It's a Hospital, Not a Hotel (Gripe)

BETSRN · Jul 31, 2005

On another thread, I posted that a nurse I was orienting had one of those families. They insisted we feed them, when we didn't, they went through our patient snack kitchen like a swarm of locusts. We encourage labor coaches to help themselves to ice, juice, and other snacks for themselves and the patient. It's unusual for them to take over so much.
QUOTE]
impressive.
When on occasion, we have someone do that, we confront them directly and tell them they cannot use the kitchen. We have been known to get security to come up if it gets to be too bad. Remember, you can ultimatly have the family/friends removed from the hospital. I have no problem reminding them of that.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2005

Those kinds of requests are not unique to ob. I've heard them all in med-surg. I hear them all the time. It's amazing the sense of entitlement patients and their families get.

DusktilDawn · Jul 31, 2005

After the night I had last night with 2 prima donnas, I actually started to believe I was a "beck & call" girl. After reading this thread, I'm relieved to finally figure out I'm a nurse!!!!

SmilingBluEyes · Jul 31, 2005

It seems we all have one thing in common:

we are caring for an increasingly "entitled" population of people who are not afraid to push the envelope w/us. I am afraid this is all over----not just nursing but in the service industry (and they do think of us as customer servants, why not, that is what hospitals push).

I like Betsy's responses. They mirror my own. Now more than ever, we need assertiveness books/training. Learning to deal with these unreasonable requests assertively and professionally is key-----and it does help ward off additional unsuitable requests from the same people.

Remember: Set the precedent and it follows. I hate following nurses who kissed their butts the whole shift, unreasonably and unfairly-----bad set up for me for my shift. Remember the nurse coming after you when you respond to these people. You are setting the tone. If you are unsure what to do, I can recommend several good books on assertive responses.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Jul 31, 2005

We're caught in a set up for some of this with all of the advances in the non-medical aspects of patient care. Private rooms with TVs, VCRs and DVD players; comfy fold-out furniture that encourages visitors to feel right at home; patient care coordinators who make rounds to ensure that everyone is happy; valet parking and concierge services; and patient dining that has morphed into the very hotel-like Room Service have all help to blur the lines between hospital and hospitality.
When I was a kid, private rooms were an expensive luxury, you had to pay extra for access to the shared TV, there was a charge for the phone, and having a family member stay overnight meant watching a nurse roll in a squeaky metal cot, if there was one available. Regarding food, you got to pick (the day before) between two entrees if you were lucky. Meals came at 7:00, 12:00 and 5:00 and had the look of the steam table even though they were quite possibly cold. Woe unto you if you weren't hungry at the appointed hour or if you were out of the room for tests. Microwaves existed but not to reheat patient food. Visiting hours were strictly enforced and limited to two or three people at a time. You rarely saw kids under 16 allowed on the floor. Nurses provided patient care, not customer service. Families and friends were welcome as long as they behaved themselves and didn't try to turn their loved one's stay into a production of, "It's All About Me and Mine."
Having been on both sides of the bedrail many times, I know customer service-type improvements have made a huge difference in patient comfort and security. But, corporate schmoozing aside, maybe we need to spell out a few things in the patient handbook.
This is a hospital, not a hotel.
Room service is a courtesy for the patient and one or two paying guests, not a trip to the "Load 'Em Up" buffet for the entire tribe.
We'll try to accommodate a few reasonable requests, but, despite the assurances of corporate bigwigs who are much more accustomed to getting service than giving it, you can wear out your welcome.
Miranda

BRAVO INDEED ! :balloons:

There is simply no way I could imagine myself working ina hospital these days from what I keep reading here on these boards.

I am appalled and sickened by the behavior and this false sense of "entitlement".

I wouldn't last two days.

Because not only would I make it clear to the family/visitors, but I'd be kicking down the door of the customer service advocates and corporate idiots, hospital admin., etc. and advising them if this is what they wish to provide, they had better beging HIRING the wait staff, the furniture movers, the cooks and maids... that we are NURSES and none of the above requests fall under "nursing" requirements.

That as NURSES we agreed (upon hire date) to be polite, helpful, and to assist in meeting our patients' MEDICAL needs.. not as waitstaff.

And that if this hospital is so interested in providing such service, they need to be hiring customer service individuals, and plenty of them... because NURSES have their OWN work to do. Let the families/visitors chase down and badger the customer service providers to meet all their non-medical needs so the nurses can provide adequate NURSING care.

They cannot merge the two types of service in their own selfserving attempts to keep from having to hire additional help to meet the non health related service needs of the public. :angryfire

If this is their idea of multi tasking they can scrap it ..where does it end ?:angryfire

chattypattyCRNA2B · Jul 31, 2005

I am always gracious and try to accomodate reasonable patient/family requests, but my name tag yesterday must have read 'Handmaid' instead of RN. I was instructed (not asked) by several different patients/family members the following:
"Go get us about eight or ten chairs so everybody can sit down in here."
"The baby's father hasn't had anything to eat today, can you make him something?" (This was 1930 and FOB who missed the 0915 delivery had just shown up).
"Can't you get the kids sandwiches?" (I was happy to bring graham crackers and juice, but was met with "Well, that's not enough for dinner.")
"I can't use a taxi voucher because that way I have to go right home. Don't you have a petty cash fund? I need to stop at my friend's house and the store first."
"My boyfriend wants a set of the baby's footprints, a copy of the baby's picture, and that test to make sure he's the father."
This, of course, all in addition to the usual "The baby's diaper needs to be changed," "Bring me another Percocet. Somebody here has a headache," "Take his blood pressure," and "He needs some scrubs to wear."
Sorry for the rant. Yesterday was a long 14-hour day and I just needed to get it out. :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

What I want to know is; was all of this stuff said with a straight face!? Unbelievable! :uhoh3:

chattypattyCRNA2B · Jul 31, 2005

had an ER patient, head to toe tommy hillfiger, doc wrote for darvocet (cause she had been in MVA), she asked if he could write it for "her baby" (9 months old), cause she had "medicaid"
1. FRAUDULENT
2. babies don't take darvocet!!!
SHEESH!!!
atlantarn

That's a damn shame...

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Jul 31, 2005

And the more I brood on this, the angrier I become . :stone

IMO, this should be one of ANA's first and foremost priorities if they gave two shyts about their nurses and nurse satisfaction and retention!

If these hospitals and service oriented corporations want so badly to provide this type of service, they should be made to HIRE the APPOPRIATE STAFF to meet these needs.

Let them hire customer service reps and let them wear those nice little vests that read "How may I help You?" on the back, like those worn at WMart :rolleyes:

Let THESE be the ones to be available 24/7 to meet all the requests and demands of our families/visitors... NOT the nurses. These sevice reps should be out front, visible at all times, staffed two per unit/floor per shift, and one per unit/floor nocs.

This would take a HUGE load and untold frustration off the backs of our NURSES, freeing them up to go about their NURSING care and responsibilities and go far in preventing med errors and in improving other time management issues.

THIS is what our nursing leaders should be raising a stink about, and in clear, precise terms... NO compromise. :angryfire

oldiebutgoodie, RN · Jul 31, 2005

The original post is one of the reasons I will NEVER do post-partum care. Hospitals and birth classes give the parents the impression that the post-partum unit is like a spa. I think it would be more appropriate for the birth classes to include, "This is not a hotel. Your nurse is not a waitress."

Oldiebutgoodie

MandyInMS · Jul 31, 2005

Assertiveness training should be a part of nursing school..'cuz there's no doubt we ALL need it on a daily basis. They teach you the bare minimum of the technicals, but don't come close to preparing you for the 'real world of nursing'.

justavolunteer · Jul 31, 2005

I even get the "this must be a hotel" routine as a volunteer. I have been asked to fetch equipment, including a crash cart, O2 tank, etc. in an emergency. In the middle of all the scurrying around, some dang fool wonders why someone won't call the kitchen for a family member so they can have an extra tray RIGHT NOW!. It usually turns out to be someone on a restricted diet who is a pt due to excessive sucking in the groceries.

The worst are pts. who come to us from the city jail & gripe constantly. I feel lke telling them, "Well, pal, if you aren't happy here, just go back to the jail. I'm sure the guards will be glad to cater to your every request."

elthia · Jul 31, 2005

I even get the "this must be a hotel" routine as a volunteer. I have been asked to fetch equipment, including a crash cart, O2 tank, etc. in an emergency. In the middle of all the scurrying around, some dang fool wonders why someone won't call the kitchen for a family member so they can have an extra tray RIGHT NOW!. It usually turns out to be someone on a restricted diet who is a pt due to excessive sucking in the groceries.
The worst are pts. who come to us from the city jail & gripe constantly. I feel lke telling them, "Well, pal, if you aren't happy here, just go back to the jail. I'm sure the guards will be glad to cater to your every request."

I'm not an OB nurse, but just have to share this:

Last week I was in "full chemo gear", the booties, gown, chemo gloves, and mask, with the chemo all bundled up in the chux walking down the hall to the patient's room, when a visitor stopped me in the hall and wanted me to heat up some coffee for her. When I politely asked her to go to the desk and ask someone there for assistance, she said "but you're right here!".