"Customer service" and nursing

[LilPeanut]

I've seen a lot of people talk about 'customer service' in a disparaging manner, as if that is not what nursing is about and it's making their lives harder to provide it.

Could someone explain that more for me?

Personally customer service is another way of saying good bedside manner. It doesn't matter what you know if you cannot present it in a way that encourages others to follow you. Many of the things I hear people complaining about for "customer service", could be solved by patient/family education and a less adversarial relationship between staff and family.

What are your thoughts?

[fmwf]

The issue with Press-Ganey is not that "all the cool kids are doing it". The problem is that the insurance companies use Press-Ganey as a weapon when negotiating fees, and even whether they will contract with certain hospitals. Beginning next year even Medicare is going to base part of the reimbursements on the hospital's Press-Ganey scores. And, whether we like it or not, hospitals are businesses, run by busnessmen. Management will never understand what nurses really do until we as a group force the issue. The is an excellent article on Medscape called "What do nurses really do?" that I believe should be required reading for all administration, patients, and visitors. One thing all of us can do is to write to our representatives regularly and explain that this misconception of what nursing really is is part of the reason for the nursing shortage and if they really want to cure the nursing shortage maybe they should allow hospitals to bill for the nursing care, not the beds. Then hospitals might make a better effort to assure safe staffing. People don't understand that patients are admitted to the hospital for the nursing care. In general, they see less of the MD than they would in an office visit, because we, the nurses are there to take care of them, instead they do think of us as overpaid waitresses. That will continus as long as we allow companies like J&J to emphasize compassion over education, experience, and intelligence in nurses. Compassion is wonderful, but anyone can be compassionate. Compassion alone never fixed anything. Nurses have the education to help. Nurses save lives and we should insist on being recognized for it.

Nursing is the largest dept. in any hospital, the most troublesome dept., and the most expensive dept., yet we contribute nothing to the bottom line of this big business and our mgmt. doesn't grasp what it is we really do. Because they can't see our contribution. What they see is the bed charge. Perhaps if we all work on changing that we can make nursing what we were taught in school it should be.

Great mind. What can we do today? How are you received by the general nursing population? Do you hide yourself? How do you manage?

[Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN]

Oh, yes, i also have a problem with refering to a pt. as a 'customer/consumer.'

The buzz word the instructors use in nursing school is now "clients".

[AmandaBrittainy]

it is obviously different for you, while critical issues are ignored such as years of drastically unsafe staffing, we sure are trying to improve customer service scores - heres a clue to all hospitals part of this - keep nurses happy=patients happy. I have seen it and by god it works every time. Get rid of people who drag down the institution with laziness, promote your patient advocates - don't silence them because you have other issues such as the gallup scores to deal with. Pay attention to important things for once - I think this is why it frustrates those of us who deal with it - it is not important if safety and other things are being ignored.

[Kayartea]

great mind. what can we do today? how are you received by the general nursing population? do you hide yourself? how do you manage?

thanks.

today we can begin a writing campaign to all of our representatives. every other professional group can charge for services, why not nursing? today we can work on changing the "little miss helper" culture of nursing to one that better demonstrates what nurses really do by acting like professionals while educating our patients and their families on our priorities. today we can refuse to allow ourselves to be pushed around by management, patients, and their families by taking charge in a completely professional manner. refuse to allow mds to belittle or patronize you, politely and professionally. and by not letting mgmt. push you around i mean things like lunches. are you aware that federal law states we must have an uninterrupted 30 minutes for lunch? if your hospital does not arrange for a lunch relief, and you lunch is interrupted by so much as a phone call, then charge them for your lunch. quit giving your time away. if you don't value it, why should they? hospital management is aware of the law, they are taking advantage of our dedication and professionalism in not making sure we have breaks. stop allowing that. yes, i know, they want lots of paperwork for it. that's one way they keep from paying for lunches. take the time and do the paperwork. every single day, every nurse.

today we can go to the meeting not to just sit in back in frustration, or to complain about the situation, but prepared with solutions to the problems. when your manager starts whining about the press-ganey scores tell her that if she will make sure you have enough aides you will all do everything possible to bring the scores up by 10 points in the next quarter. and stick to it. suggest adding an aide act as waitress for all, run coffee, fetch ice, assist to bathroom, etc. so that the rn and aides assigned to patient care don't get interrupted by minutiae while doing actual patient care.

no, i don't hide. i printed copies of the article "what do nurses really do?" and posted them in every waiting room and nurses lounge in the hospital. (most went missing the first day, so i did it again. and again. i have fellow nurses who help.) i looked up the statute about lunches and posted it by every time clock. when i bring this up most other nurses tell me, "oh, i never thought of it that way." but, they don't get off their butts and offer to help. however, several people asked for copies of the letters i send every month to our representatives and now copy them off, sign, and mail them every month also. i am no longer the lone voice crying in the wilderness.

sorry this post is so long, but changing the culture of nursing is going to be a necessity or the medical establishment is going to implode. venting is all well and good, but doesn't change anything. we need solutions, soon, and we need the majority of nurses to put out the effort to help make change.

[Diahni]

Customer service in healthcare is nothing but cow patties. I do not take care of customers, I take care of patients. I am there to try to help my patient get well, or at least better.....not to get blankets for the visitors. If you're cold, go home and get a jacket. I am there to administer life-saving meds to the patient, not get a Tylenol for the friend with a headache.

You said it. Though it is good to be "nice until it's time to not be nice."

Diahni

[BeachBayNurse]

I've seen a lot of people talk about 'customer service' in a disparaging manner, as if that is not what nursing is about and it's making their lives harder to provide it.

Could someone explain that more for me?

Personally customer service is another way of saying good bedside manner. It doesn't matter what you know if you cannot present it in a way that encourages others to follow you. Many of the things I hear people complaining about for "customer service", could be solved by patient/family education and a less adversarial relationship between staff and family.

What are your thoughts?

LilPeanut, just wondering, have you worked with adults lately? Although the families of the babies can be a whole different challenge, I often hear complaints from patients families, when they want the "five star experience". Which means a soda for all six family members NOW, for grandma to be given a bath NOW, even though I just walked in the door and have to assess and medicate six patients. I agree that the patient is the customer, and they should recieve good treatment, but I am not here to serve anyone, I am here to make sure people are safe and they go home.

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

LilPeanut, just wondering, have you worked with adults lately? Although the families of the babies can be a whole different challenge, I often hear complaints from patients families, when they want the "five star experience". Which means a soda for all six family members NOW, for grandma to be given a bath NOW, even though I just walked in the door and have to assess and medicate six patients. I agree that the patient is the customer, and they should recieve good treatment, but I am not here to serve anyone, I am here to make sure people are safe and they go home.

Agreed. While we are all entitled to an opinion, I think it's a little silly for a NICU nurse to be telling the adult med/surg nurses how things are or should be on an adult floor. I don't use the word "customer" to talk about patients. I refuse to. I will advocate for my patient and make sure they are safe. I will take care of them with all the the knowledge and professionalism that I have. I WILL NOT act as a maid or a waitress. Hospitals are not hotels, no matter what administration wants to believe. I have such respect for med/surg nurses that have to deal with this nonsense day in and day out. I did a month's rotation there and if I had decided to stay there, I'm sure I would have been fired within the week for telling some obnoxious family member who wanted free food and maid service where to go(and it wouldn't have been the cafeteria!)

IMO, hospitals need to go back to the old ways of strict visiting hours(for adults, obviously) and having visitors follow the rules. If not, they need to be shown the door. Beautiful thing about my specialty-families aren't allowed back there in the OR!

[GadgetRN71, ASN, RN]

The buzz word the instructors use in nursing school is now "clients".

Won't use that one either.

[10MG-IV]

lilpeanut, just wondering, have you worked with adults lately? although the families of the babies can be a whole different challenge, i often hear complaints from patients families, when they want the "five star experience". which means a soda for all six family members now, for grandma to be given a bath now, even though i just walked in the door and have to assess and medicate six patients. i agree that the patient is the customer, and they should recieve good treatment, but i am not here to serve anyone, i am here to make sure people are safe and they go home.

i become confused when i hear these terms which reference the word 'service'.

internal revenue 'service'

u.s. postal 'service'

telephone 'service'

t.v. 'service'[color=#333333]

civil 'service'

city & county public 'service'

customer 'service'

this is not what i thought 'service' meant. but today, i overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'service' a few cows.

bam!!! it all came into perspective. i now understand what all those 'service' agencies are doing to us.[color=#333333]

i hope you are as enlightened as i am

[Quaffetti]

i become confused when i hear these terms which reference the word 'service'.

internal revenue 'service'

u.s. postal 'service'

telephone 'service'

t.v. 'service'

civil 'service'

city & county public 'service'

customer 'service'

this is not what i thought 'service' meant. but today, i overheard two farmers talking, and one of them said he had hired a bull to 'service' a few cows.

bam!!! it all came into perspective. i now understand what all those 'service' agencies are doing to us.

i hope you are as enlightened as i am

awesome!! way to sum it all up!

[AngelfireRN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Can someone post a link to that article? I'd like a copy for MY breakroom. Heck, I'd like a copy for my kitchen, so maybe hubby would get a clue.