Hanging up on me!

[TheCommuter]

I became incensed at something that occurred much earlier during my work day, so here goes...

I work day shift at a local nursing home and, as a result, I pass medications to 20+ residents during the morning hours. My coworker tracks me down during the med pass, and informs me that I have a telephone call. On the other end of the phone is a persistent employee of a doctors' office where one of my residents is scheduled for an upcoming postop appointment.

She was demanding to receive financial information on the resident. "I'll hold while you get his chart and get me this information," she persists.

I responded, "As a floor nurse, I don't deal with financial information, and it is not in the chart. The financial info and policy numbers for all our residents are kept at the corporate office, which is out of state. All I know is that he's on Secure Horizons and Medicaid. His chart is in another room and is being used by someone else."

"Well, I'll hold while you go to the next room and get his chart," she says.

I curtly replied, "I'm in the middle of passing meds to 20 residents. I'm very busy, and this is not a good time."

She snaps, "You could practice good customer service by calling the office back, and getting me this information within the next 30 minutes!" Then she hangs up.

I became angry, immediately called the doctors' office back, tracked down this employee, and said to her, "Don't you ever hang up on me again."

She said, "Well, you were being rude and practicing bad customer service by stating you didn't know this information. Basically, you get what you receive. Thank you and have a good day."

I reported this incident to her office manager. I fully realize I could have handled this person in a more cordial manner, but I am not a customer service agent, and this person was not one of my customers. In other words, I found her use of the term "customer service" highly interesting. Do people not realize how truly busy we are?

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

What did her manager say?

She blathered the usual apologetic stuff. . .this office manager may (or may not) have approached the worker regarding hanging up in my face so abruptly. I don't know. All I know is that I'll be accompanying the resident to the appointment where this person is employed. Therefore, I might be seeing her in person very soon.

"I'm so sorry that one of the employees behaved in this manner. . ."

"You didn't deserve to be handled that way. . ."

"I'll definitely talk to the person and handle the situation. . ."

"If you fax the financial info directly to me, I'll ensure it gets to the proper place."

[hooterhorse]

After being rudely interupted with a phone call during a busy med pass to 20+ patients, you said " I became angry, immediately called the doctors' office back, tracked down this employee, and said to her, "Don't you ever hang up on me again."

If you were truly really busy, this was an inappropriate management of time to put the med pass on hold to immediately return the call and "track down" the rude caller from the doc's office. Sounds like your personal vendetta took precidence over the med pass (good way to set yourself up for a med error).

And finally, while it's true that you NEED to vent (we all do), you should plan to do it on this forum rather than allow yourself to be sucked in and "engage" in a war of words with others in the health care team.

I believe that you are wrong when you say that as a nurse...you are not a "customer service representative". The doc's office employees, the pharmacy, the social work office (and so on) are all our customers. Not just the patient our customer. And we, likewise, are the customers of the pharmacy, doc's office and so on.

Sounds like the doc's office employee got the best of you and you let her manipulate your actions. Next time, take a deep breath, be courteous, state your case and politely say "thank you and goodbye". Or ask someone to take a message & say you'll return the call when time permits.

Then, at the end of your day....log onto the allnurses forum and LET IT FLY!!!

Jean & Houdini

p.s. oh...and don't forget to laugh along the way....helps to keep your sanity! Goodluck my friend.

[cursenurse]

After being rudely interupted with a phone call during a busy med pass to 20+ patients, you said " I became angry, immediately called the doctors' office back, tracked down this employee, and said to her, "Don't you ever hang up on me again."

If you were truly really busy, this was an inappropriate management of time to put the med pass on hold to immediately return the call and "track down" the rude caller from the doc's office. Sounds like your personal vendetta took precidence over the med pass (good way to set yourself up for a med error).

And finally, while it's true that you NEED to vent (we all do), you should plan to do it on this forum rather than allow yourself to be sucked in and "engage" in a war of words with others in the health care team.

I believe that you are wrong when you say that as a nurse...you are not a "customer service representative". The doc's office employees, the pharmacy, the social work office (and so on) are all our customers. Not just the patient our customer. And we, likewise, are the customers of the pharmacy, doc's office and so on.

Sounds like the doc's office employee got the best of you and you let her manipulate your actions. Next time, take a deep breath, be courteous, state your case and politely say "thank you and goodbye". Or ask someone to take a message & say you'll return the call when time permits.

Then, at the end of your day....log onto the allnurses forum and LET IT FLY!!!

Jean & Houdini

p.s. oh...and don't forget to laugh along the way....helps to keep your sanity! Goodluck my friend.

Wow, you sound like you just came from one of my hospital's indoctrinations- oh, I mean orientation. What you say sounds great in theory (I guess), but until you've been in the kind of high pressure situation the OP was describing you will not truly understand. Instead of offering her platitudes, why not try to show some empathy? Also, why are we so quick to jump on the nurse as being inappropriate? This is why the angel nurse stereotype is damaging. People expect us to be superhuman beings who can do everything piled on us, have all the answers, and because we are these sweet, smiling angels, we cannot or should not ever get overwhelmed, frustrated, or angry. Why are we not allowed the same range of emotions on the job as everyone else? I personally don't think that returning the phone call to say "you were very rude" is out of line. When did it become unacceptable to stand up for oneself? As far as taking away time from the never ending med pass- as a person who has done 3-4 hour med passes, where you finally finish the am pass so that you can pass the lunch meds in 30 minutes (oh, and don't forget in that time you must chart, do your v/s- because the CNAs can't or wont do them, etc), I am sure she just used about 5 minutes of time that she had saved from not going to the bathroom all shift.

Another issue is that the phone call could have been handled by any administrative staff person. The nurse is not the only person who can pick up the chart and give nonmedical info. The problem is that the nurse is automatically the default person for all tasks that noone wants to do.

Last but not least, hooterhorse- you appear to be a "newbie." Until you get some years under your belt, in some place like LTC, M/S, your POV is not really helpful. You don't have any idea what the "real world" of nursing is like. After you spend hours a day passing meds, taking v/s, trying to find CNAs to put Ms Jones on the toilet, end up doing it yourself, and hope and pray that no one falls, or has a change in condition and you have to send them out, then come on back and chime in with what you think the appropriate thing to do is.

p.s. Laughing to keep your sanity? More like Prozac baby, with an Ativan chaser- that's what it takes to keep sanity while you do all of the above and keep a smile on your face while everybody is allowed to mistreat you.

[leslie :-D]

wow, you sound like you just came from one of my hospital's indoctrinations- oh, i mean orientation. what you say sounds great in theory (i guess), but until you've been in the kind of high pressure situation the op was describing you will not truly understand.

why was it such a high pressure situation?

for ltc, 1:20 med pass is a lot lower than other facilities.

sure it's steady, but most of the ltc nurses i've met, have a 1:40 in the same time frame.

instead of offering her platitudes, why not try to show some empathy? also, why are we so quick to jump on the nurse as being inappropriate? this is why the angel nurse stereotype is damaging. people expect us to be superhuman beings who can do everything piled on us, have all the answers, and because we are these sweet, smiling angels, we cannot or should not ever get overwhelmed, frustrated, or angry. why are we not allowed the same range of emotions on the job as everyone else?

asking her to be more empathetic, then stating how damaging the angel nurse stereotype is, sounds somewhat contradictive, yes?

moreover, i'm not aware of employees who are 'allowed' to display undesirable ranges of emotions in the workplace.

part of being a professional reflects in our actions as well as our credentials.

ftr, i am speaking in gen'l terms and not specifically about commuter's case.

i personally don't think that returning the phone call to say "you were very rude" is out of line. when did it become unacceptable to stand up for oneself? as far as taking away time from the never ending med pass- as a person who has done 3-4 hour med passes, where you finally finish the am pass so that you can pass the lunch meds in 30 minutes (oh, and don't forget in that time you must chart, do your v/s- because the cnas can't or wont do them, etc), i am sure she just used about 5 minutes of time that she had saved from not going to the bathroom all shift.

as a couple of posters have inferred, i think it's all about prioritization.

of course one should stand up for him/herself.

there are just different ways of doing so, some ways more productive than others.

another issue is that the phone call could have been handled by any administrative staff person. the nurse is not the only person who can pick up the chart and give nonmedical info. the problem is that the nurse is automatically the default person for all tasks that noone wants to do.

it seems the most obvious issue is that the chart wasn't readily available...no matter who was capable of responding in this matter.

but it does make more sense for someone on the floor to respond, rather than delegating it to someone who doesn't have easy access to the chart(s).

i deal w/all sorts of clerical inquiries in the absence of our unit clerk.

last but not least, hooterhorse- you appear to be a "newbie." until you get some years under your belt, in some place like ltc, m/s, your pov is not really helpful. you don't have any idea what the "real world" of nursing is like. after you spend hours a day passing meds, taking v/s, trying to find cnas to put ms jones on the toilet, end up doing it yourself, and hope and pray that no one falls, or has a change in condition and you have to send them out, then come on back and chime in with what you think the appropriate thing to do is.

because hooter works in hospice, she doesn't have any idea of what the "real world" of nursing is like?

really???

hmmmm...

and conversely, i find it interesting that after you describe a day in the life of a ltc nurse (passing meds, vs, tracking down cna's, change in condition, etc), that after all that, it still seems logical to take the time to make a phone call and make a grievance.

again, i think, it's all about priorities.

had it been me (re appropriateness), a simple and direct "i am unable to help you now but i will be glad to call you back in xx time" would suffice.

p.s. laughing to keep your sanity? more like prozac baby, with an ativan chaser- that's what it takes to keep sanity while you do all of the above and keep a smile on your face while everybody is allowed to mistreat you.

in the grand scheme of things, a rude office worker is the least of our problems.

and, it and their demeanor, reflects their ignorance.

but the bottom line is, they need information and someone needs to provide it.

when we allow anyone to bring out the worst in us, we're giving them power that we could be contributing elsewhere in a more constructive, positive light.

and, to truly survive in nsg, a sense of humor is essential.

yes, we all need to vent... no one is disputing that.

maybe it's my old age, but my life experience has taught me not to sweat the small stuff.

and as i've mentioned, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

have a great day, cursenurse.

leslie

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

If you were truly really busy, this was an inappropriate management of time to put the med pass on hold to immediately return the call and "track down" the rude caller from the doc's office. Sounds like your personal vendetta took precidence over the med pass (good way to set yourself up for a med error).

If you read my original post, it states that I could have handled this caller in a more cordial manner. It also states that I became incensed. I can be fully honest and readily admit that I definitely had a mission (or "personal vendetta," as you have labeled it) when I called this office worker back at that point in time. Human nature allows for personality flaws, and I am definitely not striving for perfection through my actions. I can also freely divulge that I have difficulty letting go of certain things.

We cannot be all things to all people. I'll leave it at that. :)

[squeakykitty]

Hey, Commuter,

Next time put her on hold, finish whatever you need to do, get the chart, go back to the phone, and then tell her the information isn't in the chart. And be sure to "practice good customer service" by thanking her for holding.

Take a break, finish a crossword puzzle, get back to her eventually.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

If you read my original post, it states that I could have handled this caller in a more cordial manner. It also states that I became incensed. I can be fully honest and readily admit that I definitely had a mission (or "personal vendetta," as you have labeled it) when I called this office worker back at that point in time. Human nature allows for personality flaws, and I am definitely not striving for perfection through my actions. I can also freely divulge that I have difficulty letting go of certain things.

We cannot be all things to all people. I'll leave it at that. :)

Somehow, I suspect that she would have had no problem reporting you at a later time, so, hey, it is what it is. It's true, many times, the nurse is (as another poster put it) the default person. Makes it understandable that sometimes, just sometimes, our shoulders hurt with carrying all of the burdens.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Makes it understandable that sometimes, just sometimes, our shoulders hurt with carrying all of the burdens.

And our bodies ache horribly from the pains of having to grow 10 arms and 20 legs in order to get to 30 places at once.

[CHATSDALE]

the problem is that the doctors office did not know whom to talk to to get the info that she needed

she called the ltc and asked for 'ms. blanks nurse' she should have asked for insurance office or ward clerk, if nurse stops what she is doing and gets her the information then she believes that she did the correct thing and will do the same thing the next time she needs some information

this would be true whether or not she behaved correctly or not..next time tell them whom to call or transfer their call, other nurses will thank you for this

people who like to be rude will find a way to do it, nothing that you could do to change it.

[bethin]

She said, "Well, you were being rude and practicing bad customer service by stating you didn't know this information. Basically, you get what you receive. Thank you and have a good day."

I don't think this woman is practicing what she preaches. Maybe if she wasn't so demanding and rude to you you would have been less curt.

I probably would have called her back again and chewed her out. I have ZERO patience for rudeness.

[mc3, ASN, RN]

I became incensed at something that occurred much earlier during my work day, so here goes...

I work day shift at a local nursing home and, as a result, I pass medications to 20+ residents during the morning hours. My coworker tracks me down during the med pass, and informs me that I have a telephone call. On the other end of the phone is a persistent employee of a doctors' office where one of my residents is scheduled for an upcoming postop appointment.

She was demanding to receive financial information on the resident. "I'll hold while you get his chart and get me this information," she persists.

I responded, "As a floor nurse, I don't deal with financial information, and it is not in the chart. The financial info and policy numbers for all our residents are kept at the corporate office, which is out of state. All I know is that he's on Secure Horizons and Medicaid. His chart is in another room and is being used by someone else."

"Well, I'll hold while you go to the next room and get his chart," she says.

I curtly replied, "I'm in the middle of passing meds to 20 residents. I'm very busy, and this is not a good time."

She snaps, "You could practice good customer service by calling the office back, and getting me this information within the next 30 minutes!" Then she hangs up.

I became angry, immediately called the doctors' office back, tracked down this employee, and said to her, "Don't you ever hang up on me again."

She said, "Well, you were being rude and practicing bad customer service by stating you didn't know this information. Basically, you get what you receive. Thank you and have a good day."

I reported this incident to her office manager. I fully realize I could have handled this person in a more cordial manner, but I am not a customer service agent, and this person was not one of my customers. In other words, I found her use of the term "customer service" highly interesting. Do people not realize how truly busy we are?

mc3:nurse:

[kristenncrn]

I think it is an excellent point made that other professions would have not been in the same situation.

For example, while working at large corporations, I guarantee that had I stopped everything that I was doing to tear someone a new one (not what happened here, but...) for being rude, no one would have ever raised an eyebrow. Certainly, the words "empathy" or "compassion" wouldn't have come up. If anything, I would have gotten some silent props for my ability to stand my ground.

At least that certainly was my experience in business.

The caller was incredibly condescending, demanding, rude and annoying. Sometimes we handle it perfectly (?), sometimes we handle it horribly... TheCommuter seems to have fallen somewhere in the middle.

Either way, that caller sucked. :)