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 have teen-agers that drive and if they need to get me, i want them to be able to. Of course it is on vibrate and i dont open it in a patient room, but if I get a txt message from one of my kids, I want to be able to take the 5 seconds to respond to it if need be.
I am an adult and feel I can handle the responsibility of proper cell phone usage.
I'm obviously in the minority here but why can't family call the unit in an emergency?
Some facilities require that personal calls be routed through the Nursing office. They don't like facility phones being tied up with them.
The NO decides when to pass the message to the intended recipient. This could take some time or, if someone there doesn't like the involved employee, the message could get "lost". :angryfire
Also, do you really want the whole unit to know you have an emergency? You might reach the point where you have no choice but to share, like if you have to leave immediately to go deal with it, but, personally, I don't think my personal life is something I have to share if I choose not to. I mean, what if it's my bookie?
I know there are some who abuse their cell phones. But most of us can handle this matter discretely and in a mature manner. Furthermore, we almost never get any breaks or full breaks, so I know we're not stealing time from our employer if we take a few minutes to deal with our personal lives. Some things are very important - our families, our car in the shop; some things just need to be taken care of, even if we are at work. The personal phone is the best way to do that, so far.
It is a shame it had to come to this but there is a reason it did. It is because the phones have been abused. I have been in report and had a hard time finishing report due to all the cell phones ringing. They ring in all situations and in all places no matter how inappropriate. How about the time a NA's phone rang while we were changing a patient. She was going to answer it when I protested. I told her if she did not finish what she was doing and call back later I would report her. Do you know what I hate most of all, cell phones that ring in the nurses station all night long. Between people who can't live without there radios playing all night and the cell phones ringing all night I have a headache in the morning. PS I have heard some cell phones that played some pretty inappropriate songs. Let me clue in all the youngsters, the octagenerians you care for do NOT want to hear the rap music your cellphone plays. All these unacceptable behaviors would not occur if people used common sense. Unfortunately they don't and that is how these rules come to be inacted. I feel bad for the people who do not abuse them because they are being punished right along with everyone else. Lets not forget the headlines about people taking inappropriate pictures of their patients on their cell phone cameras.
My DH is in the military there are times when I am the only parent at home. When he is deployed he is gone for at least 6mths.
I carry my phone EVERY where. Although I have friends who are emergency contacts for my kids, I would prefer to be within reach should they need me. They are aware NOT to call me at school or at work unless it's serious.
I put my phone vibrate. If I were told I couldn't carry a phone I would be worried about my kids all the time.
When I was in the military we were told we could only carry our phones if they were required for our jobs...mine wasn't but I carried in my pocket on vibrate. People don't always relay messages even when it's an emergency:angryfire My oldest had an asthma attack and the only way I knew to go get him was because the coach eventually called my cell.:angryfire I had a few choice words for my office mates after I returned from the ER!
I, too, am old enough (59) to remember when cell phones didn't even exist. In fact, my DH, a real gadget guy, had one of the first in the mid-80's. It was as big and heavy as a brick (came in handy once when we were threatened in a dark parking lot) and cost of $2K. That's right: $2000. Anyway, no cell phone on the unit, please. And please turn them off or to silent if you stash yours in the break room too.
I remember with yearning the days before computer charting, which IMHO could also go away. I love computers, don't get me wrong, and I'm hardly computer illiterate. We have quite the computer set-up at home. But in no way has computer charting helped me do my job better, quicker or given me more time with my patients. The opposite is sadly true. I know I don't chart better or more accurately, I have less time with patients and it gets in my way often.
I am almost counting the days until I can retire, but have to honestly say I am very concerned about where health care is going. It frightens me to see nurses who spend more time on computers than with their patients, and administrations who mandate that necessity.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I do keep my cell phone on me for two reasons; as someone else mentioned, the link to home, and also I do not have a private locker to place my valuables in. I have a fanny pack that is perpetually on my waist that holds my wallet, cell phone, and my PDA (when I remember it).
Most people do not go out of their way to search you down if you have a personal call; the hospital is too busy for that. No one I know has my work number, because it is a waste of time to get to me. I keep it on vibrate in order to not disturb anyone and I just look to see who it is. My son never bothers me, so the few times he has called, it was something that did warrent my attention, but I would care for that particular patient and then go somewhere private to return the call.
I do believe it is unprofessional to pick up your phone while you are at work, especially when taking to patients and family, but it is not unrealistic to me for a person to keep their cell phones on them. We also have people who break into lockers and steal. In fact, last year, two CNAs shared a locker, but one was off, so the other offered to share the locker for that day to someone else. Her lockermate left her cell phone by mistake, but it was gone the next day. She discovered that many long distance calls were made on it, and had to get an entirely new phone.
I just have the habit of keeping what is very important to me on my person, in case I really had to run out of there.
Most places have this rule. I for one, have always carried my cell phone on my person, in my pocket, on vibrate. Before cell phones were affordable, I had a beeper, always on vibe, always on me.
Its my business as a grown woman, and if my kids needed me, I wanted to know. I had an admin. at a previous job years ago, tell my kids outright NOT to call me and hang up on them :argue:-- meanwhile, HER kids were underfoot in the facility at all hours.:angryfire
My personal thought is they can shove their rules, :pI will have my phone on and with me.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I'm obviously in the minority here but why can't family call the unit in an emergency?
I can't speak for everyone, but in my clinic, there are millions of extensions and the clinic is exceptionally large. Many times, children are calling for silly reasons such as "My brother Paul hit me, please make him stop", or something a bit more legitimate, but still takes up time "Mom, I got home from school". We are all moving like crazy, and no one is stable in one area, really. Too many times, the receiver gets the message about 15 minutes later, only to run to the phone and the person hung up. Then, the receiver will ask "Who was that?" and the person that answered will either say "I dunno, didn't ask" or has left the area.
I hate to say it, but most of the people in my area that man the phones are either decreasing the volume because they get so many, or are not going completely out of their way to jump and run to get someone (because this happens too much). I suspect it is easier for a person to have their own phone to deal with this, rather than leading to arguements with another staff member "You KNOW I have a daughter who has a cold...why didn't you come and get me?" (believe me, I have seen this happen-fights where people have not spoken afterwards for close to a year have happened in my area of work).
I do believe that those having cell phones are to have a certain matter of professionalism; no texting, keep on vibrate, know the appropriate time to answer the darned thing; for sure. But, I have to admit, I am a proponent of keeping the cell, and discipline for those who are not professionally courteous.
yes i do. my cell phone is a PDA too and I use it for work, the calculator, my schedule, my notes on how to do things like transfer pts/ discharge, my passwords for the computer system too (EMR). I respect my pts enough to not make or recieve calls or texts in front of them. That would just be totally unprofessional.
:angryfire
racing-mom4, BSN, RN
1,446 Posts
I have teen-agers that drive and if they need to get me, i want them to be able to. Of course it is on vibrate and i dont open it in a patient room, but if I get a txt message from one of my kids, I want to be able to take the 5 seconds to respond to it if need be.
I am an adult and feel I can handle the responsibility of proper cell phone usage.