Lack of Professionalism in PACU

[MamaJean, RN]

As a nurse of over 30 years and an educator for 20 years, I'm very concerned about the lack of professionalism that I have observed in the PACU. A few years ago I was the pt undergoing a bilateral orbital decompression in a large metropolitan eye institute. The patients were in a circular curtained area, facing the wall, with the nurses station in the middle. As my nurse was getting me ready for discharge her supervisor called out from the desk, "When you're finished with that one you can go to lunch." I immediately called out in a loud voice, "Did she just call me "THAT ONE"? Well, apologies flew around very quickly and we all had a good discussion about appropriate communication and lack of civility, etc.

Today my husband was in the PACU post umbilical hernia repair. The hospital was different, the set up was the same except the patients were facing the nurses station this time and were less than 5 feet away. The nurses directly in front of us were all gathered around the computer watching a You-Tube video and laughing loudly, bantering back and forth about the content. I was appalled. Don't we save that stuff for break time anymore? I'm all about having fun with coworkers, but not in front of patients, and not while you should be monitoring your patients who are just minutes out of the OR!

Maybe I'm just too old fashioned, or the instructor in me is really expecting better behavior. Thoughts?

[vanilla bean]

How about, "When you are finished with your current patient"? Or what about waiting until the nurse returned to the desk area? Shouting things out across the pt area is never appropriate, in any setting, unless it is an emergency.

Thanks for your response. To be clear, I agree that shouting in patient care areas is not good practice. My initial comment was in regards to your taking umbrage at being called "that one."