Just where do our services end?

[SCRN1]

Time to time, I have patients who ask me to wake them at a certain time. Now recently, I have gotten calls from their family members who are AT HOME asking me to call them for certain things, like call and wake them at 7 or call when the doctor gets there. Excuse me? I have enough to keep me more than busy with patients, charting, etc. that it's hard enough to keep up with scheduled meds that at different hours than the regularly scheduled meds. Now families are expecting wake up calls at home?

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I have been asked for the ol morning calls, and I simply say that we do not do that at our hospital because the nurses are for direct patient care, and if I did that for one pt, I would have to do it for all the patients so I wouldn't get my job done...I would be on the phone all the time...not good if you want your pain meds! LOL! That typically quells that one!

Doc calls, oh yeah, constantly or 'when will the MD arrive' yeah like I know! I explain that the doctor is making rounds when they are able, still have a clinic to run, and have to address emergencies as well...that if we nurses knew when the MD would arrive...our jobs would be much easier! I will typically joke with them "you think they pop in and out of your room fast...you should see them at the RN desk...they know we are going to ask questions and run as fast as they can!".

When I have pts that want to speak to the MD, I typically tell them I will leave a message with them at their office and have the MD return the call when they get the message, and that they can feel free to do the same. I work swings so I will add..."typically that will be during business hours". I also re-assure them that if there is an emergency that we have emergency staff (RT, MD, RN's) that can take care of the problems and notify the MD as needed.

Sometimes I have to get to a clearer bottom line, and I will remind pts that Doctors dont' work 24/7, and need time to go home to their families too...that is why I am there for their loved one, and the hospital has urgent and emergency care for patients if something is to happen during the time the MD isn't available. or I will say "who do you know that can work 12+ hours and not be fatiqued or a little rummy after that? Well...I don't want to consult a MD that is rummy or tired and can't think correctly because they have been running around all day! That is why we nurses work in shifts, and the same reason they do too!".

Another thing I have done is for simple things like blankets, tissues, beverages and what not, I let my patients know to ask for the Nurses Assistant for those items...more than likley they will be able to get their faster than I can!

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I have actually had a new "service" requested of me for the past week I don't feel is my total responsiblity...

I guess I am also to be security! I have pts that sneek down to have a smoke, and I have to stop my care of other pts...run down to find them, convience them to come back and not do that again (yeah right!). Meanwhile the MD won't give them an order to leave the floor, and some of these folks don't want a patch or gum...they want a SMOKE! Okay so at what point do I get to say..."look, they are going to do this...how can I wash my hands of the responsiblity because I can't be their guard!".

Another incident...girlfriend comes to see boyfriend, double room. Girlfriend closes the curtain and performs oral sex on the boyfriend. Get this...doesn't even STOP when an RN comes in!!!!! Okay, I don't want to 'go there'...that is their business and was not contraindicated for his health, but PLEASE...some people have no tact! But am I also the tact police? I can warn them not to do that...but how far am I supose to take this? Have her escorted out by security? Uhgggggggg... I tried to get them a private room after telling them to not do that and they can be brought up on charges of indecent exposure and sexual conduct in a public place. Didn't stop it from happening 8 hours later! That nurse too was baffled on what to do and again the girlfriend didn't stop till it was done even when the nurse was there telling her to!

How about those services? Guard and tact police?

[banditrn]

Triage - good grief!! Oral sex with the nurse looking on?!! Sounds like a couple of perverts to me.

Thru the years I've had the request for wake up calls, etc. I always tried to do my best to make the family comfortable - without overdoing things. I think the stupidest request I ever had one time was this lady's son put on the lite. When I asked what they needed, he asked if we had butter on the unit. ??? I told him, no, we had the little packets of margarine in the patient frig. No, he says - if you'd have had butter, I was going to have you make me some toast - but I don't like margarine.

I looked at him for a second - smiled sweetly and told him that if we had butter, I'd have shown him where the toaster was - and he could make his own toast.

The problem is that we had a nurse or two in that unit (Day Surgery) that would have run all over the hospital until they found butter - then they'd have fixed him toast - and made a BIG deal out of it. As tho that sort of thing made them a better nurse.

[Gromit]

Yeah, I've noticed the same. I've even had families admit to me that they purposely complain each time they are moved to a floor, because they believe that it will give them better service -because the nurses won't want them to complain about them again. This behavior really cheeses me off.