MissyS

I agree that "customer service" is great. I have no problem including the family in the care and keeping them informed of what's going on. However, the hospital I work for has decided it spends too much money on free coffee, so now we can't give that to them. There is no food available at night for diabetics that need it. I have no problem giving a blanket to a cold relative as long as I have enough to give to my patients that are undressed and ill. I think one of the biggest roles the RN plays is in setting limits on people's behavior in the ER. Explainations do go far for most people but there are always holdouts. No matter what you say to them, they won't be happy. I feel like telling them, I didn't ask you to come in here, you know, you chose to. You couldn't handle the situation at home, so now please listen to me. That is a 2 edged sword too. Customer service is great on days when volunteers are there to meet those needs. At night, it just isn't going to happen. How can we educate the public on what their expectations should be so they are not disappointed? Maybe that's where this should go. With the government making new regulations every day, nurses, as patient advocates, should let the public know what their government is doing for them.

Our Er is going to "pods" as a nursing delivery system. It sounds great in theory, but I do have some concerns. The nurses working with me are mostly new grads. Has anyone worked the system and how do you like it? ------------------ Missy

I hate holding admits in the ED. One night last week, I had 4 working ED beds out of 40 because of all the admissions. It is OK for the ED nurse to have a ratio of 8:1, but not OK for the floor nurses? Something is wrong here. I don't know the answer, but I think the practice is unsafe.

Back in th 80's, the hospital I worked for began the customer service routine. The nurses hated it. We give care,not service. If the physicians want to be a service industry that is up to them. They shouldn't drag nursing into it. We give care, not service. When a family member complains about the service, that is my answer. This isn't a grocery store. The sickest are taken care of first. Allows hospitals and physicians to turn us into a service industry will delete from our autonomy and uniqueness.

I am currently getting my degree at UOP, online. It is expensive, but a good program and it is great not to have to go to class. I have worked with RN's from Reagents. They have no clinical backround and are seriously lacking drug information. The only skill I haven't had to teach them is hand washing. It is possible to learn needed skills at work, but I feel their program is dangerous.

I have worked 8,10, and 12 hour shifts. The 8 hr shifts are the easiest to get through, but you have to be there more often. I think I have a better life with the 12 hr, 3 days/wk shift. It is hard to get through the last 4 hours, that's true. But it is easier to get through 3 days than 5.