Grr! "Customer Service" Nursing Gone Crazy!

Published

:angryfire Ohh I'm so irritated today. Today was one of "those" shifts...the kind you dread. I'm especially frustrated with the way patients/families treat us nurses, and the administration that encourages such behavior. There is absolutely no more respect in this "customer service" focused society. People want everything right now....no matter what. Today I had some real doozies. The family of one guy was killing me. They were literally barking orders at me like I was a short-order cook. They constantly wanted drinks, food, blankets...for themselves! We were told recently by management that taking care of the family is part of our job, and we were to comply in any way we can -- so yep, I have to make rounds to bring drinks/trays/snacks to entire families now. I'm literally waiting on able-bodied 19 year olds who have an inkling for a Coke. Nevermind a patient next door is circling the drain....Junior needs some ice for the drink he brought in pronto! I'm just so sick of this I contemplate quitting at least a dozen times a day! Anyone else feel this way!?

Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Doctor ordered my elderly female pt a glass of wine at HS. I was instructed to bring it at 9P on the dot so she could sip her wine and watch Jay Leno. I'm a waitress, a maid, a janitor, housekeeper.... and now a COCKTAIL WAITRESS!!!! I didn't get the wine to the room until 2130 and I had to listed to a 10 minute tirade before I could leave. What's happened to hospitals? Some days I spend more time with relatively healthy patients and their families than the dying pt in the next room. If I were to point this out to the demanding family, they would complain and I would be reprimanded by my supervisor. We have no set visiting hours, families come and go at all hours. There are direct phone numbers to pt rooms, and family members can call at anytime waking the pt in the middle of the night. My diabetic pt's BS was 382. Ice cream and cookies was the snack requested. After diabetic teaching, the snack request was still ice cream and cookies. I gave SSI and then the snack. I had to make the pt happy at the expense of their health.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Diane, I saw your post about the blanket for the family member. It made me remember something similar. I answered a call light, and the pt requested a blanket. It was for his wife who was staying with him. She was SLEEPING in the other bed and he said she was cold.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

I agree totally. The other day, I've got a new admit, with a pelvic fx. I'm trying to hook her up to the telemetry and her had to 60 something yr old son is complaining to me about the tv controller not working properly. Inside I wanted to yell WHAT IS WRONG YOU YOU INSENSITIVE JERK, I WENT TO COLLEGE ALL THESE YRS TO FIX THE TV REMOTE, COULD I AT LEAST GET YOUR MOTHERS VITALS AND MAYBE SOME MORPHINE BEFORE YOU FLIP THROUGH THE MOVIE CHANNELS. Of course what I said was. Oh, I'm so sorry, I will have maintenance bring up a new one as soon as I'm done getting your mother settled in.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I will again repeat myself- this will continue until NURSES put an end to it. All of you must get together and DEMAND sanity be brought back into the work place. No one can take advantage of you without your permission.

Meet with adminstration, have all of your facts lined up, and give them the facts. You are not a waitress, or a hotel conceirge.They can hire one to provide this customer service that they feel that they have to provide. Or better yet, direct them to the CEO's office, and request THEIR SECRETARY OR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, PROVIDE THIS "CUSTOMER SERVICE" TO THESE OUT OF CONTROL FAMILLY MEMBERS AND/OR PATIENTS. If you hear, "well that is not my jo", inform them that it is not your job either. They are trying to squeeze more work out of you than they are willing to pay for.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN,CCRN

Spokane,Washington

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Lindarn, If I attempt to bring sanity back to nursing in my hospital, I strongly feel they'll replace me. Angering family members, or pts will generate complaints against me. In the area of the country where I live there are NO nursing shortages. Right now there are about 20 student nurses in their last semester doing clinicals at my hospital. Could they do the job I do right now? Nope. But management could hire them cheaper, train them the way they want them, and eventually they would be able to do the job I do. In short, I'm replaceable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Case Mgmt, Anesthesia, ICU, ER, Dialysis.

I wish we could kick those types out... Hey, maybe we can hire bouncers like they have at bars, eh?

I do kick them out - granted, I'm in a neuro & trauma ICU, so I can always say, "I'm so sorry, but visiting hours are over, and I'm going to have to ask you to go out to the waiting room if you plan to stay the night. You are more than welcome to call back and check on your family member, periodically, and of course, if there's any change, I'll send someone to get you right away, but you need your rest too. The path to getting (insert family member's name here) is a marathon, not a sprint, and you being worn out and sick isn't good for anyone."

The linen carts are strategically positioned on the glide path to the one exit out of the unit...so we can hand them blankets and sheets as we walk them to the door, telling them how closely we'll watch their family member in their absence.

If the family member's dying, of course, they can stay however long they want...if the family member is confused, and their presence helps calm and soothe, then shoot, can I get you some caviar to go with that lobster?

Anyone else - nighty-night!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Doctor ordered my elderly female pt a glass of wine at HS. I was instructed to bring it at 9P on the dot so she could sip her wine and watch Jay Leno. I'm a waitress, a maid, a janitor, housekeeper.... and now a COCKTAIL WAITRESS!!!! I didn't get the wine to the room until 2130 and I had to listed to a 10 minute tirade before I could leave. What's happened to hospitals? Some days I spend more time with relatively healthy patients and their families than the dying pt in the next room. If I were to point this out to the demanding family, they would complain and I would be reprimanded by my supervisor. We have no set visiting hours, families come and go at all hours. There are direct phone numbers to pt rooms, and family members can call at anytime waking the pt in the middle of the night. My diabetic pt's BS was 382. Ice cream and cookies was the snack requested. After diabetic teaching, the snack request was still ice cream and cookies. I gave SSI and then the snack. I had to make the pt happy at the expense of their health.

Did you have to pay for the wine out of your own pocket or was it conviently stocked in the "nutrition room"?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, educator.
Lindarn, If I attempt to bring sanity back to nursing in my hospital, I strongly feel they'll replace me. Angering family members, or pts will generate complaints against me. In the area of the country where I live there are NO nursing shortages. Right now there are about 20 student nurses in their last semester doing clinicals at my hospital. Could they do the job I do right now? Nope. But management could hire them cheaper, train them the way they want them, and eventually they would be able to do the job I do. In short, I'm replaceable.

As sad as this is, it's true. It's why so many of us just bite our tongues. In fact, some of us where I work recently had a meeting with management for the purpose of discussing customer service. We were invited to look for another job if we didn't like the conditions at our hospital. And hospitals within about a 1 hour radius are on hiring freezes. I may have integrity and ideals, but I also have a mortgage, car payment, other bills.......it's sooooo frustrating!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Did you have to pay for the wine out of your own pocket or was it conviently stocked in the "nutrition room"?

On the other hand, by not giving your patient her glass of nightly wine...you probably would be contending with a patient in raging DTs-even more fun. Personally, I have no problem with giving a patient a beer tid if it keeps him out of DTs and he has no intention of quitting. NO flames pleese.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

All the stupid "customer service" programs out there that come into your facility to "teach" you how to kiss ass and juggle everything else you deal with. Hospitals are dropping major cash for these programs then they complain about the money situation.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I will comment that when I have a family member in the hospital my family maintains a 24/7 presence in the facility. There are too many errors made in the hospital setting for our comfort and we stay to advocate for our loved one. Nuf said...

I begin to think that these hospitals who are strong arming nurses to become waitresses for family members need a dose of vitamin P...and that would be press. Perhaps it is time for nurses to make use of the court of public opinion as I am quite certain that no one wants grandpa's nurse busy distributing cookies and blankets for visitors when grandpa is symptomatic and needing nursing intervention. These hospitals are making choices which clearly impact the ability of the bedside nurse to be available for the patients. The hospitals may worry about the family as future customers, but they had better worry first about the customers they currently have in their beds. Perhaps it is time for some newspapers and TV news programs in the service area of the hospitals to report on the nursing situation that their community is experiencing. There must be an end to this craziness.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
On the other hand, by not giving your patient her glass of nightly wine...you probably would be contending with a patient in raging DTs-even more fun. Personally, I have no problem with giving a patient a beer tid if it keeps him out of DTs and he has no intention of quitting. NO flames pleese.

That is so true!! I think this would be outside the realm of customer service, as it is a REAL physiological response--I've seen lots of posts here talking about doctor's orders for just that, like beer 8oz tid. But the patient reading a busy nurse the riot act because her wine was delivered 30min after Jay Leno started? :madface:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion