work at your facility. I, for one, will be one of those who chose not to. I won't say I told you so when you're stressed out because you're understaffed... well, maybe that will be your overworked underappreciated nurses that will be stressed out. I can't imagine having a low turnover rate when you treat your employees that way.
Patients have the right to good healthcare, and you get that not by babysitting those that abuse the system, but by weeding out the bad and TREATING WITH RESPECT AND DIGNITY those that are worth keeping.
I am a nursing student, with 15 years or so in the "real world" of working. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I will be one of those "good nurses" who puts her heart and her mind and 100% of her being into her work. Its just who I am. I am not in this for the money. I actually was not supposed to go back to work until my children started school in another 5 years, but chose to do this because it was what my heart wanted. Why on earth would I put up with being treated badly??? No thanks.
It concerns me so much more that this attitude exists and is defended in a supervisor than the actual issue. The thought that someone would insist on me handing over my belongings like a kid caught with a gameboy is beyond amazing to me. If I had to work in these conditions, THIS would be the reason why the nursing field is short one more nurse, because I would not work ANYWHERE that I was treated like a child at 31 years old.
I am SO with you there, Jenlaana! Wow! I believe in giving 100% to my employer while I'm working, too, but I don't believe in giving them my life. The job is NOT more important than my family and if someone calls me at work, I would be furious if a manager screened it. If someone is receiving personal phone calls at work that interfered with their care or if it happened on a regular basis...then yes, talk to them and tell them that's unacceptable. But treat the other professionals as just that and allow them to handle their own calls.
I have to say, though, if people up front know that that's the policy and they're OK with it....that's their business. I would bet anything that LTC has to struggle to stay staffed, though. I wouldn't even consider working somewhere with policies like those.
I have to say, though, if people up front know that that's the policy and they're OK with it....that's their business. I would bet anything that LTC has to struggle to stay staffed, though. I wouldn't even consider working somewhere with policies like those.
I think that's the key...if you know your employer's position before you take the job, then what's the problem? You either accept the job and all the rules or you find a different one. Policies change...for example changing from being able to wear scrubs of any kind to only a certain color...if you don't like the new/current policy, find a new job. I've never worked a job where my boss would be happy with anyone having a cell phone on them 100% of the time. I'm surprised many of you have this luxury. Personally I think its perfectly acceptable to expect your family/friends, etc to call you at a main work number (or say on the spectralink phones many of us carry around) in case of emergency. If your messages aren't passed on, or you are not notified you have someone waiting on hold, then that's the issue you take up with management.
Plagueis
514 Posts
As BrokenRNheart posted, and said it best "people have screwed it up." Nurses and CNAs who are caught texting and gossiping on their cells during patient care are the reasons for the rules against having cell phones. I assume that the nurses and CNAs who are doing this ARE adults, and should be considered professionals, but they still text and talk while working (nonemergency calls).
Also, I don't consider it childish for an employer to institute rules. For instance, it is "childish" for an employer to require a dress code, such as green scrubs? That can be considered "high school."
One reason I think that all of us who use cell phones responsibly (i.e. no texting, no gossiping/arguing/updating while passing meds, feeding) are punished is that many of us who have cells tend to answer it when it rings or vibrates, and we start talking, even when we find out it's not an emergency call. I've seen this during report, during feeding, while a patient is showering, and during med passes. I know that many of us have seen that, and nurses texting at work (but no one has yet copped to doing it).