nurse talking on phone..

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Oct 28, 2008

As usual, awful readers comments.

I wouldn't dream of doing this either. How unprofessional. However...........

We have a unit cell phone. We are meant to carry it on our person at all times. I'm now refusing to take it into patients rooms with me because it's a pain in the neck. I was halfway through a dressing change when it rang, doctor on the line. I had been warned she had called twice before. When I told the doctor I was in the middle of a dressing change and couldn't really go back to the desk to find out information from the chart but would call her right back she said "No you won't! I've called twice before and the charge nurse said you were in a patients room"

So that left the patient mid dressing change for about ten minutes, also (I'm in the USA) it's a HIPAA violation or privacy violation on the part of the patient.

Also had an incident where I was doing a gravity tube feed on a patient. Both hands tied up. Helpful patient, bless him, said "Can I get that phone for you?"

Also big infection control issue. I took gloves off to answer it when I was doing the dressing change but this phone goes from nurse to nurse at shift change. I just wipe it with alcohol every time I get it.

I do think that when I'm on it most people probably assume I'm chatting to a friend or something.

Savonarola · Oct 28, 2008

I´ve seen this with one of our senior sisters several times during the ward round. But she leaves the room then when her phone rings...

Silverdragon102, BSN · Oct 28, 2008

I wouldn't even consider taking my mobile phone onto the ward with me, it stays in my bag and will check when on my break otherwise left it alone. What was she thinking

RGN1 · Oct 28, 2008

I wouldn't even consider taking my mobile phone onto the ward with me, it stays in my bag and will check when on my break otherwise left it alone. What was she thinking

You & me both, if it's an emergency my family can ring the unit!

cheshirecat · Oct 28, 2008

My phone stays in my bag. It gets taken out at lunch to check for messages, and when I have finished my shift.

But Karen G - why are you buying the trashy newspaper The Mail. I am sick to death of the rubbish it prints about nurses, ie, we are all lazy, incompetent, whores (or words to that effect).

I call on a nurses ban of The Mail. Go and read a decent newspaper that employs journalists who can actually write decent articles.

karenG · Oct 28, 2008

My phone stays in my bag. It gets taken out at lunch to check for messages, and when I have finished my shift.
But Karen G - why are you buying the trashy newspaper The Mail. I am sick to death of the rubbish it prints about nurses, ie, we are all lazy, incompetent, whores (or words to that effect).
I call on a nurses ban of The Mail. Go and read a decent newspaper that employs journalists who can actually write decent articles.

oh by 'eek lass....

I read the telegragh most of the time but..

my patients read the mail, in particular they read the health pages which they then bring in to me.. and I get articles shoved under my nose with 'hey nurse.. have you seen this miracle cure for ...'.. so I read it to stay one step ahead!!

also.. said nurse works at my local hospital so the patients are very upset about this!

cheshirecat · Oct 28, 2008

I will let you off Karen G. But I am calling for a ban by nurses of The Mail. Like you, I much prefer The Telegraph which employs decent journalists.

I don't know, journalists in my day where much better trained. They got off their bums and worked. Did not try and pretend they are professionals.

I say bring back Editor!!!!

mama_d, BSN, RN · Oct 28, 2008

I also carry my cell phone with me at work, but it's set to vibrate and I would NEVER answer it in a patient's room. We also have those stupid phones that every nurse and tech on our unit gets assigned so that people can get a hold of us no matter where we are...I'm always sure to make some comment about the "required to carry" part when it rings when I'm in a patient's room so that they'll understand it's not a personal phone.

PedsAtHeart, LPN · Oct 28, 2008

I carry my cel phone at work, but it stays on vibrate. I don't work in a hospital setting either. But there is a nurse here who keeps her ringer on and it goes off all the time with these loud annoying songs and I find it very rude and inappropriate at work.

cariad · Oct 29, 2008

i carry my cell phone at all times, its always on vibrate and i ignore it in my pocket until i am free to call back. i work nights, dh has a bad heart, poor mobility and sometimes needs to get in touch with me, and he always calls to check in with me before he goes to bed, hes in the house on his own, and i need to know that he is ok.

allnurses Guide · Oct 29, 2008

Have to be honest I tend to leave my phone in my office, if anyone needs me urgently they know to phone switchboard and aske them to bleep me.