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?
We have actually been told not to tell patients how to lose weight or that they need to lose weight because that might offend them. The day I was told that, I realized that bedside nursing was a hopeless profession for me - now I just view it as a job, not as a profession. I'm there to kiss ass and make people happy, and actual "healthcare" does not really exist anymore.
I often tell patients, by the way, that I am a nurse not a policeman. I explan that the doctor has ordered them to be NPO and why, and what will happen if they decide to drink a milkshake. Then, if they still drink a milkshake, I document it and go about my life.
I was actually informed by an irritated patient (of another nurse whose call bell I was nice enough to answer) as I helped her to the bathroom the other day, that she had NOT been "waited on" like she wanted this hospitalization, and that the hospital CEO would be receiving a letter about it. I kindly said how sorry I was that her experience was not as good as she hoped, went on the do several things for her in the room (fluff the pillow, get a warm wash cloth, etc), then left the room rolling my eyes. . .you just can't please some people. However, I do try to make them happy. . .then complain about it at the nursing station.
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.
Yea I'm ashamed to admit that not only am I fully aware of this, but have frequently given the same speech when asked "you're so smart, why didn't you become a doctor?" We can create a whole other thread venting about people confusing the two.
In the meantime, I haven't been back to this site in months, possibly years, and I'm trying to get back into it to find another outlet. I was nervous that I wouldn't get any responses so i was just trying to find a catchy title. So I am a little embarrased to flame my own pet peeve, but hey, you responded... so it worked.
But back to subject, I did very politely explain to the rep the reason as to why the pt. can't have a milkshake, but it took me longer than I thought to have the rep (still not understand but) accept this fact, and at the end of the conversation she looked at me as if I were purposely torturing this pt. I felt guilty enough telling the pt, and pt's family, and now I have to explain it to the hospital staff who's suppose to be on my side. I'm just annoyed because I'm trying to do my job, and do it well, but if the pt's not happy, does that make me a bad nurse? When pt. safety and pt. satisfaction contradict, how could people choose satisfaction over safety?
Specializes in Home Care, Primary care NP, QI, Nsg Adm.
Their are two customers. The patient and the staff. (internal and external customers-straight up health administration)
Customer service is part of health administration and it will not go away. It is part of the often intense competition between health care organizations.
The cust. rep needs to be educated. Requests that go counter to patient treatments can not be met. This needs to be explained to the rep and the patient. You can handle the patient but the rep should be dealt with through management. I would document the reps request and your (correct) response then follow it through. In writing is best and professionally written. Don't insinuate a divide between administrations customer service orientation and nursing care needs of the patient.
If the patient is still "whining" be patient and explain the consequences. If she continues to complain bring in a senior person or the patients physician is probably better and let them explain. There is a management adage about taking the 'monkey off your back and putting on someone elses.' This is not your 'monkey', so put it where is belongs. I have learned over the years about this monkey and to effectively not accept a 'monkey' that does not belong to me.
I prefer to care for the person that I am there for, not the other half who is sending me off getting them a meal tray or more ice or a bed for them to sleep in and taking my time away from the sick one. I just spent an hour yesterday getting the blood cleaned up out of my patients bed, on him and his wife because she felt that his IV was loose so when she TRIED to stick it back in rather than ask me to help her, it popped out. After that happened, rather than CALL me, she decided to take every single tissue in the room and hold it to the wound because she did not want me to get upset with her. He now has this awful, large bruise that I have to chart that was not done by me. That was in a 30 min. span. NOT every patient's better half is like this but it takes from my original goal of caring for this patient. So, yes, visiting hours need to come back so that patient can get relief from the wanna b nurse!
LilyBlue
288 Posts
We have actually been told not to tell patients how to lose weight or that they need to lose weight because that might offend them. The day I was told that, I realized that bedside nursing was a hopeless profession for me - now I just view it as a job, not as a profession. I'm there to kiss ass and make people happy, and actual "healthcare" does not really exist anymore.