Do You Remember Your Patient's Name?

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

I have to admit I am not a strong customer service devotee. Oddly, I'd rather save the patient's life than know the name of the patient's life I saved. Sometimes I'll use sir or madam but rarely use "Hon," "Sugar," or "Dear." Sure, a flagged chart with two patients, a jane smith occupying a room adjacent to a joan smith warrants my now pay attention alarm.

I knew of a nurse who would not only remember the patient's name several years out but could state the diagnosis, the patient's main concerns during his stay, his girl friends name, his heart rhythm (OMG!).

I believe it's a form of intelligence to recognize a person and address them with their name spontaneously when let's say, you see their face when zooming around a corner to get to a patient's room. It's really amazing to me, that that person has such an antenna. Not everyone has this ability and I'm one.

So, what about you? Do you reference your fellow coworkers as what's her face? Are you apt to forget names following introduction? Are you an expert at name memory and recognition? What's your trick?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

I usually remember patients' names, but when your patients are with you 6-8 weeks if everything goes well, that doesn't take a special talent, really.

[teensmom]

I work in L & D so I usually only have my patients once, maybe twice. I am absolutely horrible with names! I have resorted to calling the patient mom and the FOB dad. It's confusing when the patient's mom is there too, so I call them grandma. I am sure this sounds condescending sometimes but I just don't have any good tricks. Also, I'm trying to remember too many other things and feel like remembering names might put something more important out of my head. Maybe I am crazy.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

I'm excellent with names. However, I'm so quiet that no one ever remembers MY name!

[PAERRN20]

Sometimes I can't even remember my own name!

In my defense I work ER and may have 20 or so different patients during a 12hr shift.

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I remember their names during the time I take care of them, but if they come back the next day I rarely remember.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

don't remember names unless they are somehow memorable. for instance, if i have two smiths or a john robertson and a robert johnson.

[SweetLikeSugar]

I have to admit that I have a really hard time remembering my patient's names. I work stand-by (1 shift/week) on a busy post-surgical floor. Our patients are usually in and out within a day or two. I hate to admit this, but I usually just go by room number. When a doctor comes in in the morning and asks to speak to the nurse taking care of "Mrs. Smith," I usually have to check my patient list to see if I had that patient.

[hiddenheart]

I am really bad with names, I usually have to refer to my assignment sheet many times throughout my shift and usually can call them by name by the end of my shift. By the time I get home I couldn't tell you one single name nor diagnosis. I guess this is good because of HIPPA.

[baylor06]

A trick that I use is when I introduce myself or am introduced to someone, I immediately repeat their name back, for example: nice to meet you, (insert their name here). It works most of the time.

[firstyearstudent]

I can remember their names when I'm looking at them but not when I'm standing in front of the Pyxis with a line of nurses behind me. (Heh heh)

[HappyNurse2005, RN]

I worked in labor and delivery for 3.5 years and just recently left it for community health. I could remember everyone's name, husbands name, how their labor went, etc etc for months and years later. sometimes, they'd just have to say one thing, adn i'd remember it all.

ex-ran into a woman at walmart, with a 4 month old baby. she remembered me. i said "tell me something about your labor to jog my memory" she said "i stood up the whole time" and then i remembered how her husband and the dr had teh same first name, how she peed on a chux b/c she didnt want to walk to the bathroom, how she yelled "im ripping in half" while the baby came out, exactly what room she gave birth in, how many cm's she was when she was admitted, etc. (this walmart meeting was more than a year ago, adn i still remember this all)

there are a few patients, who i remember what happened to them, their whole story, but can't remember their name. like the woman who i gave her a gown in triage to change into, adn went back int o check her and she was completely naked and laying on top of the sheets. i remember her whole labor and delivery, but not her name.

i probably dont remember every delivery that i did in 3.5 years, but if they told me their name and one thing about their labor (like, my husband slept on teh couch thru the epidural), i can probably remember either all of the details of their labor (that i was there for) or at the very least, i can pull up some details about it from my memory.

dont know how i do it, i just do :)