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?
I had a complaint against me the other day from a nurse from another hospital who happened to come into the ER. She was very upset that she had to wait for me to clean her minor abrasions (not even bad enough for stitches) as there was a code going on that was taking up my and the other nurses time. I did go in and clean and dress her wound and did try and make her happy but she was not going to be consoled. States that another nursing professional should get first priority. Excuse me for doing CPR on someone guess she just did not get it. Even went so far as to stand in her doorway and critique the nurses running back and forth getting meds and arranging for transport to another hospital for this critical patient. She even went so far as to call admin and say that she advised the docs she worked with to not come in to this ER even if they were dying. I got called in and had to defend myself. Sure makes you re think your priorities.
Are you sure she was a nurse? She sounds kind of not quite right in the head. Why would she have to warn the docs she works with to stay away from another hospital? If they were able to choose an ER, you'd think they would gravitate to the one in the hospital where they work. And what kind of real nurse would say that she should get first priority just for being a nurse herself. That's just strange.
I am completely supportive of my COLLEAGUES, but I cannot support nurses who have forgotten how to CARE for others. I became a nurse to take care of patients, and their family members, those visitors you seem to discredit, are a vital part of their recovery. I did not become a nurse to coddle rude nurses with chips on their shoulders.
You have a good point there: a happy patient is a healthy patient.
On the contrary, I find Catherine's comments refreshingly honest. If any nurse is THAT unhappy in his/her job, it's time for a career change. Nursing is not a field for those who aren't totally committed to it. What is wrong with being nice while also being a competent nurse?
I had a complaint against me the other day from a nurse from another hospital who happened to come into the ER. She was very upset that she had to wait for me to clean her minor abrasions (not even bad enough for stitches) as there was a code going on that was taking up my and the other nurses time. I did go in and clean and dress her wound and did try and make her happy but she was not going to be consoled. States that another nursing professional should get first priority. Excuse me for doing CPR on someone guess she just did not get it. Even went so far as to stand in her doorway and critique the nurses running back and forth getting meds and arranging for transport to another hospital for this critical patient. She even went so far as to call admin and say that she advised the docs she worked with to not come in to this ER even if they were dying. I got called in and had to defend myself. Sure makes you re think your priorities.
Wow...I'm sorry this happened to you. As a fellow nurse, she should have known better, and should have expected you to take care of a critically ill patient before taking care of her.
I even wonder, if she had such a minor injury, why did she even come to the ER in the first place?
She's a putz, you should be proud to get called on the carpet for such a moron :). Course, I would say the same thing to her that I say to all my patients: "it is my duty to tend to the person most likely to die next if I don't do something" Triage doesn't end at triage! oh, and "have a nice day"
Wow, I am so glad someone brought this "customer service" subject up...
while you can be a nice nurse and a good, competent nurse, I think there must be a line drawn somewhere. Nurses need to have the authority to NOT give the milkshake, to remove family members for invasive or toileting procedures, and to be safe at their jobsite. Nurses need to be backed by mgmt, not hung out to dry ("what a bad nurse, she will get a talking to"). At my hospital, where I work med-surg day shift, I feel that the carpet has been pulled out from underneath us. The majority of the time, family members are helpful, nice and appreciative. And I agree that you don't have to kiss @ss to be nice to patients and family members. But the times that I've had violent, rude, hateful and threatening family members, I have never once been backed or supported by mgmt. Just day before yesterday, I had a man pull a knife on me. About two months ago, while chasing down an IV pump and pole (family was taking pt to smoke, which is not allowed), I got trapped in an elevator (trying to unhook IV line and take pump back, which I was told I would lose my job if IV pump or tele was lost on my watch), backed up in the corner and was threatened by the father of a 49f pt, he said he'd kill me if he got back to the floor and i was there.... told all this to charge, and she said you shouldn't have gotten on elevator (I know this now, but all I could think of then was losing that pump and my job with it), and "that's people"....
When will management ever be concerned for safety and well being of its staff? When does "customer service" go too far? When will the hospital allow us to have nursing judgment, and use a holistic approach when that doesn't include requests contradictory to pt's healing? It just seems that if a patient asked us to put on a clown costume and stand on our heads, we are expected to do that, too.
i respectfully submit that if you haven't read through all the posts, you don't know about the whole tone of the thread.
people seem to be taking their cues about how to behave when a family member is hospitalized from television shows like "er" and "house," or from the reader's digest and redbook articles that advise that if you love your family member, you should never leave their bedside, you should take notes about what the staff is doing to "prevent errors" and "ensure proper care" and that you should loudly and vociferously "advocate" for whatever it is you in your infinite wisdom think your family member needs. i'm all for visitors at the bedside if they're helpful and supportive. unfortunately, so few of them are -- even (and i'm embarrassed to admit this) my own family.
this is exactly the kind of thing i'm talking about, ruby!! i totally agree.. look, i have been a pt, had a child that has been a pt, so yes, i am aware of what it's like. but i swear there are some people who read those articles and take them so completely to heart that they often hinder their loved one's care, not to mention the care that i need to give the other pts. just the other day i had a pt whose family came in with her when she was transferred in from another unit. the first thing the dtr said to me was "my mother needs a nurse in here all the time, and i mean all the time." (her emphasis) i told her (politely, with a smile) that i do hourly rounding, and i'd be more than happy to come in more often if she needed something, just call. she said to me, rudely and arrogantly, "well, expect the call light about every five minutes then, cuz i said she needs a nurse all the time." i informed her (again politely) that it was unnecessary to call that often, i would be in, yada yada..but sure as heck, she called every 5-10 mins for the next hour (i'm not exaggerating) and got ticked when i finally told her she was being inappropriate and hindering my ability to care for the other pts i had. she complained. ok fine. but what gets me is--they (tptb) apologized!! whatwhatwhat?!? so lame!! the only apology necessary is hers; to me, and especially to my other pts. but she's the "customer", and the customer is always right..right? wrong! and that is the problem i have with "customer service". ridiculous.:icon_roll
I have always tried to be as nice as I can, but when you have a bunch of patients, and the family/friends are in the way or interfering with the patients recovery/treatment in any way..... Its time for them to go. I have been told I would be fired 10 times already by mgmt. I honestly could care less. I'm here to work, and treat people who need treatment. Not go get someones friend/wife/whatever a soda from down the hall or anything else of that nature.
I absolutely will not be intimidated by anyone, as I have stared in the faces of people who have actually tried to kill me while I was in the USMC. I have had several people in my face and I ask them to back up, and when that doesn't work (NEVER DOES) I tell them to back the hell up in a very serious manner, which tends to be more direct and works well.
It would have made my day if that guy would have pulled that knife on me. I would have been forced to take it away from him and beat him senseless with the handle of it.... Then bandaged him up while we talked about why he shouldn't have done that. Don't take crap off of people, life is too short to deal with their crap.
I have had MANY patients' families think that I will be staying in the room with the patient nonstop (did this used to be a common nursing practice?) I have also had patients families that say, "Mother will be needing her backrub around nine...please make sure your hands are warm".
Huh? Lady, I've got nine patients. I'm lucky, damn lucky, if I can even assess and medicate everyone by nine oclock tonight, if Mama wants a backrub, I'm sorry, but you'll have to do it.
i respectfully submit that if you haven't read through all the posts, you don't know about the whole tone of the thread.
yes, i've been a patient in the hospital, as has my husband and my father and my mother. i still maintain that visiting hours need to be brought back -- both as a nurse and as a consumer of healthcare. when i was a patient, my roommate's large, loud, burger-king eating family just on the other side of the curtain as i was suffering from a csf leak with all the accompanying nausea and vomiting did not enhance my hospital experience. i doubt very much that they enhanced hers much, either, as she screamed at them most of the day and night. (that didn't help my headache much, either!)
when my father was dying, unlimited visiting hours didn't do much for my mother, either. mother has alzheimer's, and she was almost impossible to pull away from the bedside to eat, sleep or go to the bathroom. (dad's roommate wasn't really enthused about my mother being in there when he needed to use it.) had the nurses insisted that we leave, it would have been far easier to remove my mother from the bedside so that she could eat or sleep -- and since i couldn't leave her there unsupervised, so that *i* could eat, sleep or use the bathroom.
people seem to be taking their cues about how to behave when a family member is hospitalized from television shows like "er" and "house," or from the reader's digest and redbook articles that advise that if you love your family member, you should never leave their bedside, you should take notes about what the staff is doing to "prevent errors" and "ensure proper care" and that you should loudly and vociferously "advocate" for whatever it is you in your infinite wisdom think your family member needs. i'm all for visitors at the bedside if they're helpful and supportive. unfortunately, so few of them are -- even (and i'm embarrassed to admit this) my own family.
On the contrary, I find Catherine's comments refreshingly honest. If any nurse is THAT unhappy in his/her job, it's time for a career change. Nursing is not a field for those who aren't totally committed to it. What is wrong with being nice while also being a competent nurse?
i repeat, this is a VENT thread....and since when is rudeness, and making assumptions "refreshing" or "honest"?
I think this entire thread illustrates the frustration nurses have today. You go into each patient's room with a smile on your face, and try and be pleasant and helpful, yet when you tell a patient "no, you cannot do that", you have the "Patient Advocate", "Ombudsman", and mgmt. breathing down your neck. These are the reasons why you hear all this "negativity" from myself and others. It's not because we all should have went into another profession, it's because the situation breeds this kind of attitude. Understaffing, difficult patients and their "Burger King-have it your way" attitude is perpetuated by Press-Gainey and nursing mgmt. The hospital I worked at began giving out parking/meal vouchers to anyone who complained, guess what? All of a sudden there were alot more complaints, it's negative reinforcement. I used to enjoy working at the bedside, but this type of stuff is why I have one more year of CRNA school and will not miss bedside nursing.
so lame!! the only apology necessary is hers; to me, and especially to my other pts. but she's the "customer", and the customer is always right..right? wrong! and that is the problem i have with "customer service". ridiculous.:icon_roll
Brita01
350 Posts
Are you sure she was a nurse? She sounds kind of not quite right in the head. Why would she have to warn the docs she works with to stay away from another hospital? If they were able to choose an ER, you'd think they would gravitate to the one in the hospital where they work. And what kind of real nurse would say that she should get first priority just for being a nurse herself. That's just strange.