Management is turning the hospital into the Four Seasons (If they could)

[abbaking]

Well, I am working at a hospital that is convinced that we nurses need to provide a more customer service friendly environment for our patients. The lingo is the same everywhere, but what most ammuses me is the 24 hour room service and how we are now trained to answer the telephone on our unit. We have to answer saying "Good Morning, Unit ____, This is _____, How can I assist you?". Is it just me or does this feel like over-the-top Kiss a** behavior? I am just sick and tired of management trying to make patients hospitalizations turn into a resort-like experience. We are now required to pass out fresh stremed linens (bathrobes) in the morning and evenings, provide back massages, and be the messengers for patients every little wish. I AM FED UP WITH IT!!!.

Management fails to realize that when patients dont get what they want or cant get what they want (due to dietary restrictions), it allows the patients and there family to treat us nurses like crap. It just amazes me that no matter how hard our jobs keep getting, management will NEVER help us out, validate our concerns, or every pretend to show interest.

I work the night shift and of course from administrations viewpoint they say "How hard can the night shift be; all your patients are asleep". I have a mental image of the administrative staff thinking that all we do on nights is sit around the nurses station eating dunkin donuts.

Enough is Enough:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire:devil:

[clemmm78, RN]

A few thoughts. I do realize it's frustrating to be told how to do our job by people who aren't nurses but some of their ideas do make sense.

When I was in the ER and ICU a few Christmases ago - I was sick, in pain, and scared as could be. My heart was doing odd things and we didn't know what was going on.

The nurses who introduced themselves and made me feel special, also made me feel calmer and more willing to allow them to have control. I felt like they cared. If they said they would be back at a certain time and weren't, they acknowledged this and apologized, making me feel like I hadn't been forgotten.

Nurses who came in and just "did their job" did not help me feel secure through their actions and I was more anxious. I didn't feel as if they cared about *me* and what I was going through, just processing me.

Guess which nurses I gave a harder time? Not in a terrible way, but I asked for more things, called on them for their time more if they were in the second group - not in an abusive way, but in my scared and sick way, it was how I could get them to validate me. The first group of nurses were rarely bothered by me and actually ended up spending less time with me.

Now, I'm not saying that the second group of nurses didn't have my best interests at heart - I'm sure they did. But to me, I was just another number and I didn't feel secure with them.

As a nurse, I tried to always be like first group. I'm sure I failed on many occasions and, looking back, I think it was when I was in the second group that I found myself most frustrated with my patients.

I'm not saying that the ridiculous demands should be met. I'm not a waitress, I'm not a masseuse (although I do give great back rubs!), and I draw the line at what I will and won't do - but there is a long way that many nurses can go to help their patients feel valued at a time when they need it most, at a time when they are the most vulnerable and have no control over the situation.

Most people want to feel as if they matter. And that means noticing them and validating them.