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?
Again, I will say, a patient does not have to be "mental" to be disgruntled. Anyone who has born the brunt of rudeness, inconsiderate behavior, etc etc knows how that feels. It's not pleasant, it makes one angry. If there is a not so great outcome attached to that rudeness, it does not take a mental patient to think about a lawsuit or at least talking to an attorney. I say that because I handle malpractice suits everyday and well treated patients do not sue. Patients with good outcomes do not sue. The combination of the two aforementioned problems a law suit does make. And I believe it goes back to the basics of good nursing care and compassion, empathy and decent manners don't hurt either.
All hospitals are beginning to have the 'touchy-feely' attitude that first we must respect the diversion of the patients and lets then talk about their medical care.
At the first hospital i worked for after graduating nursing school with all the expectations of 'helping' people, i ended up on a Trauma-Telemetry floor of a county hospital where the non-insurance and indigent patients were placed. There was a separate floor for those fortunate to have insurance. These 'patients' and i use that in quotes, knew how to play the system, play the hospital and play the administration for what they felt they were entitled to. As the only nurse of 'non-color' on the floor, patients felt i was not attuned to their needs. i never thought nursing required a certain skin color or ethnicity.... Imagine that!!
The final straw came when a patient, on my morning assesment told me to my face that he wanted a Black nurse, and no one else. When i confronted the charge nurse on the patients request, she point blank told me to 'deal with it'. When i dealt with it, the patient called the Patient Advocate of the hospital, and was removed form that patients care solely on the request of a patients 'color' or lack of 'color' preference.
By noon, i had given my resignation effective immediately. When the charge nurse said that wasnt professional, i said neither was my removal from patient care on the basis of my race. I told her to deal with it and take over for my shift.
Maybe it wasnt professional, but hospiatls have gone too far in treating nurses like indentured servants. Luckily i found a more 'nurse' friendly enviroment.
Take 30 seconds and explain. It may save their life. IF that doesn't work, document that they asked and you explained. What they do after that is up to them. The patient has rights and takes some responsibility for themselves when they do opposite of what you have told them.
I agree in theory, however...
A friend of mine was counseled and given a written warning after a situation like this. Even though several nurses had documented their attempts at education of this particular Pt over several shifts, when the Pt decided to undo his skin traction and tried to walk on a #NOF. The nurse in question was in another room helping a different Pt but should have anticipated a problem with this Pt and should have supervised him better. (this Pt was alert and oriented to time, person and place, just didn't want to use a pan.)
When are Pt's expected to take responsibility for themselves?
Let me say - I have been an RN for eleven years and I have seen my share of obnoxious patients and families. It is the simple, sometimes meaningless tasks that can make a patient/family content such as changing a bed, assisting with grooming, keeping them company, telling jokes, listening, trying within reason to provide familiar food, etc. The high-tech stuff we do and the endless charting, although necessary mean nothing to the patient who just wants some cool water or a friendly face. Nursing is a calling to me and I intend to always try to treat each patient as I would want my family treated - Believe me, I have experienced those nurses who are much too busy to nurse and it is frustrating and sad.
I hate to tell you this but hospitals are in tough competition for patients these days. They cannot afford to have angry patients, and there should be no reason for you to be so controlling and crass to your patients. You are in a service profession, and you are definitely replaceable. Wake up and kiss those a@*#s if that is what it takes. Make your hospital the place where nurses care. Happy patients do better, they don't sue, and they write nice evaluations with your name on them. Today's patients want more control. They do not want to be told, they want choices. It doesn't take much time to explain things and treat them nicely. Believe me, it is much easier to be nice than it is to try and get a job with a bad reference.
No, you are not delusional...you just don't understand the concept of patient care-or to use another term, "customer service". Hmmm, wonder why your patient was cranky and whiney??? Do you think it might have had something to do with the fact that he/she was physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually vulnerable as well as isolated? Do you think it might have had something to do with the patient picking up on the the non-verbal messages you were conveying? Do you think the patient might have been hurting...and I mean experiencing pain in a way that was new and frightening.
Your handling of the customer service rep. made me wonder what are your expectations of your role as a healthcare professional. . Regarding the cust. service rep...It's easy. Using whatever verbal skills you posess, you might have thanked her for trying to make your patient more comfortable and at the same time educated her. Then your next move would have been to let your charge nurse know that the customer serv. rep.'s mgr. needed to know what had happened. See, no one gets mad, it is an educational experience for you as well as for the serv. rep. and adds to the whole concept of patient safety. Hmmm! Nursing is a profession that requires advanced scientific and theoretical knowlege. In addition, it requires maturity, maturity and maturity. Putting all of that together we then are able to provide safe, empathetic (look it up) and professional care.
Lest you think I am a Pollyanna...I have been an RN for 28 years, LPN for 10 years and was a "NA" for 5 years. (That was before "CNA".) I have worked in everything from a very,very rural hospital in the state of Hawaii (one bed ER, 50 miles from a community hospital)to managing the third largest Level One trauma Center (ED) in the state of California. I have worked med/surg, ccu/tele and every other kind of nursng except OR. I have been a director of ED's and a nursing supervisor. I have worked with gang members who spent there time thinking up new names to call us (Fresno, Ca), different ethnic groups that initially didn't trust me because of the color of of my skin (Hawaii), peers that initially didn't trust me because I have continued attending conferences on many subjects even though I have lived in states with no CEU requirements (Hawaii, AZ, WA) for licensure.
I have spent the majority of my career dealing with issues that are caused by RN's that exhude your attitude. My suggestion is to move into another area of nursing rather than direct provision of patient care.
In my career I have worked with lots of staff and patients; nice people, scared people, angry people, happy people, grateful people, ungrateful people, getting well people and dying people. Focusing on those folks who are/ were staff I have worked with passionate people, from all areas of the hospital...and it has been a privilige. Catherine M. Meadows RN
LilyBlue.... you could have gone to the supermarket and gotten that cheddar cheese and made that sandwich for the mother.....
I'm being sarchastic! If this mother, who works in a doctors office and thinks she has all the credentials of an MD, was worried about the type of cheese in the sandwich and NOT the quality of care (of which i am sure you performed admitably), she should have been brought up on child abuse charges.
No wonder the younger nurses go for their masters immediately.. they want little to do with patient - oh I'm SORRY....... CUSTOMER - contact.
"At the first hospital i worked for after graduating nursing school with all the expectations of 'helping' people, i ended up on a Trauma-Telemetry floor of a county hospital where the non-insurance and indigent patients were placed. There was a separate floor for those fortunate to have insurance. These 'patients' and i use that in quotes, knew how to play the system, play the hospital and play the administration for what they felt they were entitled to. As the only nurse of 'non-color' on the floor, patients felt i was not attuned to their needs. i never thought nursing required a certain skin color or ethnicity.... Imagine that!!
The final straw came when a patient, on my morning assesment told me to my face that he wanted a Black nurse, and no one else. When i confronted the charge nurse on the patients request, she point blank told me to 'deal with it'. When i dealt with it, the patient called the Patient Advocate of the hospital, and was removed form that patients care solely on the request of a patients 'color' or lack of 'color' preference.
By noon, i had given my resignation effective immediately. When the charge nurse said that wasnt professional, i said neither was my removal from patient care on the basis of my race. I told her to deal with it and take over for my shift."
Creepy! I hate it when patients ask for an older nurse, a female or male nurse, or one who is of a different race. Hospitals should flatly refuse patient requests based on discrimination and they should send a representative to inform the patient that it is illegal to make decisions including patient assignment based upon this.
"A "nice nurse" is NOT synonomous with a "good nurse"!"
My question is....why can't you be both?
I guess I should have been more specific.
Some of us want so much to be liked by our patients that we avoid doing things/procedures/etc that patients perceive as uncomfortable.
In my example of fundal massage after delivery, when I was new to L&D nursing, a patient complained to me that the procedure hurt and asked me not to do it again--so I did not. And after I transferred her to postpartum, she fainted in the bathroom from blood loss secondary to uterine atony!
Another example was my father on a medical floor of a large hospital. The nurses would ask him if he wanted pain meds, he'd respond he was fine. Yet, when they came in to turn him, he declined to move and asked to be left alone--so they did. When I flew down to see him three weeks later, I turned him to find huge decubiti on his buttocks and heels.
I think one can be a KIND nurse and a GOOD nurse,
but not a nice, "I'll only do what you want me to do and doesn't hurt, so you will like me" nurse!
I think many folks see them as synonomous! I am polite and professional and friendly with the physicians I work with, many of whom I do NOT even LIKE.... but they don't know that by my behavior!
Same with patients. I treat them all with professional service.... but I am not a "suck-up", and I treat them all the same, regardless to race, creed, affluence. IF they are looking for "special treatment" such as being allowed to eat when MD orders NPO, I'm not the one they want taking care of them!
Customer service is definitely a big part of nursing and other medically related services. If a hospital has a bad reputation, customer-patients may take their business-their illness and their insurance or their money to the hospital with the better reputation. Customers do shop around for the best physician, the best hospital and the best care. When the facility or office doesn't have customers walking through the door, it impacts paying salaries and the overhead. While we all desire to be in the helping business, healthcare is a business.
Just fyi, being friends in a group that includes a few docs, I'm told that nursing care reflects on that doc's reputation, if customers complain loudly about the care a facility provides, the doc complains loudly. They realize that we get the complaints because we're on the ground with the patient but think that we should be more political, lobbying for better nurse ratios, better work conditions, etc., because these types of issues translate into better customer care. When asked if they support nurses (back us up with the hospital) they say that they try, but we have to realize that they are already negotiating with the facility of their own behalf.
Specializes in Telemetry, Home Health, Geriatrics.
Pendulum swinging? I highly doubt it - except maybe in this thread. Most modern parents and family members will definitely stay with their child in the hospital for as long as they are able to. How in the world does any modern nurse expect a child to recover in a strange place with surly nurses? "Surly" because any good nurse wouldn't resent having family members present.
"I don't know how old the poster's grandchildren are but most parents do go to the dentist with their young children and if this dentist is refusing to allow parents in the room I'm surprised that s/he is still getting business."
My kids' dentist has this policy because he states that kids (especially younger ones) tend to act out more with the parent's present. He is super nice and brings the parent back to explain in detail the findings afterward. While I was uncomfortable with this at first, my oldest 2 were fine. When my youngest (age 3) absolutely had a fit, the dentist allowed my daughter (age 8) to stay with him, which was comfort without parenting. The next time we went my son (age 3) was fine going back by himself.
In reality, for a short visit he's probably right although I don't think the it's the same for hospitalization.
joaniej231
17 Posts
Again, I will say, a patient does not have to be "mental" to be disgruntled. Anyone who has born the brunt of rudeness, inconsiderate behavior, etc etc knows how that feels. It's not pleasant, it makes one angry. If there is a not so great outcome attached to that rudeness, it does not take a mental patient to think about a lawsuit or at least talking to an attorney. I say that because I handle malpractice suits everyday and well treated patients do not sue. Patients with good outcomes do not sue. The combination of the two aforementioned problems a law suit does make. And I believe it goes back to the basics of good nursing care and compassion, empathy and decent manners don't hurt either.