Nobody answers the floor phones

[retiredlady]

Recently I have had a member of my family in the hospital and my mother has called up to check on them and it rings for 20 times and nobody answers. Is this safe? I know hospitals think that the nurse should answer the phones, put the charts together and do her work also. Do you all have this problem? My mother states that she will not go back to this hospital because of it. Also, there seems to be a different nurse each day and many doctors that she can't seem to find. Just frustrating and I know to the nurses it is, being a nurse myself. Why can't they hire Unit secretaries?!!!!!

[*ac*]

My mom is in her upper 80's. I know everyone does not have time to answer phones, I didn't either when I worked. I think that we as nurses need to take a stand and demand help with this so that we can do our jobs instead of getting angry. We on the patient end will complain to this hospital and maybe they will see that "customer service" is being reduced. By the way, the family member is in LTC and is getting excellent care. They love it!!

Nurses "taking a stand" will have no impact whatsoever. I can't see it happening, either. If we were going to actually take a stand on anything, it wouldn't be to get more unit clerk support, it would be about patient ratios.

The phone is on my priority list somewhere around getting an extra chair for the room so the visitors can be comfortable.

When I recently had a loved-one in the hospital, we asked the nurse to please let the one designated family member know if there were any status changes. One of us was there most of the time during the day. We NEVER called to ask routine questions.

[mswhite]

I too get those stupid calls. the dumbest request came from a patient's wife who was at the facility...she was in her husband's room and called the front desk to ask me to come to the room and interpret what her husband is trying to tell her...he'd just had a stroke...I had to remind her that for one...im not an interpreter, and two...if she doesn't understand what he's saying...how can she expect me to understand him...these people have no understanding of how busy we get.

[kerric511]

'

HOW IS NORMA?

A sweet grandmother telephoned the hospital. She timidly asked, "Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?"

The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?"

The grandmother in her weak, tremulous voice said, "Norma Findlay room 302."

The operator replied, "Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse."

After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, "Oh, I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing very well. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work just came back as normal, and her physician has scheduled her to be discharged

on Tuesday."

The grandmother said, "Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news."

The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?"

The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in 302. No one tells me squat."

:chuckle: :chuckle:

I have no idea why this just struck me as so funny.... That totally just made my night!

[pinksugar]

Perhaps the hospital is cutting hours for their unit secretaries ... that is what mine is doing, anyway. Sometimes nurses can't get to the phone - there is no way that I am excusing myself from a patient's room to answer a ringing telephone at the desk.

FWIW, unless I have met you I wouldn't be giving you info over the phone anyway. Nurses have a duty to protect patients' private health info. I only give family members info over the phone if they have visited the patient and I have met them myself.