Nobody answers the floor phones

Mulan · Aug 12, 2009

Is it safe for the nurses not to answer the phone?

The nurses are probably busy taking care of the patients.

Answering the phone and having to talk to a family member takes precious time away from the patients, can't be talking on the phone to a family member and taking care of that family member's loved one at the same time.

Many are nothing more than nuisance calls anyway, asking for info they have been told repeatedly they can't have or those people that just ramble on and on about nothing.

corky1272RN · Aug 12, 2009

at my hospital, the phone at my station will ring twice, the call is then forwarded to my handheld cordless, after two rings on that, it is then forwarded to the charge nurse's handheld cordless. so every call definitely gets answered. nurses are very busy, as you know. the times that the phone was not answered could've been when: the nurse was on another line with a doc or another family, in the med room, in a pt's room... to ask if this is safe is a strange question to me. i would rather be taking care of the pts than staying at the counter answering the phone all day, and sometimes it rings off the hook. the phone needs to be answered but the priority should be on pt care. :twocents:

VORB · Aug 13, 2009

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Seems they like to take away the unit secretary right at evening shift change where I work, when call lights and phones are ringing off the hook. Administration makes their choices I guess, but it's the pts & family that suffer. It'll get worse, believe me.

ayla2004, ASN, RN · Aug 13, 2009

must say i at times hate phone calls.

getting pulled away from pt care whan the call is important is well required but frustating i can't be in two places at once. being called to take a call from a relative or friend looking an update on a stable pt etc when thye then tell me there life medical hitory happeneds too oftern.

I now feel so bad for phoning when myu gradmother was in hospital as every other familly member was as well as her poor nurse had to handle all this. one noimated nok is enough why don't they ring the pt own phone except for those pt that can't answer.

oh ward clerks to handle general stuff are great the ones who ask the nurse and if the pt is stable tell the caller.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Aug 13, 2009

Recently I have had a member of my family in the hospital and my mother has called up to check on them and it rings for 20 times and nobody answers. Is this safe? I know hospitals think that the nurse should answer the phones, put the charts together and do her work also. Do you all have this problem? My mother states that she will not go back to this hospital because of it. Also, there seems to be a different nurse each day and many doctors that she can't seem to find. Just frustrating and I know to the nurses it is, being a nurse myself. Why can't they hire Unit secretaries?!!!!!

we have three unit secretaries at night for the entire hospital. they do the best that they can in answering the phones, as do we if we are at the desk. if we are calling a physician, we are expected to stand there and wait for the call so it is not missed.

i give my portable number directly if a family member is really concerned and needs to call after they leave at night, i have no problem with that, but i do explain that if i provide them with this number we expect it to be one family member who is the call person at night who can relay the message to other family members so that i do not get 20 phone calls about the same thing on the same patient. i also explain that if i am in an isolation room and the phone does not get answered that it is because i cannot safely answer it at that time.

if your mom is having a hard time getting a hold of the MD's in the hospital, what i usually do is provide the family member with the physician's office number and have them call during office hours, and i will leave a note on the chart also for them to call when they make rounds.

as far as for having a new nurse everyday--that may just be how the floor is scheduled? i dunno. i don't usually work more than 2 nights consecutively, but i will usually have the same patients as the previous night.

nothing in nursing is really safe anymore, to be honest.

VORB · Aug 13, 2009

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HOW IS NORMA?

A sweet grandmother telephoned the hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?"

The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?"

The grandmother in her weak, tremulous voice said, "Norma Findlay room 302."

The operator replied, "Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse."

After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, "Oh, I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal, and her physician has scheduled her to be discharged

on Tuesday."

The grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news."

The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?"

The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me squat."

emilee1978 · Aug 13, 2009

Maybe you should go to the hospital and actually VISIT the patient if you're that concerned about updates. Be glad the nurses are doing their job and taking care of your family member.

casper1 · Aug 13, 2009

When were you calling. Many hospitals are cutting positions, their may not be a Unit Secretary there to answer calls on Evening or Night shifts, I'm sure you would agree that the patients would be better served if the nurses were caring for them not worried about phone calls. If I am busy with a patient I will not stop what I'm doing to answer a call.

RADIATION_RN · Aug 13, 2009

I used to work as a unit secretary and we were given strict rules to never leave the phones unattended. If I had to leave the floor for something I always had to make sure the phones were covered. I used to hate having to page the nurses for phone calls from family members when half the time the nurses couldn't give out any info due to HIPAA.

retiredlady · Aug 13, 2009

I did visit the patient. VORB I liked your joke, that's what it was like. No, there was only my mother calling and then giving us updates. I told her the nurses were busy. She just couldn't understand, she doesnt drive and lives out of town and that's why she was calling. I live several states away. I really know how it is, but it's not right for her or the nurses.

retiredlady · Aug 13, 2009

One other thing, the family member couldn't answer the phone, too sick.