Professionalism and Nurses

how the patient wants us to refer to him/her.

Professionalism and nursing. A hot button issue for me.

Not that nurses need to act formal and stiff 100% of the time to their patients; after all, to many patients the hospital or LTC is their home. With our constant referring to patients as clients, however, you'd think that our treatment of them would coincide.

I always try to relate our profession back to others.

Would an attorney first meeting his client for the first time come skipping in and say "Hi Ray?"

Would a bank executive make a big deal about his "uniform" (a shirt and tie, or pant suit) and complain it's not conducive to his work?

Why do we, as nurses, do these things?

how the patient wants us to refer to him/her.

That answer is a cop-out. This was the first time she had been in the room, how could she have possibly known how he prefers to be addressed by her?

Now see, I kind of don't agree with all this. I do address patients by their first name, but then again, I'm in neuro, so sometimes that's all a pt. knows is their first name! LOL :chuckle

However, I do not come "bee-bopping" in either. I conduct myself in a very professional manner and take my job very seriously.

IMHO, I don't believe that just by calling someone "Mr. Smith" or "Dr Jones" necessarily constitutes being "professional". Being professional is a way of acting and speaking....not just what you say alone.

So, to answer your questions...yes, I address my patients by their first name and I even (gasp) address many doctors by their first name.

IMHO, I don't believe that just by calling someone "Mr. Smith" or "Dr Jones" necessarily constitutes being "professional". Being professional is a way of acting and speaking....not just what you say alone.

So, to answer your questions...yes, I address my patients by their first name and I even (gasp) address many doctors by their first name.

I also address doctors by their first name -- unless I DON'T respect them!

IMHO, I don't believe that just by calling someone "Mr. Smith" or "Dr Jones" necessarily constitutes being "professional". Being professional is a way of acting and speaking....not just what you say alone.

/QUOTE]

and that's just it...what makes you a professional? it is a way of acting, speaking and being.

it is being able to maintain oneself in the face of adversity.

it is a philosophy that commands to treat others as you would want to be treated.

it is being able to keep your chin up when they've just shot you down.

it is a sense of pride of who you are as a person then a nurse.

it's about maintaining one's dignity when others treat you with contempt.

and it's about plowing forward to pull for your patient when your superiors are withholding treatments for the sake of the almighty $.

so, it is indeed staying true to oneself, for all that it entails.

I think some of you are reading too much into the question. Yes, there are times when calling a pt by there first name is appropriate, and I agree with "Miss Ethel." That's the way I do it.

I am talking about a med-surg unit, guess I should have made that clear in my original post. He is alert and oriented though his sats drop so low at times he does zone out a bit, and if he didn't first respond to Mr. F (oh, that just doesn't look right! and he's my daddy! LOL) I would then say Ray.

But that was not the case, he was sitting in the chair having conversation with two of his daughters, two of his grandchildren, a granddaughter-in-law and a great granddaughter.

Oh, this nurse really ticked me off. Not only did she practically run into the room as my sister and (part of) her family were leaving, bumping into my sister who then, trying to catch her balance landed on my knee (torn menisci and ligaments) she addressed my dad as if she had known him for years.

Sad part is, he is very respectful of nurses (he has a nurse daughter and a nurse granddaughter) and would not give direction to them. He should, but that is not the way most older people were brought up. As I earlier suggested to a student not to confront her instructor in front of the class, he believes he should not confront a "professional" in front of other people.

Kind of a catch 22 if you ask me, but that's the way people used to be raised. And, he would consider her behavior as "just one of those things" with people now-a-days and not bring it up later.

We are having a care plan (more like a DNR? meeting I think?) meeting early this afternoon and I fully intend to bring this up. He's nearly 82 and his lungs are about as full as they can get before overflowing, without the assist of a cough and it just keeps getting worse. Very worried about him. The sypmtoms are endless, but alertness is not generally a problem (except when his sats dropped to the low 80s for a time.)

I ALWAYS call patients Mr or Ms until they ask me to do otherwise. Our Chief asked me to call him by his first name, but I have a very hard time doing that.

Why is that? I both like and respect him.

So she came into the room happily and addressed your father by his first name? That doesn't sound unprofessional. It sounds like she was just trying to make him feel comfortable in his environment. What I don't agree with is how she asked you whether he prefers Ray or Raymond. She should have asked your father that herself. I just don't see the big to do about being addressed by your first name. Lighten up.

...Jennifer...

Well, here's my $.02 worth...

On a m/s floor or any floor where you might see the patient only a day, perhaps two, three, even a week, ... then yes, I would first addresse him by his proper name... this has nothing to do strictly with NURSING per se, or even "professionalism"... just common courtesy.

Just the way I was raised perhaps.. but I do think we should wait until we become more familiar with the patient before we addresse by first name. Unless, of course, the patient offers with "oh, just call me Ray.. that would be fine !" Then, certainly, I would be happy to do just that.

As for the bippidy-boppidy nurse... I would not hold that against her... not at all.

As a patient, I would FAR prefer a spunky, happy nurse with a smile on her face, ready to reach out and be friendly than one who is all business.

Where I work, we addresse ALL our patients by first name... and many are quite elderly. Yet when they first come to us, we do use the "Mr./Mrs." ...at least long enough for introductions. :chuckle Before the day is out, they are on first name basis, and #1> They like it that way... and #2> They know they're going to be with us from this day forth, so they are joining a "family" of sorts.

I can see how it might have rubbed you the wrong way, but as mentioned above, there are certainly bigger fish to fry and I would be more concerned with the quality of her CARE as opposed to a friendly, smiling "Hi, Ray!"

I, too, would say "lighten up" ... but at this time where you are preoccupied with and worried over your dear Dad's health, it might just be more bothersome to you.

Wish your father well, and a most speedy and full recovery. :)