personal cell phone and the internet and impact on staff moral

Nurses General Nursing

Published

OK I am a fist time blogger so I have a question for the nursing population at large, I am a icu nurse in a large treahing hospital. I see a distubing trend in our icu and am wondering if this is happing all over. I see staff using personal cell phones for personal calls durirng there working hours, texting durring teaching rounds. This looks poor and very unprofessional. Also we see alot on staff on the pc, using it for face book personal shopping, twitter, taking up alot of time that should be spent with patients. Then the offending staff person is the first to ask for help when they have not gotten there work done. I have addressed this issue with my mannager and she doesn't see it as a issue. The rest of the staff is just as upset over this increasing trend in our icu. The rest of us have had it with the offending nurses. To add to this mix also is an ethical issue many nurse use face book add informantion about patients in the icu, no names are given but if you work in the unit and are on face book you know who the patient is. God help them I'm sure this is against heppa regulations. Any one running into thess issues and have you been able to cle ar them up?

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Nurses have been fired in the past for Facebook postings, without giving names, but enough general info can be considered identifible. Most hospitals/facilities have policies on cell phone use. My workplace policy is that personal cell phones are not allowed (at all) on the floor, we are allowed to keep them in our lockers and check them on breaks. Perhaps a group of the concerned nurses need to approach the unit manager Together, maybe then, she will realize that this IS a problem. While it is easy to dismiss one persons concern, it is much more difficult to dismiss a group of concerned people!

I totally agree with you, very unprofessional. And, I am concerned for the patients in your icu, seems that some of these staff aren't taking the job of nursing too seriously. :(

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

If your manager is unwilling to help, write an anonymous incident report. If your hospital is like mine, it goes straight to legal, and they will have to address the issue. If they get several reports citing the same things (cell phone use, completely inappropriate use of facebook while at work...OMG!!) then a meeting will probably have to occur between your manager and legal/HR. You are totally in the right here, and you should stand up for yourself and your patients. How horrible that you must pick up this person's slack!

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

I am surprised you are able to access Facebook on your facility's computers. Where I work it is a banned site, along with Twitter and other "entertainment" sites.

Maybe something similar could be done at your hospital? That would solve that problem..

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Specializes in L&D/Postpartum/Newborn, Home Health.

This is also one of my huge pet peeves!!! The hospital finally blocked some sites but it didn't seem to help much. What really gets to me is that the offending nurses got upset because they felt entitled to be able to get on the internet and felt that it was "babysitting" when those sites were blocked. Well...um....YEAH, apparently some people needed babysitting!

Cell phones are my other huge pet peeves and they have been "banned" as well but unfortunately, my hospital is not notorious for enforcing rules. We have nurses that refuse to leave their cell phones in their lockers because "my family needs to be able to get ahold of me in case of emergency." I have suggested that they have the family call the nurses station but I've been told that they are concerned they may not get the message and it takes too much time to come hunt them down. Yet in the same breath they say that they never answer their phone in a patient's room, which is also incorrect-I have seen many nurses answer calls and texts in patient's rooms.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I have seen alot of nurses texting at work. They will leave their personal cell phones right on their med carts and will text standing in the hallway where everyone can see. It looks very bad and unprofessional both to other staff and to patients and visitors. My managaer has sent emails saying it will not be tolerated but no one is enforcing it. No one really uses the computer for facebook etc at work because most sites like that are blocked. I have seen people on facebook on their phones though. It drives me crazy.

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i really wish ALL facilities would have an enforcible ban on cell phones.

i'm talking about a zero tolerance policy that could result in harsh penalties.

nurses and the general human population, survived just fine before cell phones, and we'll survive now.

i mean business!! (pounding table)

leslie:lol2:

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This bugs me to death, also. My facility has a strict "no cell phones at work" policy, but it is not enforced (at least, not on evenings and nights, when I usually work). I am sick of working with colleagues (RNs or techs) who spend a big chunk of the shift 'phoning and texting their friends, or shopping or dealing with their personal e-mail on-line.

What happened to the expectation that you came to work to do your job, not to manage your social life and catch up with your friends?????

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
If your manager is unwilling to help, write an anonymous incident report. If your hospital is like mine, it goes straight to legal, and they will have to address the issue. If they get several reports citing the same things (cell phone use, completely inappropriate use of facebook while at work...OMG!!) then a meeting will probably have to occur between your manager and legal/HR. You are totally in the right here, and you should stand up for yourself and your patients. How horrible that you must pick up this person's slack!

Or complain to Corporate Compliance officer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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If it doesn't harm the pt then what business is it to anyone if a coworker uses their cellphone or the internet on down time. I mean really jeesh.

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OK I am a fist time blogger so I have a question for the nursing population at large, I am a icu nurse in a large treahing hospital. I see a distubing trend in our icu and am wondering if this is happing all over. I see staff using personal cell phones for personal calls durirng there working hours, texting durring teaching rounds. This looks poor and very unprofessional. Also we see alot on staff on the pc, using it for face book personal shopping, twitter, taking up alot of time that should be spent with patients. Then the offending staff person is the first to ask for help when they have not gotten there work done. I have addressed this issue with my mannager and she doesn't see it as a issue. The rest of the staff is just as upset over this increasing trend in our icu. The rest of us have had it with the offending nurses. To add to this mix also is an ethical issue many nurse use face book add informantion about patients in the icu, no names are given but if you work in the unit and are on face book you know who the patient is. God help them I'm sure this is against heppa regulations. Any one running into thess issues and have you been able to cle ar them up?

Beats me. If it's a prob where I work, I'm too busy with my patients to notice.

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Specializes in Oncology&Homecare.

I work in home health so I don't really know what my colleagues do. I leave my phone in the car. I feel that I owe it to the patient to give them their time exclusively. As was stated, we got along fine for a long time without these devices. They are too easy to abuse.

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