Hospitals/5 star amenities--what do you think?

OPISTHONOS · Jun 26, 2006

If the primary nurse's job is caring for the patient, I guess you're right EDGRADNURSE, we'd better learn how to fix computers and TV's right now. Innovation is not a bad thing especially when it is about making somebody who is lying in a bed and not knowing when he/she'll go home comfortable. Let's see what the other guys think about it meanwhile that's a great topic. Good job EDGRADNURSE!

casi, ASN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

It sounds horrendous! They will have all these amenities, but what will patient/nurse ratios be? Put the money into staffing. I have a feeling that their nurses will be run ragged. They'll probably be touched by the plague of the nursing shortage and since the hospital has 5 Star Amenities, nurses will be expected to wait on patients like they are guests!

I'm sorry but I see these hospitals slogans becoming "I didn't get a bed bath in my week stay, but I had internet access and cable!"

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

Why not just call it the Hilton and get it over with?

I went to school to be a nurse, not a hotel employee.

TazziRN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

Because of insurance companies people have to be pretty darned sick to be staying in the hospital. While I can see some wanting internet access (I suffered from withdrawal the weekend my baby was in house!), flat screen tv's????? Gimme a break!!

ji_ness · Jun 26, 2006

Employees have to pay for parking at my hospital, but the new pt tower will have flat screen tv's in every room!

barbyann · Jun 26, 2006

Remember when you had to pay to have TV access in the hospital? It was an outside agency that handled it? In my opinion TV and internet access should be an extra purchased by the pt. But I do believe they should be available.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Jun 26, 2006

:o

"there are a lot of things that compete for hospital dollars, and as the executive of this hospital, i look to find other ways to fund those things," she said. "we don't throw caution to the wind. a lot of this is changing how we think about what we do."
which is why she forbids clocks in the lobby: "this is not a place where we want people to mark time," she said. "we want people to lose track of time here."
which is why two hours each day -- 1 to 2 p.m. and 1 to 2 a.m. -- are designated as "quiet times," when nurses speak in hushed tones, the lights are dimmed and doctors are discouraged from doing rounds.
which is why instead of nursing stations, yancer said, the hospital will install kitchenlike tables in its new tower because they convey the message: "we're in this together."

how about being practical for the nurses to work with....give me a break!

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

If a hospital feels they need to put in these type of ammenities they also need to provide them in private rooms with private duty nurses and the cost should reflect all the "extras" they pay for.

You can give patients all the ammenities they want but if the care isnt there and the patient dies does that make it ok because they went out watching a flat screen after a message and while having their laptop connected to some internet stock site where they wont be spending any of the money they may be making. Make sense?

Ive always told patients who complain of staff expecting to much (like them walking in the halls etc) that they come to the hospital to get well not rest. They will go home to rest and recouperate, their job and mine at that point is to get through the surgery/illness and get better so they can go home and rest.

grentea · Jun 26, 2006

Darn I had enough problems this weekend with the hokey little $5 dollar phones we have in our patient's rooms. I couldn't imagine trying to care for my patients in addition to the expensive TVs and Internet connections in their rooms. Seriously, the phones in three of my patient's room weren't working. It turned out to be a phone line problem but for a good few hours we received numerous calls from frantic family members. I love how people think that just because their family member isn't answering the phone they must have crashed and been transferred to the ICU. Best part was that we didn't have a secretary so all of us nurses had to spend a fair amount of time trying to figure out what was going with the phone line and assuring the family members that the patients were in fact very alive. I'm sure I'm being bitter and insensitive about this, but I spent a large amount of time dealing with this last night. Waaaay too much time. I couldn't even fathom being a maintenance tech for high-tech expensive equipment in addition to caring for my patients. I mean I used to work a job like that a number of years ago, but I wasn't a nurse too. :Crash:

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

I wish our hospital had internet access for the patients. My patients are young and internet savy. I know if I was stuck on bedrest with a broken pelvis I'd want internet access, because you guys would miss me so much. Having internet access in the 2000's is kind of like having TV service. It's not a luxery in my opinion, it's basic bottom of the line service.

I work for a not-for-profit and always will. If a for-profit hospital wants to offer these amenities, no problem. I choose not to work there.

gonzo1, ASN, RN · Jun 26, 2006

I'm a nurse, not a computer repairman. If my patients computer or other high tech gear goes down I will not spend one minute worrying about it. I'll be telling the patient to call 0 and report it to the hotel (oops, I mean hospital) operator.

They just remodeled a couple of floors at my hospital and put in all kinds of beautiful things including a waterfall in the floor lobby. But not a penny more on staff or equiptment for the nurses.