Personal calls received on work phone? What should I have done?

[starfishlpn]

Okay I work noc shift on a very small unit just me and a couple of aides. A man called and asked to speak with one of the CNAs that was not normally scheduled to work that day. I responded, after pausing to think about it, 'she isn't working to night'. He seemed surprised to hear this and then asked me for my name.

I was honest but because he asked my name I almost feel like my words may be used for foul or this might come back on me. I don't know the whole story, but it isn't my job to lie for anyone, nor was I asked to. Am I just being paranoid? How should I have responded?

[Emergency RN]

I wouldn't worry about it. You have no obligation to screen calls for any employee. If they're not on duty, then you were entirely truthful. It's up to them to clarify whatever misunderstanding it is with regards to the caller.

Giving one's name when speaking on an "official business" line is generally considered a professional requirement. It was in every place that I ever worked.

You did exactly as I would have done.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Any job I've had, personal calls were not allowed - period.... didn't matter if it was a cell phone, unit phone, sky writing, or smoke signals....If it was an emergency, I'd take the information, and tell the employee right away- let them decide how urgent it was. I wasn't going to be the one to say if someone had a real emergency- but I did take note of who had "emergencies" often.

I didn't tell people someone wasn't there, but I didn't always confirm either. "I don't see him/her right now- if I see him/her, can I tell them who they should call?" Then if it was someone creepy, they didn't get directly through...if they're ok, the employee could wait until their break, or if it was urgent, return the call then.

Usually it wasn't an issue. If an employee very, very rarely got personal calls, I'd get them right away. One night, it was the police telling a nurse that someone had tried to break into her house w/her kid there (neighbors had a babysitting arrangement- and the kid wasn't "little", but young enough to go home and see about). She looked like she was going to panic- knowing she'd have to leave her patients w/some stuff not done....I told her to go. Just go- I'd deal with the supervisor, and the rest of us would make sure to check MARs (another reason to always chart meds when they're given), and go see about her kid. Not even a question where she needed to be.... but she had a rep of not getting a lot of calls. I saw her in the parking lot a couple of days later, and she hugged me like she'd never let go- thanking me for letting her go (wasn't necessary to thank me). She wasn't used to charge nurses not having someone be sure their stuff was done before leaving.

Most of the time, I'd take messages (though didn't feel I had to- just didn't want to be responsible for not telling them if something bad was going on). :)

[heathert_kc]

Well this was a very rare incident, I mean this is the age of texting ans smart phones. No one ever gets calls on the office phones

[wooh, BSN, RN]

I don't confirm if employees are there for safety reasons. I usually go with something like the "I don't see them right now" (like above) if they aren't there.

[xtxrn, ASN, RN]

Well this was a very rare incident, I mean this is the age of texting ans smart phones. No one ever gets calls on the office phones

Really? Your employer is paying you to work. Not keep your social life jumping. :) Every facility I worked in over 19 years had "no personal call" policy, and they didn't care if it was by carrier pigeon. The point isn't technology- it's about proper work etiquette. And in some cases safety.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I'll never forget the day that a staff member called out sick. Around 1400, he gets a call from a woman who sounds rather panicked. I usually won't put through personal calls unless it is an emergency-I will tell the caller to call the staff member's personal cell. The woman said that she was so-and-so's wife, and she needed to speak to him urgently.

Wow. AWKWARD!!!!

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

We had a creepy patient that turned stalker on one of our nurses. He called and said he was from her kid's school, and was she at work, he needed to speak to her immediately. Unit secretary says, "let me go get her," comes back, no one on the phone. Kid's schools hadn't called. Guy was waiting for her in the parking lot after work. I guess he didn't realize that a lot of people got off at the same time, and when he popped up behind her car, she screamed and an alert security guard and a bunch of guys from the ER and radiology came running. Guy got picked up for stalking.

Unless it's your family and I know their voices AND that you'd want me to tell them, I don't tell anybody anything. That incident happened right after I started nursing, and it put the fear of God in all of us about telling an unknown caller anything.

[Poi Dog]

I don't confirm if employees are there for safety reasons. I usually go with something like the "I don't see them right now" (like above) if they aren't there.

I do the same thing per company policy.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

long ago, when i was young and stupid, a guy called up and asked for our charge nurse. she wasn't on that day, and he asked me when she was coming in. god help me, i looked it up and told him. turns out he was her estranged husband and was waiting for her in the parking lot when she came to work with her child (we had hospital-based daycare). he was planning to take the child and kill her. only sheer luck saved her . . . a cop was dropping off his girlfriend at work and knew that there was a warrant out for the estranged husband.

these days, i just say "yes, he/she works here," and that's all the information i give them. if they're insistent, i refer them to the manager during the day or the nursing supervisor at night. usually it never gets that far.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

I agree with Emergency. I am not a social secretary. The person is either available or not. Not my problem, either way.

[caliotter3]

"I'm sorry but I am not allowed to give out that information". Have never given out personal information about anyone, anywhere I have worked.