What is it with nurses and cell phones? Just a vent.

Nurses Professionalism

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Recently my hospital has upgraded or introduced multiple new computer programs that have required almost every level of nurse from bedside to administration to attend class in order to use the new technology. I have assisted in teaching numerous classes and before each we ask that cell phones be silenced and put away, that if anyone must make or take a call or text to please exit the room and return when done, and not to text while in class or you will be asked to leave. Despite this every class we have multiple violators and the majority when asked to leave are not embarrassed but become angry when asked to follow rules and be respectful of educators and classmates. I can't say it's any one age group since I've had 22 year olds to 70 year olds as the culprits. Sometimes I just have to shake my head at what passes for professionalism these days. This is just a vent, not looking for validation. Have a great day!

Do you REALLY need to be in constant touch?

When my mom was dying, and I was unable to be there, YES I needed to be in constant touch!

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
It's funny you bring this up. I was in my BLS CPR class yesterday & noticed all the people looking DOWN at their phones, instead of up and listening. My first thought was 'please don't let those two find me in cardiac arrest' lol and, my main point:

HOW do they learn if they're not paying attention?? In any class?

It may be that they've all taken the class before, but I can't imagine anything more rude to the teacher than to have to look out at a sea of people ignoring them. I'd be tempted to just walk out the back door if it were me. So yeah, I do think even texting should be limited because generally everyone believes their reason is very important as we can tell by some of the examples here.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
Yes. How would you feel if you got home from class, the house was empty with nothing but a note from your husband saying he took one of your kids to the hospital because of a fall or something.

The times it happened I was fine with it, because he was a competent adult and a parent. If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have left the children with him.

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The times it happened I was fine with it, because he was a competent adult and a parent. If I didn't trust him, I wouldn't have left the children with him.

Unfortunately I don't live in a perfect world and circumstances arise. My husband isn't what you would call "domesticated" but I have no other alternative.

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.
Yes. How would you feel if you got home from class, the house was empty with nothing but a note from your husband saying he took one of your kids to the hospital because of a fall or something. Yes, maybe not all, but some of us mothers need to be in constant contact. It is peace of mind knowing that you can be reached if something is not ok. I am not used to being away from my kids and I need that.

Not to seem dense, but how does staying in constant contact change this situation, other than you going straight to the hospital instead of home and then the hospital? And, if you wait until class is over and check your phone, you don't even have the detour.

My child is everything to me, but if he had a fall and needed to go to the hospital, I could wait to find out until it didn't interrupt everyone else. I think we have all just grown so accustomed to being available every second that we are unable to stand the thought of it not being so.

When my father-in-law died, my husband and I were camping and had no cell service. We didn't find out about it until the next day. There is NOTHING we could have done to keep him from dying by finding out the day before. It was horrible that we lost him, and we still feel his loss terribly, but he would have passed regardless of us having cell service or not.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.
I don't think I could concentrate knowing that I couldn't be reached in case of an emergency.

Then you might want to rethink employment outside the home at this time in your life.

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Some nurses are evil. I am not a nurse yet but will be. And I will make sure Im an exception.

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Not to seem dense, but how does staying in constant contact change this situation, other than you going straight to the hospital instead of home and then the hospital? And, if you wait until class is over and check your phone, you don't even have the detour.

My child is everything to me, but if he had a fall and needed to go to the hospital, I could wait to find out until it didn't interrupt everyone else. I think we have all just grown so accustomed to being available every second that we are unable to stand the thought of it not being so.

When my father-in-law died, my husband and I were camping and had no cell service. We didn't find out about it until the next day. There is NOTHING we could have done to keep him from dying by finding out the day before. It was horrible that we lost him, and we still feel his loss terribly, but he would have passed regardless of us having cell service or not.

Wow. Seriously? I could not "wait"to find out about an emergency about my children. Never. Everyone keeps saying, oh what did you do before you had cell phones, well I'm 37 and I know exactly how it was before cell phones, I lived in that time. But the times have changed and it has made our lives easier. I know my mom was grateful to me when I was able to reach her via cell phone in Aruba to let her know to come home quickly because her father was dying and they didn't expect him to live more than 48 hrs. My mom hopped on a plane right away and was able to say good bye. And yes a cell phone was the saving grace because if I didn't have my cell phone, then my aunt wouldn't have been able to get in touch with me at work to tell me to get in touch with my mother. And since I was at work, I didn't have my moms hotel phone number with me so getting in touch with her via cell phone was what i had to do. I have a very ill grandmother with dementia and sever arthritis and I need to know if something is wrong as well as anything wrong with my children. Like I said before, I could never wait to hear.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Yup. I will say it. I'm not putting mine away. EVER. I am a mother of three and a wife and if someone in my family needs me then I at least, want to know that someone called. Sure. I will step out of the room and will refrain from texting or emailing during class but otherwise, feel free to fire me for keeping the phone out on the desk. Go for it. Do I see the point in adopting the policy? Sure. Hopefully, the policy adopters also get mine.
Wonder how we all managed to be raised/raise our kids without instant access?
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Then you might want to rethink employment outside the home at this time in your life.

Not an option. Have you not heard about how hard it is economically. I really don't think me needing to be in contact with my loved ones when they need me constitutes whether or not I can get a job. You really don't know me and I don't think you are in a position to say something like that. I am doing this to better my family's life because they mean the world to me and if they need me I will be there in a heartbeat.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
Yes. How would you feel if you got home from class, the house was empty with nothing but a note from your husband saying he took one of your kids to the hospital because of a fall or something. Yes, maybe not all, but some of us mothers need to be in constant contact. It is peace of mind knowing that you can be reached if something is not ok. I am not used to being away from my kids and I need that.

Yes, and as Super Mom you could have saved the day and avoided the hospital visit IF ONLY YOU'D RECEIVED THAT TEXT THE SECOND IT CAME IN!!!! I bet your child would have thought you'd abandoned her if you'd have showed up at the ER 10 minutes later just because you couldn't get your text when you wanted it!

I guess I'd have felt like my mom when she came back from a dinner date with my dad to find that the neighbors had taken me to the ER for falling out of a treehouse. I was 11. They weren't at the ER with me for like an hour and a half. I'm 37 now and still emotionally scarred from that. I totally hate my mother for it. I bet I'd be a better person if we'd had cell phones back then and she could have gotten to me sooner.

Please people, get real.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.

My goodness...leave your names please, I don't want you as my nurse or my employees if you can't detach from your kids for 2 hours.

Anyone remember the days when all of your self-worth wasn't associated with your progeny?

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