I could not believe this student I had the other night. I picked up a shift on my old unit (telemetry) and the charge asked me if I minded having a student with me as his preceptor had called off sick. Ofcourse not! I love having students. So, I grab my MAR's, Kardexes and tell him we are going to check them over for mistakes. This usually takes about 30 minutes. In that time, NO LIE, he got 2 text messages and an actual phone call. All of which he took.
When I was done I said are you ready? (I will admit, this was said through clenched teeth) and he said, Yeah. CHECKED HIS PHONE ONE MORE TIME:angryfire Then I said, Good. Because the FIRST thing your going to do is take that phone out of your pocket, put it in your coat and leave it there for the rest of the shift.
OMG! I mean, I will call my husband during my break, but I can't think of anyone I need to talk to while I am at work. It was SOOOO inappropriate. Has anyone else encountered anything like this?
I am surprised a student would use the phone in your presence! That's pushing it! Obviously the school did not scare them enough! We were always told not to rock the boat, hospitals did not need to have students, we needed them for clinical sites.
On the other hand, I always have my cell phone, two kids away in college, elderly parents, and a husband whose job keeps him on the road-I need to be available. Overall, there is no difference from nurses gabbing on land lines to nurses talking on cell phones. We actually text schedules, requests for time off, overtime requests, meetings, and if we require managment to come to the floor. It has been very handy.
Specializes in ER, ICU, Infusion, peds, informatics.
wow.
i'm really surprised to see that i'm not the only one that hates cell phones.
i feel a little less weird now.
like another poster, i have text messaging disabled on my phone. i leave my phone turned off (though i do carry it with me since it is also a pda, and has my drug book on it).
i have seen so many of my coworkers (nurses and non-nurses) act so very unprofessional at work with their cell phones, that i don't even notice it any more.
it amazes me that people don't even realize how incredibly rude (and inappropriate) they are being.
on more than one occasion, i have had morning report interrupted because the nurse i was communicating with not only got a call on her cell, but answered it, and had a fairly long conversation.
know what i hate the most about cell phones? it is the idea that i have to be constantly available. my time is no longer my own, because i am expected to answer it any time it rings, and be accountable as to where i was that i couldn't answer it, should i choose not to.
so, i rebell, and leave the blasted thing turned off. and check my messages something like once a month.
sorry for the rant. to the op, good for you. i wish more superviors/preceptors would do the same. maybe then people would learn proper cell phone ettiquete at work (ie, leave it off and/or in your locker).
I am a nursing student, and I can't stand it when people do that during clinical time. I always carry my phone on me, but it will be on silent, yes I may check it when someone calls, but have never answered unless it was an emergency and made sure the person in charge understood that. You were right to let them know that what they were doing was inappropriate.
I could not believe this student I had the other night. I picked up a shift on my old unit (telemetry) and the charge asked me if I minded having a student with me as his preceptor had called off sick. Ofcourse not! I love having students. So, I grab my MAR's, Kardexes and tell him we are going to check them over for mistakes. This usually takes about 30 minutes. In that time, NO LIE, he got 2 text messages and an actual phone call. All of which he took.
When I was done I said are you ready? (I will admit, this was said through clenched teeth) and he said, Yeah. CHECKED HIS PHONE ONE MORE TIME:angryfire Then I said, Good. Because the FIRST thing your going to do is take that phone out of your pocket, put it in your coat and leave it there for the rest of the shift.
OMG! I mean, I will call my husband during my break, but I can't think of anyone I need to talk to while I am at work. It was SOOOO inappropriate. Has anyone else encountered anything like this?
Did his preceptor allow for this junk to go on???
Oh my gosh, I would be so embarrassed. I always turn my cell phone to quiet. If it has ever rang, it's a very embarassing moment. I cannot FATHOM texting and talking with people as I'm about to start shift, especially in front of someone. He needed a dose of reality, and I hope he got the picture...in all honesty, I can't imagine how he got so far to not "know" such a social "don't-do."
Speaking as a last semester student nurse, PLEASE don't let this clown give you the impression that the rest of us are like that. He would've been talked about at my nursing school.
I would never do that to someone who is giving more of themselves just to help me learn.
Don't the cell phones cause disturbances with some hospital equipment? This is what i what I always thought
old analogs would be new digital phones don't.
We don't permit cell phones on our floor - staff -or patients- old school nurses tell pts it messes with the monitors, but really, it's patient confidentiality. We had a pt sneak in a room and take a cell phone pic of Ben Rotheilsberger.
You were certainly correct in how you handled this situation. Definitely needs reported to the CI.
I carry my personal cell phone with me while at work-it's a Blackberry and you can put nursing software on there, I have a drug guide which has come in handy a few times. There is the option to turn the phone portion off and even if I don't, I put it on vibrate. I don't text though-I think I'm too old to really enjoy texting! I also don't return calls on it until I'm on my break.
There is a cell phone that the hospital expects me to carry, because I run the board in my specialty on my shift..all the orderlies have cell phones as well. My hospital is huge so it can be hard to track someone down to make a blood run, for example.
I don't hate cell phones, I think that there are always going to be people who abuse a good thing. People who talk on them while driving need a slap upside the head. I also think the student in the OP needed one as well. There's a time and a place for socializing, and clinicals or work aren't it.
I text back and forth with my wife while I'm on shift, shoot me.
I work night shift, and I sleep all day. My wife works in the evenings and often is gone for work by the time I get up, and doesn't return until after I'm gone. Sometimes literally go as long as 4-5 days without really even getting a chance to talk to her at all besides "good morning" and "have a good night babe!". I don't do it in patient's rooms, and I don't do it while I'm busy. I do it when I take a pee break or if I'm waiting for a doc to call back or something like that. I just text back and forth a few times a night before she goes to sleep. I don't really see the problem with carrying a cell phone at work. I do see it as a problem if someone is delaying their patient care to do so, though.
I don't think it's unprofessional, and I'd be shocked if the majority of my coworkers even realize I do it. Discretion is key!
most phones nowadays have the ability to take photo's (a big no no).
Yea and most units have copy machines too, which could easily be used to make copies of pt records. Just because someone has the ability to do something doesn't mean they will do it. Maybe copy machines should be taken off the unit!! And fax machines too! What if someone accidentally faxes pt records to the wrong number!?
Also, surgeons/doctors carry their personal cell phones on them all the time, and no one makes an issue of it. I refuse to answer them in the OR though-I will answer their pager if they are on call or it's urgent-otherwise it can wait. I figure if I wouldn't answer my personal cell phone during a case, why should I answer theirs?
It embarasses me when I am at work and a co-worker has a cell phone in their pocket and it rings and they actually answer it. It makes me feel like our nurses aren't professional and do not know how to be professional! How embarassing! I have made comments before to other nurses about them having their cell phones in the unit - like geez, you couldn't get that off your hip for one second could ya? You know, just kidding around thinking that maybe they'd get the hint. But, no! I also can't stand it when I'm working my tail end off and there's a co-worker talking on the phone to a friend about what's going on during the upcoming weekend - and doesn't even ask if they can help. I can't stand lazy people!
Another thing, this has nothing to do with cell phones but it does with students. I just recently started taking students and new employees to precept. Well, during the fall I had a nursing student who seemed like she had the initiative to learn, during the first two times she was there. After that, she became incredibly lazy and wouldn't do what she was supposed to do. One particular morning, she was giving report to the oncoming nurse. During report, we usually go over the medications and the dosages and times. Well, she told the oncoming nurse the medication and time but forgot the dosage. The oncoming nurse asked what the dosage was and the student replied (very nasty if I may add) It's on the sheet, you can find it for yourself! What nerve!! I would never have done anything like that when I was a student. I wanted to make a good impression!
MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN
1,082 Posts
I am surprised a student would use the phone in your presence! That's pushing it! Obviously the school did not scare them enough! We were always told not to rock the boat, hospitals did not need to have students, we needed them for clinical sites.
On the other hand, I always have my cell phone, two kids away in college, elderly parents, and a husband whose job keeps him on the road-I need to be available. Overall, there is no difference from nurses gabbing on land lines to nurses talking on cell phones. We actually text schedules, requests for time off, overtime requests, meetings, and if we require managment to come to the floor. It has been very handy.
JMHO
Maisy;)