Sometimes I stew over and study about things too much, but with my husband in the hospital and with some of the attitudes I've encountered lately I've been thinking about how expensive medical care can be and what people should expect at the hospital.
My husband hasn't been treated poorly, but some of the staff have been less than gracious. I often read about how "nurses are there to save your butt, not kiss it" and "this isn't the Hilton, it's a hospital!" While I understand this to a degree, I think responses like this are rather arrogant and make it sound more like the patients are an inconvenience and are there for the staff than the other way around. Having worked in LTC and home health I know how unreasonably high maintenance some people can be (and yes, these were usually-but not always- the Medicaid patients). Truly, though, this wasn't the norm. Most people were not unreasonable with their requests. Even the ones that put us out a little when they ask you to make a phone call for them or get them extra ice or extra blankets. I'm not talking about rude folks who think you should jump when they snap their fingers, but from the ICU to the med surg floor, I was hesitant to ask for anything at all because more than once I got exasperated looks and sometimes huffy responses to anything I mentioned. I'd say half of the nurses were very accomodating but the other half were like, I've got my job to do and you're keeping me from doing it.
I say, part of the job is customer relations and decent bedside manner, no matter how annoying someone is to us.
What about the people who, like my brother-in-law, shell out tens of thousands of dollars in out of pocket cash to pay for his own quadruple bypass surgery. Why shouldn't he be treated like the customer he is? My husband has insurance, but isn't he in a way, a customer too? I know the hospital and nursing home doesn't include private nurses, but by the same token, if you knew someone was paying A LOT of money to be there wouldn't the customer oriented approach everyone complains about the hospitals adopting these days make sense?
I will admit I was appalled when I learnedsome hospitals were referring to the patients as "customers." But now I'm not so sure this is far off.
While my husband was in surgery I met a man in the waiting room who had a wife in surgery at the same time, and his wife and my husband were transferred to the floor within an hour of each other. I could actually understand the man's frustration at being thrown out of the room for 30 minutes while the nurses were with his wife. He said (obviously po'ed) "I wonder who they think is paying the bill here?"
I am a believer that nurses should run the floor. Thing is, a little power goes to some peoples' heads and they forget what they are really there for.
I've started to look at things more from a patient's perspective lately, and not to sound wishy-washy (but this is a wishy-washy situation) but I've looked at it from both sides now and right or wrong I can't help it this is the way I see it.
[i hate seeing nursing playing Solitare when there are patients that truly need things.
Ain't that the truth - that's time that not could be, but should be, spent with patients doing the little extras or perhaps helping out your co-workers!
There is always something to do when you are working as a nurse. Unless you are on lunch or a break, the "slow days" need to be spent helping out fellow nurses or attending to patients.
There is always something to do when you are working as a nurse. Unless you are on lunch or a break, the "slow days" need to be spent helping out fellow nurses or attending to patients.
I couldn't agree more! I cannot imagine plopping down to play solitaire or go youtubing while my fellow nurses are working their tails off, or my patients could use a little extra TLC. My floor is so busy, any nurse caught doing that would be quickly put to work!
Yes, pts do deserve to be treated extra special, and get things like back rubs, and so on. but, nurses don't have time for this and hospitals are not staffed for this.
If pt's want these things, mgmt needs to find some way to respond (hire retirees as hostesses?) because nurses have far more pressing matters to worry about.
If all four of my patients are paying $50K, and one of them expects me to bring them warm blankets and fresh water while another one is in agonizing pain and needs pain meds, another has a blood pressure of 70/40, and another is having frequent runs of V Tach, then which one do you expect me to "wait on"?
The vast majority of patients and family members have absolutely no inkling of all that I am juggling in any given moment. I must prioritize my work according to what is going to kill my patients the quickest. While I am happy to get an extra pillow or refill your water pitcher if I have time, these things are not likely to kill you any time soon if I do not get to them right away.
I know you do not want to poop in your bed, I don't want that either, but if it a choice between you pooping in your bed because I couldn't get there soon enough to help you to the bathroom, and the guy next door going into V Fib because I didn't get that magnesium drip going quickly enough, guess which one I'm going to pick? Would I rather clean up a bit of poop, or have to put the paddles on someone?
I try very hard to be patient, kind, and pleasant in the face of all of this, but there are days when I am not a robot, but a human being, and my human side does show (particularly when I've been running since I hit the floor four hours ago, have not peed, have not eaten, and it looks like I won't be eating any time soon, my blood sugar is crashing, and my aides have gone to dinner, and my charge nurse has just handed me another admission slip, while the family member is sitting there stuffing their face with takeout and asking me to bring water for their loved one). I may not always provide service with a smile, but I will do my best to keep Granny from dying on my watch.
I think it is a rare thing to have all your patients going down the tubes at once, not to mention I don't know anyone (even the more demanding ones) who wouldn't understand that the more critical patients will need their needs met before another patient's wants. That just seems like a no brainer to me...
it's just that what puts me off is the nurses who get on their high horses and feel it is beneath them to even be asked to do something that breaks their routine. I know those nurses are overworked, I know they have bad days, I know at times there will be patients who take priority due to a change in their level of care...but by golly, if I pay out the butt for something I don't want to be treated like an inconvenience.
Same goes for the nursing home patients. Yes, most of them are on Medicaid, but that is because they had to be properly drained of every asset and penny they had in exchange for state of the art nursing care until they were paupers.
Nurses who can't handle a decent bedside manner or coming down a peg or two to do a little something extra because they resent being overworked...well that's too bad. Find a different job.
I do heed my own advice, because this is exactly where I was a year ago. I knew when I started to resent my job and even the patients it was not where I belonged. Now, I work a crummy job and scrape by financially but it's low stress and it's a job where I can go and smile.
Ain't that the truth - that's time that not could be, but should be, spent with patients doing the little extras or perhaps helping out your co-workers!
There is always something to do when you are working as a nurse. Unless you are on lunch or a break, the "slow days" need to be spent helping out fellow nurses or attending to patients.
Today at the hospital (a city hospital) I heard several times over the loudspeaker: We need all available nurses to go to the Emergency Room.
But I'm not even talking about having my pillow fluffed. It's those nurses with the horns coming out of their ears if you dare expect them to extend themselves. Geez, I think most people know what I mean.
I think it is a rare thing to have all your patients going down the tubes at once
Actually I just described a typical work night for me.
not to mention I don't know anyone (even the more demanding ones) who wouldn't understand that the more critical patients will need their needs met before another patient's wants. That just seems like a no brainer to me...
It would seem like a no-brainer, wouldn't it? But, as I said, the vast majority of patients and family members haven't a clue about everything that I am dealing with at any given moment. I don't see it necessarily as a rudeness thing in most cases, though in some cases, it is, but more of an unawareness that there are sicker people than their family member that I am also taking care of.
Though, I would certainly hope horns are not coming out of my head when I have to tell someone that I cannot empty the poop out of their bedside commode right this instant, as I have something more urgent to attend to.
Though, I would certainly hope horns are not coming out of my head when I have to tell someone that I cannot empty the poop out of their bedside commode right this instant, as I have something more urgent to attend to.
I agree patients should be treated well. They *are* the reason we're there, right? I just disagree with the idea that they should expect to be waited on.
There are so many things that are wrong in nursing nowadays. In my opinion, it all comes back to poor staffing. When I'm stretched over 3 patients in a busy ICU, there is simply no time to do all fluffed-up stuff, like having a friendly conversation with family members or whatever else. I remember so many times I literally had to run out of patient's room because something else was happening that needed my immediate attention. It does not matter who pays how much, it's just a nurses' job became impossible under current conditions.
I'm sorry for your experience, motorcycle mama. People in the hospital should feel they are well cared for. However, nurses did their job pretty well, since your husband is improving, right?
Actually that's why I left critical care and bedside nursing in general. You save people's life, and next minute they spit in your face because you were not fast enough with their water pitcher. You would think people walking out on their own out of ICU would be grateful for everything that was done for them - but no, nothing is ever enough. Publics attitude toward nurses is unbelievable. You forget that nobody paid ME your 50 grand. Some kind of useless suit will get a hefty bonus out of it while I'm wiping your stinky butt, getting paid in middle 20s and working until I drop because there is no time to eat or drink for 12 hours in a raw, waiting on "customers".
I tried not to give in but I just can't resist. The last time I checked nurses have nothing to do with the cost of healthcare in regards to procedures, that belongs to the suits. To think that I would treat any patient differently because they pay with cash is ridiculous, I tend to be more sympathetic towards the uninsured because I know that as soon as they leave our care they typically won't recieve further care, where the ones who can afford cash payments will surely continue with their care after discharge. What would you do if we as nurses decided to take your advice and find different jobs? Who would care for your loved one? The truth is, those of us that are here are the ones with passion for caring for the sick and injured, and there are not enough of us left. Nancy Nurse: I have walked in your shoes and contrary to what others might think, what you describe is a common ICU shift. I applaud you for your passion! With that being said, I wish I had time to sit with my patients and their family, and when I do have time I take advantage of those moments. Before you are quick to call us arrogant or pompous, consider what we might be juggling at that moment.
TX_ICU_RN
121 Posts
Ain't that the truth - that's time that not could be, but should be, spent with patients doing the little extras or perhaps helping out your co-workers!
There is always something to do when you are working as a nurse. Unless you are on lunch or a break, the "slow days" need to be spent helping out fellow nurses or attending to patients.