Enough is Enough

Nurses Relations

Published

I have HAD IT with customer service and press-gayney. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Lately at work , I do the basics and make a nice introduction but anything else I refuse (the backrubs promised in the brochure, the menu seletion, the encouragement of 24 hour visiting). All i want to do is do my job, and go home. This Customer is alway right and Healthy Patients are Happy Patients has burned me out to the point of tears. I snapped at my boss a few weeks ago when she told me of a complaint that I was not Happy enough - I said "Who on EARTH is happy and manic with energy at 4am?"

Patients are PATIENTS! They are not our guests! This is not a hotel. Personally, I would rather the hospital be old school style - that would be encouragement enough for early ambulation post surgery and even quicker d/c.

I have had enough of this customer service mentality - staff deserve better.

Specializes in Operating Room.
And what of that wafting scent of fresh baked cookies? Am I supposed to offer them to my non-diabetic patients & tell the diabetics "sorry, you can't have any?" (that should fly like a lead balloon).

Or, am I to bake regular & sugar free cookies? Do I serve them with milk, coffee, tea? (Where is the fine china, I saw it just the other day.....)

Good God, what happened to the business of saving lives?

Heck, what about the poor patients that are NPO?!! That's torture, IMHO, to have the scent of chocolate chip cookies everywhere.:banghead:

I think if I had to bake these cookies, I'd make a special batch for administration, with a healthy dose of Ex-Lax in there.:D

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i had a guy on contact isolation who was insulted that we donned ppe ("i feel like a leper!"), and was allowed to roam around the hospital with his festering mrsa wound and use the employee bathrooms because he didn't like his bathroom.

and the reason this short of nastiness happens is because some new nurse decided that she'd "spoil" her patient by letting him do whatever he wanted. made her shift easier, but made it hell for the rest of us! your rant was great, but i'm also longing for the time when our colleagues, realizing that "the rules" are there for a purpose, followed them!

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Specializes in EC, IMU, LTAC.
and the reason this short of nastiness happens is because some new nurse decided that she'd "spoil" her patient by letting him do whatever he wanted. made her shift easier, but made it hell for the rest of us! your rant was great, but i'm also longing for the time when our colleagues, realizing that "the rules" are there for a purpose, followed them!

actually, i'm the newest nurse there. his special treatment was a result of having all the administrators on speed dial, with threats of reporting us for crap like poor customer service "from the perspective of a customer." we were encouraged not to upset him, as nobody wants an investigation. this is a guy who doesn't bother with call bells, he knows the front desk extension. he will give you 10 minute lectures on whatever the hell he feels like talking about, totally oblivious to the fact that you're trying to end it gracefully and walk towards the door, and telling you that you're rude for interrupting and not treating like a person if you have to go. yep, our hospital would rather let him spread his disease all over the place than get us bad publicity.

luckily, i was able to escape his sphere of influence by getting exaggeratedly insulted when he gave me a lecture on how bush was the best president we've had in a while and how successful we were when they nuked the "j@ps" like they did, and that we need to do the same to the middle east. i'm half japanese, which he knew, and he was young enough to know that it was a racial slur. i told him that racism was absolutely not tolerated, that his rhetoric was not acceptable, and that it would be reported. he doesn't like me now, but oh well. he knows that i have something that can be used against him if he decides to try to get frivolous with me. yeah, i'll probably get blamed by people on this board for blackmail and pulling the race card, but i've gotta cover my butt from this whiny spoiled tattletale somehow.

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Actually, I'm the newest nurse there. His special treatment was a result of having all the administrators on speed dial, with threats of reporting us for crap like poor customer service "from the perspective of a customer." We were encouraged not to upset him, as nobody wants an investigation. This is a guy who doesn't bother with call bells, he knows the front desk extension. He will give you 10 minute lectures on whatever the hell he feels like talking about, totally oblivious to the fact that you're trying to end it gracefully and walk towards the door, and telling you that you're rude for interrupting and not treating like a person if you have to go. Yep, our hospital would rather let him spread his disease all over the place than get us bad publicity.

Luckily, I was able to escape his sphere of influence by getting exaggeratedly insulted when he gave me a lecture on how Bush was the best president we've had in a while and how successful we were when they nuked the "J@ps" like they did, and that we need to do the same to the Middle East. I'm half Japanese, which he knew, and he was young enough to know that it was a racial slur. I told him that racism was absolutely not tolerated, that his rhetoric was not acceptable, and that it would be reported. He doesn't like me now, but oh well. He knows that I have something that can be used against him if he decides to try to get frivolous with me. Yeah, I'll probably get blamed by people on this board for blackmail and pulling the race card, but I've gotta cover my butt from this whiny spoiled tattletale somehow.

he handed the ammo to you, why shouldnt you use it?

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We do so much butt kissing that it's no wonder why more and more patients push for a longer hospital stay. A doctor writes an order for a patient to be discharged, and I'm calling the doctor an hour later because said patient wants to know if he or she can stay another day. OUTRAGEOUS!

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Hookers have clients...I have patients.

SO TRUE!

If hospitals want true customer satisfaction, they should hire more staff to bake those cookies, run errands for the patients (like getting a glass of ice water) and let the nurses take the time for the important nursing duties they have. If you have 8 patients who are fairly ill, you need to have the time to sit for a few extra minutes with the one that is dying, and the ability to call the extra staff person to get your walkie-talkie patient that ice water......hospitals need to be willing to pay for ancillary staff to handle the extras like pillow fluffing, ice water, etc. Nurses shouldn't be expected to do all of that by themselves.

As to those who have been in full-blown emergencies and had that obnoxious patient who obviously needs a brain transplant as evidenced by his/her wandering into the code peeved because his/her pillow is squishy, you are all a lot nicer than I ever would have been. I think I would have been sorely tempted to wave the poor kid's leg in the irritating patient's face and say "A little busy here, sorry."

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:hdvwl:I also went through what all you say, but Half my nursing career I worked as a oncology nurse, and it was standard each nurse was assigned 6-8, or more pts daily. We were to do all the pts bedside cares from meds, Iv's, pre-op,and post-op care, transport your pts where they had to go ie: x-ray;cardio;transfer to another floor, discharg pt, admitt, all vitals as Dr ordered, water pitchers, bed side bath, and personal care; including shaving of elderly males, feeding them if they were feeders TXs,ambulating, assist'g them if needed to BR, back rubs, q2hr repositionings, etc......and more. All paperwork for those pts, ans call lights promptly, and charting on those pts, med count at chng of shift, as well as reporting on those pts to the oncoming nurse. For some reason the unit worked extreemly well! The nurses were top notch, and the aids also. We helped each other where needed too. I am firm believer in "You are only as good as your staff!" The head nurses, and supervisors were super as well. Everyone knew what they were to do, and got on with it. I also became a nurse because I loved helping elderly, and felt they deserved the best, and then some from me! The second half my career as a nurse I worked in nursing homes; as I had relocated south. The N-homes were much less superior in pt care due to no way you could do good care when you were assigned 30, or so pts! Add Tx's, and meds to that, and lots of other things, and there was no way you could give the care you trained to do!:eek: I am sorry, but I found a big diff between working in the North, as apposed to South! The last place I worked was advertising as non-profit org, and none descriminating.....it was anything but! The place was always working the nurse short, and overburdened, and expected to perform miracles. There was hardly ever time to take brake, or sit. It was run, run about all shift, you were 80% of the time not enough supplies, and then the chng of shift chores, and charting, and paper work, drug counts, and reporting to next shift!!! Some have said you ought to just take your brake, or go to the BR, etc..that sounds good in theory, but when you have so many pts under your chrg. You had to stay on top of the NA's there as well or they did less than good cares. At times you couldn't even find them to tell them a pt needed bedside, etc care; and the time it would take to hunt them down you could of done the chore yourself already! The DON was something else!!!:angryfire If you complained she would pile more on to you, and then tell you you needed to utilize your time better and be out of there at end of shift!!! Unbelievable it was! It was suppost to be one of the best n-homes in the area, and if you were not clocked out within a hr of end of shift they told you to chart your notes the next day???:confused:In training you are told to do the days note charting, and not to leave it to the next day, or it might not get charted. Legalities as well in that!!! One reason I did the work of 2 nurses to CMA. When you got that many pts and constantly interrupted when you are passing meds, etc to have to take pts familys phone calls, or someone fell, or had to be transported to ER for what ever......let alone pain meds, and shots, it was just nuts!!! When I finally just out right quit alot of the pts, and their family members said I would be greatly missed. In order to give good care to pts you had to always hurry, hurry. It was unbelievable!!! Oh, and the pay sucked! I don't know what the future will hold for pts, and nurses, but changes are always suppost to be for the better, but alot of times are not! Some would say I ought to of wrote the aids up for shoddy care, etc, but the DON wass half the problem. When I left that place I never looked back!

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

UPDATE - I wanted to update ya'll on what happened yesterday. During our utterly banal staff meeting we were told that in oeder for the hospital to contain costs - the food service workers where downsized and now we have to collect the meal carts, pass the trays and be responsible for 24-hour meal service - meaning we are now waiters and waitresses in the LITERAL sense.

I got in trouble for a situation - Ya'll are gonna LOVE this crap. Had a patient last week with COPD - wnated to go out to smoke cigarettes - Said No you need to rest and follow the directions of the nurses and MD's - I will not take you out to smoke.

Patient called customer service rep to complain - Keep in mind the rep is an uptight anal middle-aged man who tries to impress everyone and himself with him Louis Vuitton and Prada.

Rep's exact words to me "If a patient wants to smoke you will need to find a way to make that happen - we can't let him down"

After I got of my shift yesterday I met up with an old friend - Jack Daniels.

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Specializes in criminal.

You must have only one patient, so after all that when do you have time to do patient care, charting, meds, reports, labs, etc???????????????????? You must be a VERY capable nurse. After 36 years still can not do all that, wish I could and everyone be happy too.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

HATE P-G!!

We get dinged because there are not enough sports channels?! This is NOT the Hilton.

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[qu,ote=nicurn001;3799375]I agree with that.

But the mentality / background of many administrators is business ( many hospitality industry ) , unfortunately theyseem to forget we are in the healthcare business , where our customers are ILL , they have no experience of how to treat sick people , so they address , what they know ie. hospitality and don't worry about the small stuff , you know ILLNESS!

I so agree with this! :yeah: This post along with the post "bringing outsiders in..." should be side by side. So many of these 'outsiders' are in the hospitality industry. The new 'look' for the patients involves armoirs instead of closets (can you just see a shorter patient opening the armoir door, standing on the bottom of it to reach up on the top shelf and have the entire thing fall over on them!), vanity's in the bathroom with mirrors that are oh so pretty with all the carved details (and all the bacteria that will be growing inside all of those pretty little ornately carved details!), and oh I just love this one, the ultra modern and oh so styleishly designed glass counter top sink bowl (perfect for the med-surg/psych patient, or even one who is dizzy or angry, or has a family member that uses that bathroom and is angry (breakable much??).

I can't even imagine a manager telling me with a straight face that a new part of my nursing duties would include baking cookies....EVER....and add to that at 4am????????????? Who in the world would I be feeding? Patients or staff?? Just how many of these managers are awake in their homes baking cookies at 4am? And seriously, how did they tell you this??? After they 'rolled out this doozey, did they all go out to lunch so they could have a good laugh without staff seeing? Please!

These ARE patients and they did not come on vacation, complete with room service. As a patient myself several times over in a time with severe nursing shortages I would have felt that I had the BEST customer service had the nurse had the time to come in and assess me prior to sending in a couple of CNA's to 'ambulate me' while I was paralized from the waist down, or to prevent my legs from slowly falling out of the bed with the call light on the floor and a voice raw from being intubated that I couldn't call for help. THAT to me is customer service. THAT is the 'customer service' that I expect from a nurse, not cookies for crying out loud.:banghead:

I shudder to think what 'wonder additions' to customer service that nurses will be expected to perform as part of their 'duties' and I also wonder if they will add these 'new practices' to the NCLEX and policy and procedure manuals! If the news, the president, hospital administrators think there is a nursing shortage now....keep this up and see what happens. I can just see it in a future episode...dah, dah, dah, dah...."In this episode of the Twilight Zone, you will see a nurse...single-handedly, start an IV, suction, pack a wound on a post-surgical patient in Isolation, while babysitting that patients' children and comforting that patients' family, cooking and serving a 4-star meal, then cleaning it up, then changeing the bed linens (with egyptian sheets mind you), then some after dinner drinks yes, even for the patient (it will enhance your pain medicating experience) and don't you worry, that Swedish massage is planned after dessert! Ooopss, what's that, alarms are sounding? Whatever could that be?? Is it a pinball machine? A new video game?? Oh no, the patient, just coded!! What ever will that nurse do?? Her kitchen baster doesn't seem to be working!!!....watch in the next episode of..."The Twilight Zone". dah, dah, dah, dah.....

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Actually, I'm the newest nurse there. His special treatment was a result of having all the administrators on speed dial, with threats of reporting us for crap like poor customer service "from the perspective of a customer." We were encouraged not to upset him, as nobody wants an investigation. This is a guy who doesn't bother with call bells, he knows the front desk extension. He will give you 10 minute lectures on whatever the hell he feels like talking about, totally oblivious to the fact that you're trying to end it gracefully and walk towards the door, and telling you that you're rude for interrupting and not treating like a person if you have to go. Yep, our hospital would rather let him spread his disease all over the place than get us bad publicity.

Luckily, I was able to escape his sphere of influence by getting exaggeratedly insulted when he gave me a lecture on how Bush was the best president we've had in a while and how successful we were when they nuked the "J@ps" like they did, and that we need to do the same to the Middle East. I'm half Japanese, which he knew, and he was young enough to know that it was a racial slur. I told him that racism was absolutely not tolerated, that his rhetoric was not acceptable, and that it would be reported. He doesn't like me now, but oh well. He knows that I have something that can be used against him if he decides to try to get frivolous with me. Yeah, I'll probably get blamed by people on this board for blackmail and pulling the race card, but I've gotta cover my butt from this whiny spoiled tattletale somehow.

Unbelieveable! Where is the facility P&P book? What about your infection control policy? Customer service is one thing but puttin the lives of others just to satisfy ONE patient! And as for 'who wants an investigation?"???? This would seem to me THE time an investigation should have been done...by administration...not punatively but internally to see what their policy says and then follow it or an external investigation will eventually be done whether they want one or not. Good luck to you...and please, be careful...

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