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.
Cell phones and other technology are here to stay. It's understandable that people want and need to stay in touch with family during the work hours in the hospital. The shifts are quite long and hectic and many times hours pass without even realizing you haven't called home to check on things. By having the phone in your pocket, you're reassured that everything must be OK because the phone hasn't rung. (or vibrated!) Cell phones are here to stay and management has to deal with them because employees are not giving them up. Management sometimes takes the easy way out when just a few workers are doing something wrong. In response, they'll make a harsh new policy that is detrimental to everyone rather than some simple one-on-one counseling with the employees involved.
I will keep my phone in my pocket on vibrate no matter what the policy on phones is in the hospital. I had a true emergency where my son was taken by ambulance to the ER and my husband had to go through 4 different people before he got ahold of me. (All because I was following our new policy that cell phones could not be on your person.) When I complained later that I had an exceptional medical situation and had to be available by phone, the manager told me, "Maybe you shouldn't be working if you feel you need to be that available to your family." I wanted to say, "Yeah...that's the answer...why didn't I think of that! I'll just quit my job so I'm available to my family in the event of an emergency!
Get real Administration. Cell phone etiquette should be practiced at work and the rules enforced but don't treat us like high schoolers. We're very capable of making sure our phone doesn't interfere with our time on the job. If there's a problem with one person...talk to that person. But please treat the rest of us as the professionals we are.
i have never worked in a teaching hospital and the only doctors who worked for the hospital were the er, radiology etc
no partients doctor was paid for by the hospital, the mds had admitting privileges
i believe that doctors who have a private practice should be excempt from any cell phone bans because this is part of their job to be available
i agree that there is a lot 'them' people out there...everyone seems to have a phone call that they 'just have to take' i was once asked to go to a lawyers office to give a deposition about an incident that has occured on shift i had worked..the office phone rang and her cell phone rang and she smiled and excused herself..after 30 minutes and 5 calls on the sixth one i got up and left
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
See my post....many secretaries get snippy about taking messages for staff.
EVERYONE gets snippy in my unit about taking messages. To be honest, I can almost understand. When it gets really, really busy, most of us don't want it on our consciences that someone had a true emergency with a child but forgot to give the parent the message.
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
No one really calls me on my cell phone, to be honest, except occasionally, my agencies asking if I want to work. I know the numbers, and don't answer when I have a patient in my room, but I can call back and get booked before they give the assignment to someone else. These agencies know that if I don't answer, it is because I have to work and be professional. But, there are times, when I believe we need to reach our families.
I have co-workers that did experience having collagues hang up on their families because it was thought that it was not an emergency. I think that the recipent needs to decide that, but I can also understand the MANY, MANY calls that come to the hospital desk.
One thing we have not mentioned is the patients who also have their cell phones who are talking when the nurse needs to come and medicate them, doctors are ready to sit with them, and the patient will say "Wait, I have to take this call", knowing the clinic or hospital has many other patients that we need to serve. I had one the other day that started telling her friend about what her boyfriend did to her the night before (very graphic-close to Media). And, I had to sit and wait for this conversation to end. It can go both ways...
Specializes in Cardiac, Adolescent/Child Mental Health.
We get to carry ours, but of course we're expected to use common sense and leave them at the nurses' station while in a patient room, not be on them constantly etc...
My boss at my former place of employment tried to ban them. For all nurses but herself, of course. None of us would even think of answering a call while in the middle of an assessment of while in a room with a patient. She, however, thought nothing of answering a call while in a patient room and leaving in the middle of an assessment (on those rare occasions that she actually did an assessment).
For clinicals, we're not even supposed to have ours in the building. I ignore that rule and take mine because I have a toddler and I feel that I need to be accessible in case of emergency. It stays in my bag with the ringer off (not even on vibrate--the phone is turned to Silence All), I only check it during a break or lunch, and I do not use it for any reason, even during break or lunch, other than to see if anyone has called.
I can understand why my school has that policy. I've seen cell phones used and abused all the time at school (sorry, classmates). At the same time, the school isn't the mother of my child and I don't think they'd give a flying...well, let's just say that for the most part, they wouldn't care if something happened to my son, other than telling me that I'll be penalized for having the phone as well as for having to leave clinical early.
And if it comes down to that, I'd rather be penalized than not be there for my child when he really needs me.
It seems the same people who abuse cellphones are the ones being paged w/continual calls from family/kids. I'm sorry, but your adult children need to GROW UP & stop calling mommy for every little thing- why some mothers encourage this behavior I have no idea. I've seen a lot of dysfunctional family dynamics/enmeshment among nurses! We are allowed to carry our cellphones on vibrate- problems are dealt with individually- & it WILL be on your evaluation if you have too many interruptions/personal calls from family. One place I worked allowed 2 calls per employee per day to check on kids getting home from school, etc. We are not in 3rd grade where all are punished for the actions of one person- fortunately where I work admin. seems to recognize this! I'm a responsible professional & I don't think I should be punished for the childish actions of a few people.
I have worked in secretarial/reception/administration for 13 years, and I find that personal calls really clutter the system. As the secretary/switchboard, nothing is more frustrating than transferring calls from someone's 8 year old when the V.P. of whatever important place, is calling and cannot get through. For that, I can understand why the switchboard/secretary does not want to take that kind of call. Right now, I am the secretary of a Resp Therapy department, and some of the calls I get are... "we have a code 2 in xyz room on floor whatever...get someone here STAT". I also get calls of "hey, can I talk w/ " from people who sound like they're eating and trying to communicate at the same time. Now how bad would it be if the code call came right after the personal call and I didnt get to it in time? How much time is lost while they are searching for a number in my department other than mine to answer the call? I'd much rather have the staff handle their own private business than have to be a link in that chain.
As a parent/wife/cell phone user... I don't use mine at work. But I do keep it on, on vibrate (which I never actually hear). My 13 yr old son stays home alone atm, and he knows to call my husband before calling me (hubby's job doesnt care at all about that kind of thing and he doesnt have much client contact). My husband also knows that he should only call me in an emergency and if I dont answer just leave a message and I'll get back to him. If I have some downtime I will check it. During lunch I usually check it and say hi to my husband/check in on my son. When I'm walking into/out of the hospital at the beginning/end of the day I check it.
This week, I have had 3 calls total during work, and none of them I answered when they rang. 1st, my husband could not find paperwork for my girls' for first day of daycare and they would not let him leave them there so he had to go back home w/ them and get it (and I knew where it was). Two and three, because I specifically asked him to check on the girls at daycare and let me know how they were, since they had never been in daycare before and were having some trouble adjusting (and I didnt want to have that long drawn out info searching call from work myself). None of these times did I talk when my supervisor/phone/coworkers were around or needed me, and actually, each call back was on a break (although the paperwork emergency I would have excused myself from training long enough to answer if I had to).
I would not be comfortable not having my cell, only because everyone who needs to get me knows my cell (which is only my mom and dad, husband and son) and none of them would call if it was not an emergency or atleast very necessary. I know that I raised my son for most of his life without having a cell phone, but now that I have one, I think its silly to go back to the way it was "before". Let me keep my personal business private, and if you see "excess use" of my cell phone (or internet or any other personal activity) then call me on it.
I don't think that a nurse should take calls on her cell phone while giving patient care that being said I do carry my cell phone with me and keep it on low volume or vibrate. One day at work my cell phone rang and thank goodness it was back in the supply room and was able to answer it since it was my niece calling me because no one had picked them up from school that day ( she and her twin brother were 8 and lil sis was 7). My sister is a nurse too and they were not able to get her. I was able to get hold of their dad so he could go and get them. So I think that it is ok as long as you do not let it interfere with safe patient care
As the secretary/switchboard, nothing is more frustrating than transferring calls from someone's 8 year old when the V.P. of whatever important place, is calling and cannot get through. .
Why would an 8 year old be needing to call? Shouldn't they have someone at home taking care of them?
Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.
I am so sick of nursing managment and administrators treating nursing professionals like little children. We are expected to save your life,administer medications safely,perform invasive procedures,be kind and compassionate but we cannot carry a cell phone,or have a covered drink and all the other silly rules they come up with. I follow all the important rules,but I tend to blow off the silly ones like this.
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GIRN
116 Posts
Cell phones and other technology are here to stay. It's understandable that people want and need to stay in touch with family during the work hours in the hospital. The shifts are quite long and hectic and many times hours pass without even realizing you haven't called home to check on things. By having the phone in your pocket, you're reassured that everything must be OK because the phone hasn't rung. (or vibrated!) Cell phones are here to stay and management has to deal with them because employees are not giving them up. Management sometimes takes the easy way out when just a few workers are doing something wrong. In response, they'll make a harsh new policy that is detrimental to everyone rather than some simple one-on-one counseling with the employees involved.
I will keep my phone in my pocket on vibrate no matter what the policy on phones is in the hospital. I had a true emergency where my son was taken by ambulance to the ER and my husband had to go through 4 different people before he got ahold of me. (All because I was following our new policy that cell phones could not be on your person.) When I complained later that I had an exceptional medical situation and had to be available by phone, the manager told me, "Maybe you shouldn't be working if you feel you need to be that available to your family." I wanted to say, "Yeah...that's the answer...why didn't I think of that! I'll just quit my job so I'm available to my family in the event of an emergency!
Get real Administration. Cell phone etiquette should be practiced at work and the rules enforced but don't treat us like high schoolers. We're very capable of making sure our phone doesn't interfere with our time on the job. If there's a problem with one person...talk to that person. But please treat the rest of us as the professionals we are.