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

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Jul 31, 2005

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!".

:eek: :angryfire :eek:

And right then and there, I would have informed her what your title/position was... and that it was NOT waitress !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They really do need to start posting signs in the units as well as writing up an article in the hospital brochures asking patients' families to NOT bother the nurses for such things, as their OWN family being hospitalized may well be jeaopardized by such waste of resources.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

I think I need a class in professionalism, because I find myself loosing it often with thoughts of now how could I have done this or said this better?

That would be a good idea

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

when i was younger 5 and 12 i wanted the nurse to do every thing for me, not my mother because it is much more fun to have someone else dothings for you then your own family. my mom never let me push the call button though. and i am glad she didn't.

Super_RN, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2005

:selfbonk: :selfbonk: At the small hospital where I work, our *wonderful* administration has posted signs everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The signs say something along the lines of "If you are unsatisfied for any reason, any reason at all--if you think you deserve better care, feel that you are not being listened to, etc--call our house supervisor 24/7." Then it proceeds to tell these visitors how to freaking page the supervisor....GGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! So, now I'm sure you can all imagine what goes on...our supervisor is busy catering to these petty a$$ things by ANY disgruntled family member and is not able to what they are hired to do--HELP US!!! I work midnights, so it is worse. Not only is it a skeletal staff, but people are more crabby at night and call more...I just can't win!

:selfbonk:

mysticalwaters1 · Jul 31, 2005

One pt i took care of asked my coworker before she came to work the next day to pick her up some stuff from the grocery store like some paper towels and other things!!!!!!

Oh and for mother baby nurses....my darn half brother while visiting his wife in postpartum my dad said was ordering the nurses when to bring the baby out and when he'd back and have the baby ready when he was there. Don't have all the details but he was being bossy and controling. Understand he wants everything ok but he was really pulling to cater him solely with no regaurds for the care for the baby and his wife. So then he says to my dad well i may seem harsh but the nurses work for me!!! I'm nervous discussing nursing stuff if that's how he feels jeeze! I mean yes we are but not to cater every relatives whim!

live4today, RN · Jul 31, 2005

................................So then he says to my dad well i may seem harsh but the nurses work for me!!!.......................

I've heard many family members & visitors tell patients in my presence that nurses "work for the patient".

Reminds me of the time I was an assistant girl scout leader. The scouts were at my home waiting for their parents to pick them up. One child was there late long after the other children had gone home. When the mother arrived, I reminded her of the time...asked her why she was so late. Her response: "Well, I didn't think being late would matter since you get paid to be a scout leader anyway." :rolleyes: :stone

The hospitals are failing to educate the public about what all nurses do, and tell them the only people they can boss around are their DOCTORS because they DO pay their doctors to take care of them, but they do NOT pay nurses to do the same. :stone

lpnstudentin2010, LPN · Jul 31, 2005

when i was younger 5 and 12 i wanted the nurse to do every thing for me, not my mother because it is much more fun to have someone else dothings for you then your own family. my mom never let me push the call button though. and i am glad she didn't.

let me specify...i was the patient

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Jul 31, 2005

:selfbonk: :selfbonk: At the small hospital where I work, our *wonderful* administration has posted signs everywhere, and I mean everywhere. The signs say something along the lines of "If you are unsatisfied for any reason, any reason at all--if you think you deserve better care, feel that you are not being listened to, etc--call our house supervisor 24/7." Then it proceeds to tell these visitors how to freaking page the supervisor....GGGGRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! So, now I'm sure you can all imagine what goes on...our supervisor is busy catering to these petty a$$ things by ANY disgruntled family member and is not able to what they are hired to do--HELP US!!! I work midnights, so it is worse. Not only is it a skeletal staff, but people are more crabby at night and call more...I just can't win!
:selfbonk:

Absurd.. totally ridiculous.

Again I say.. if they want to bend voer backwards to "please the customer" they need to hire customer service reps whosoe sole job it is to cater to their every whim. The nurses should NOT have to be interrupted in their work for such trivial requests/demands.

As long as nurses continue to go along with this nonsense, and run ourselves ragged trying to appease the "customers", the more we perpetuate the image of handmaiden. It is no wonder the public sees us as such.

There needs to be a stop to this and NOW. If the admins and suits won't make it clear to the public that this is not what we are there for, then it is time we found the courage to stand tall and demand they hire customer service reps to staff the units in order to free up the nurses.

This simply is NOT in our job description and it's time we began being NURSES once agin. We need to stand firm on this and not back down. We should be relentless in our efforts to persuade admin to remedy this, and DEMAND this be addressed.

Do htese families badger the doctors for these things? Why not? Because they don't "allow" it. They KNOW this is not their function and purpose.

Neither should we. No ifs and or butts.

I can see it now..." I'm sorry, I'm busy tending to the medical needs of my patients right now... perhaps you could wait until doctor so-and-so makes his rounds, I'm sure he/she would be happy to fetch you some crackers and milk. And oh look ! There goes doc so-and-so.. why don't you stop him as he comes down the hall and ask him to gather up a half dozen more chairs and arrange them neatly in your room around mama's bed...." :rotfl:

Yeh RIGHT. But think about it. They wouldn't think of ASKING the docs.. so WHY do they assume it's ok to ask these things of us?

1. Because we allow it.

2. Because the hospital hasn't provided anyone else to do it.

That needs to change. And WE need to bring about that change by making our voices heard and refusing to cater to these whims any longer.

Let them hire people to cater to these "needs"... we have our OWN work to do and not enough time in the day to accomplish what WE need to do, let alone take on all that. :stone

mysticalwaters1 · Jul 31, 2005

I've heard many family members & visitors tell patients in my presence that nurses "work for the patient".

I know maybe i should tell him that but afraid of his rath! He's kindof stubborn. I mean you are there to serve but in a medical necesity and education way.

browsing · Jul 31, 2005

If a nurse declines to make those ridiculous requests of the visitors/patients and if they complain to the hospital, will the administrators really get on the nurse's case or will they understand the his or her position?

fergus51 · Jul 31, 2005

If a nurse declines to make those ridiculous requests of the visitors/patients and if they complain to the hospital, will the administrators really get on the nurse's case or will they understand the his or her position?

Depends on the hospital. IMO my current workplace really caters to crazy family members and does not support its nurses.

mysticalwaters1 · Jul 31, 2005

If a nurse declines to make those ridiculous requests of the visitors/patients and if they complain to the hospital, will the administrators really get on the nurse's case or will they understand the his or her position?

I've only been a nurse for 2 years and had 2 managers. The first one catered ONLY to the pt's and family reguardles. She'd reflect EVERY concern i had back onto me as a way not to deal with something. While I never had this exact scenario she would allways not support the nurse it allways seemed to favor the family which to an extent needs to be but not frivious garbage. The new manager seems to look at all aspects and will state you should have talked more politely to a pt whatever and throw out frivilous garbage. Meaning I felt the first manager held everything against us. The second will look at it in all directions which makes a better manager. So I guess it all depends who's in charge. However if upper management tries to enforce these things I'm scared!