Nursing, the field of medicine or customer service?

[jalvino1]

I'm sorry, but I didn't realize I signed up to please the customer. While the nurses go around reminding the patients this is a hospital, not a hotel, we get notices that we SHOULD make these people feel like they're in a hotel. Or "even if you know they're wrong, you should apologize and let them know that they're right" THIS IS AN ACTUAL MEMO THAT APPEARED IN MY MAILBOX.

... oh but it gets worse.

I got tapped on the shoulder by the "hospital customer service rep" telling me this patient (customer) really really wants a milkshake and would really make her day if she could have a milkshake. And I tell this rep this patient just had a bowel resection yesterday and not only can she NOT have a milkshake, but she probably can't even have water, even ice, for the next couple days. I spend all day listening to this patient whine and complain, and now the hospital has provided her a rep to follow me out in the hallway to whine and complain. And neither of them can admit that although a milkshake would make the patient really happy for about 15 mins, going back to surgery and prolonging the recovery would not. I know there's a lot of things in the medical field that seem downright cruel. But if we go by "the customer is always right" keep the patient/customer happy, there will be consequences.

Should customer service be #1 priority? Or am I just being delusional believing that patient safety is more important than patient satisfaction?

[Whispera, MSN, RN]

The milkshake request was just silly, and the customer service rep apparently didn't understand the implications of giving it. I hope the rep quit asking when you explained. Sometimes patients are just needy and make ridiculous requests. That's part of being human and can be part of being needy too. Neediness comes out more when a person is not feeling well.

That being said, we are a caring profession and it's our mission to do everything we can to help our clients become holistically well. That seems to fit into the concept of customer service. We are a service profession.

Of course safety comes first though.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I wish healthcare facilities could go back to the old days of limited visitation hours instead of the ridiculous 24-hour open visitation policies that many places have enacted. It would make my job easier and safer if I didn't have 10 visitors in the room at 9pm who refuse to leave for invasive procedures.

Of course, I'm practicing "bad customer service" by even daring to ask these people to step out for a moment.

In addition, management does absolutely nothing when patients and families curse, swear, make threats, or act in a menacing manner.

[twistedpupchaser]

I am realy bad at customer service, I am happy telling the Pt's family to leave, telling the Pt "No!" I am however, a bloody good nurse. I see my role as someone who treats the Pt in a holistic manner, ensuring the best possible outcome. I use education where relevant, "I know Grandad would like you here but do you realy think he wants you to watch as I insert a tube in his member so he can urinate? In fact he probably would not need it if you lot would give him some privacy so he didn't get stage-fright." If education does not work I read the Pt their horoscope, "If I let you eat/drink that beore your surgery you will likely die like a rockstar.(drown in your vomit) and if the drowning doesn't kill you, it will weaken you enough that the infection will have a good chance." If that doesn't work I, get the MO to explain it in nicer terms.

I have had a few complaints but each one was written because I did the right thing for my Pt and I used the defence of "preventable death and fiscal irresponsibility" to confirm my position.

[itsmyturn]

Yeah, bring back the visiting hours. What gets me is those married people who have been together say 40 years and when the other half goes into the hospital, the other one is there caring for their every whim and letting you know that everything you do is wrong! I agree that clients should be treated well after all, without their money I would not have a place to work but the a#$ kissing has got to stop.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I

wish healthcare facilities could go back to the old days of limited visitation hours instead of the ridiculous 24-hour open visitation policies that many places have enacted. It would make my job easier and safer if I didn't have 10 visitors in the room at 9pm who refuse to leave for invasive procedures.

I also wish they would bring back the "visitor card" system. Before someone could even enter the nsg unit, they needed to check in and get a visitors card. If too many people were already visiting that pt. they couldn't get in. This would prevent incidences like I had this weekend where I had to throw out a son who was upsetting his mother.

[RedCell]

Nursing is NOT the field of medicine

[kellykelly]

It's medicine AND customer service, sorry. Obviously there are times when things simply can't be allowed for their safety for medical reasons, but hell if a couple that's been married 40 years wants to stay together I say let them. Get the other half a recliner and a pillow and tell them how happy you are that they're here to help watch Harry or Betty when you can't be in the room. I absolutely EXCEL at kissing patient/family asses and I don't mind owning it.

Makes the job a lot more pleasant for everyone when they think you're on their team, not just there to enforce a bunch of rules. I think they're more likely to listen to WHY the rules are in place when you're willing to do everything else in your power to make someone happy. I joke with them a lot. I have no problem saying no when it's needed, but on the other hand I get really fed up with nurses on a power trip enforcing rules just because they want to be seen as In Charge Of The Whole Situation. (I'm not accusing anyone here of this necessarily, just saying what I've observed)

[DeepFriedRN]

If education does not work I read the Pt their horoscope, "If I let you eat/drink that beore your surgery you will likely die like a rockstar.(drown in your vomit) and if the drowning doesn't kill you, it will weaken you enough that the infection will have a good chance." quote]

:rotfl: I LOVE THIS!! I may just borrow it...

I suck at the customer service thing...I am, however, a very good nurse. Frankly, I just don't have time to kiss people's a$$es in general, so I'm certainly not going to take the time to do it at work, when I'm supposed to be, you know, WORKING.

[ozoneranger]

Have you ever headed out of a patient room only to hear the patient call out...."oh, waitress?"

Yea.....gotta love that.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

It's medicine AND customer service, sorry.

Nursing is not the field of medicine. The medical model is drastically different from the nursing model.

Nursing is not medicine. Medicine is not nursing. Nurses don't practice medicine, and doctors don't practice nursing.

[sunray12]

Nursing is a service (and so is medicine for what it's worth). People show up when they are sick – they are the customers. Nurses take care of them and help them get better - the care = service. Hospitals aren’t hotels but they have to serve their customers aka patients well or customers will stop coming and nurses will be out of jobs. Hospitals may have been able to get away with treating people badly and still making a profit back in the bad old days but those days are gone (thankfully) and they aren’t coming back. OP could have kept her own BP down and told the CS rep or the patient nicely that she knows how they feel but they just can’t have a milkshake right now because ____ (fill in the blank with the nurse stuff translated into regular speak). Treat your patients as you’d like yourself or your loved one to be treated. If you were the one in the bed and that can happen to any of us it wouldn’t make you happy to be paying for a crotchety or surly nurse.