Would you use a cell phone at work? Do you need a cell phone at work?

[2BSure]

Hey all,

I work somewhere where cell phones are forbidden and I am OK with that. We have pagers if necessary, a phone in every room and if you are on nights or have a large area to cover you are given a wireless handset that clips to your belt.

Recently my mum went into hospital via ER for a cardiac emergency and was admitted. On a number of occasions nurses or techs cell phones would ring while they were in my mum's room. Sometimes they answered and had a brief "I'll call you back I am with a patient" moment. Sometimes they did not answer. Sometimes they answered and it sounded work related.

I suppose I did not really care about all of this until one nurse, when about to insert a new IV into my mother, answered her phone, had what sounded like a work conversation and then went back to my mum. I can't say I was overly impressed. She didn't reglove or anything. Frankly, I was so taken aback I didn't say anything at the time.

So if you guys use cell phones at work (I mean working in a LTCF, hospital or similar) why are they necessary? Do you use personal cell phones at work? What are your facility's reasoning against them?

I am just interested.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I carry my cell with me and keep it on vibrate. My facility allows for use in specific areas that are not around patients, such as the hallway or the atrium of the hospital. I don't have a locker and people here are known for stealing, so, I have a fanny pack which contains my wallet, money and my cell. If I feel it vibrate while I am with a patient, I will answer it later; at least I can see who it is.

[smalltownnurse2506]

I used to work in a very small ICU, and there would only be two nurses on at a time. If there was something going on in the family or my husband was out of town I would leave my cell phone at the desk so the other nurse would not have to take my personal phone calls. If I was busy whoever was calling could just leave a message. I never took my cell phone into a patient room, and other than those instances my phone remained in my locker.

[madnurse2b]

I carried my cell phone at work, and carry it now in clinicals. It is not on ring. I have a phone with my drug guide and diagnostic guides in it as a PDA. I don't want to give it up.

[happychickRN]

Oddly, yes. I am an ADN Instructor, and keep mine on vibrate on my pocket at clinical facilities at all times. The nurse educator from the hospital unit that I worked on last asked that I keep it with me...so that the staff & my students could reach me at all times. I never answer it in a patient room or the nurses station. I always step to a private area to return the call...

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I carry mine around, but it is always switched off. I only use it in the break room.

[NurseyPoo7]

I sometimes have my personal cell phone in my pocket on silent.

However, my hospital provides portable phones that look like cell phones that we pass out to the nurses on the unit during their shift. Its how we get up with each other

[Virgo_RN, BSN, RN]

The hospital I work at requires everyone to carry a phone. At times I hate my phone and at times I'm glad to have it. Since it is work related, I do answer it when I'm with patients, because it could be the lab trying to call a critical result, a physician with orders, or anything really.

I do carry a personal phone as well. It's a Palm Centro smartphone and has my nursing texts and drug guides on it. I keep the phone part on vibrate and never answer it while on duty.

[Scrubby]

I carry my mobile phone with me, it's always on silent. Unlike some doctors I work with I would never expect another staff member to answer my phone when I'm scrubbed.

[luvbug]

We just had a huge discussion on this at work the other day. I work in a tiny clinic (with 2 docs) and we have only 7 employees who are not doctors. Of them, 4 of them have their cell phone either on their desks or in a coat closet on a loud ring where everyone in the eintire building can hear them. I think this is very tacky. They will actually get up from their desks to go answer them. It looks (and sounds) very unprofessional. When I brought it up at a meeting the other day, someone said "well my kids call me on it." Yeah, but not for emergencies. They just want to know if they can go to a friend's house after work, etc. For that, they could call the land line. It looks less obvious that a personal call is occurring. We do have a company policy on it as well, but since no-one can seem to "find it" I guess it doesn't exist. Grrrr!

[southernbeegirl, BSN, RN]

personal cell phones,IMO, should NOT be in patient care areas and definitely never answered while with a patient. i dont get where people think they are so entitled that their personal business is more important than doing their job. you are working...you are paid to work..not chat on your personal phone and especially not in front of a patient!

there was a long term care facility just closed to admissions in my area because of staff members taking pics on their cell phones of the patients.

this is MY biggest pet peeve in nursing!

[southernbeegirl, BSN, RN]

and another thing....

dont give me the "my kids might need me" excuse!

i have 3 kids myself. if my kids or my husband need me then they call me on the work phone. i do NOT tolerate needless calls from them while im working. if they call, it better be something that couldnt wait till i get off.

if my kids can do this then so can everyone else's IMO.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I carry my cell with me at work, but it's more because I don't want to leave it in my work bag. I turn it off except when I'm on break. My family has my work number but they know not to call unless it is a dire emergency.

The one time my mother (my MOTHER) called me at work, it was to let me know my college basketball team had won. Needless to say I told her to never, EVER do that again unless somebody really important was bleeding or dying.