IPODs

No, not appropriate at all unless the earpiece is out of the ear. I know someone who wears one but has the earpieces out when with a pt. She listens to it while developing films. If the earpiece were in, I would feel like I wasn't being paid attention to.

When I have to work nights, I wear mine when I have no patients in the ED - but if we have a patient, it's put up.

It passes the time and I love to put it on and clean, which is what I do when we don't have patients......

A few people on nights in ICU would wear them when it was slow and they were just charting or during a.m. care with a sedated/vented patient, but they were "outlawed" when someone told the manager. It's not the most professional thing to do, but sure did pass the time and I don't think the sedated patients minded!

It really isnt professional and can be dangerous. We have to use all of our senses at work and hearing is so important--there are vent alarms, iv alarms, pt often yelling for help because they lose their call light, falls, etc.

no, not appropriate.

It is not professional (or polite) to talk to someone with anything in your ear; how do they know the volume is down? (I even get irritated when people leave their bluetooth cell phone thingies in their ears when not on the phone)

I have played mine through the radio (volume down low) at the nurses station on the night shift and everyone was fine with this (it was Christmas time and I had a great holiday mix) but the nurses in that ED were already used to playing the radio all the time. If the radio wasn't on all the time anyway, I don't know that I would have brought the iPod to work at all.

Fine for the breakroom, but not any other time while working.

Besides, i'd be paranoid that thing would disappear at work.

IMO no. Too distracting.

Breaks sure, but when dealing with pts nope...

I don't think it's a good idea when working with a patient.

I agree with what Marie said above: it's okay for the break room and not any other place within the hospital. I wouldn't even where it to the cafeteria, since you might get paged on the PA system and not be able to hear.

To where this around a patient or around other nurses or doctors is very unprofessional and not appropriate. Now, I'm all for having fun on the job but I don't think that is a good way to show it. It's simply disrespectful to the patient since it would seem as though you're not listening to them when they're talking (even if you do answer when they ask a question). Beside, I would also say it looks sloppy.

I have one person on day shift and one on night shift that wear Ipods. I could not believe it when I saw it. :trout: I view it as extremely unprofessional. How will you hear IVs beeping, vent alarms, call lights, people calling for help, or even codes?

It leaves me with the impression that these people don't care what is going on around them. If the nurse is so bored that they have time to sit at the nurses station with Ipods on, they have time to see if other nurses need help or restock the unit.

Completely inappropriate.

IPODs, cell phones, etc. should be used during break times in non-patient care areas. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.

If you have your IPOD in your ear, even on low, you cannot devote your full attention to your patient. To use the excuse that the patient is vented and sedated is laughable. There are still monitors and IV poles, vent alarms, overhead paging systems, call systems, and your fellow coworkers to listen out for.

What ever happened to professionalism?