In my online search for a new homehealth field nurse position I discovered a hospital website that used the term 'guest' in lieu of 'patient" Is this political correctness? Is a healthcare now a tourism/hospitality career? When did this happen?
Since a "guest" is by invitation.. may I suggest the pain in the backside knee replacement patient, who is refusing to do PT, wants pain meds every 4 hrs..not a second later, and weights 300+ lbs and expects the nurses to lift him up in bed just as often that he is no longer welcome?
I have no problem fluffing pillows and the like. I do have a problem giving a "guest" who is NPO a breakfast tray. I have a problem giving my triple bypass patient deep fried food. I will annoy my chest pain patient by waking her up in the middle of the night to draw her second set of enzymes. I am in the "get people better" business, not the "customer is always right" business.
And don't get me started on how better nurse/patient ratios would result in better care and more satisfaction than changing what we call patients ever could.
And don't get me started on how better nurse/patient ratios would result in better care and more satisfaction than changing what we call patients ever could.
Don't be silly. Calling them guests is FREE. Better staffing costs money...
Medicare reimbursement is becoming largely based on "client-satisfaction". A hospital will endear itself to its "guests" to get great reviews and in turn, a higher reimbursement rate.
All while sacrificing patient care!
A place I worked called them customers and yapped incessantly about customer service. They laid off 300 some people that year, including over 100 GN's they had just hired a month before. *****!?!??! "Oops I underestimated my budget!"
Really? I find that the most entitled and obnoxious patients of mine are the ones who don't have insurance. It's weird.
Yeah, it is weird...that is an inverse relationship between how much one pays for their hospital care and how unreasonable their expectations are.
My theory about this....people who have insurance also have the means to go out for a nice dinner, stay at nice hotels, etc...so they don't look at a hospital stay as their big chance to be 'wined and dined.' People who don't have insurance generally are not able to out for the nice dinner, big hotel stay, etc. Being in the hospital is their opportunity to boss people around, be served, and feel like a big wig....this is their big chance to be 'gingeraled and turkey sandwiched.' Using the term 'guest' will only encourage those in the latter group to be even more demanding.
If you thick that patients dont "choose" your healthcare factility, you are sadly mistaken and might find a few empty beds or closed unit in your future.
Patients today need to be considered as both clients and guests or you will find your facility without patients. The "crown jewel" of one healthcare systems in my area is now limping along with 90% patients admitted via ER, high Medicare/Mediciad, patients, no OB, GYN, Oncology or Ortho unit as physicians and staff resistent to change.
Please don't insinuate that I don't treat my patients well because I don't call them "guests." I thought we were discussing word choice?
I have no problem fluffing pillows and the like. I do have a problem giving a "guest" who is NPO a breakfast tray. I have a problem giving my triple bypass patient deep fried food. I will annoy my chest pain patient by waking her up in the middle of the night to draw her second set of enzymes. I am in the "get people better" business, not the "customer is always right" business.
I think you make a good point. Since we keep comparing healthcare to a hotel, it is important to point out that "customer service" in our terms does mean to please the patient... but not to their detriment
A place I worked called them customers and yapped incessantly about customer service. They laid off 300 some people that year, including over 100 GN's they had just hired a month before. *****!?!??! "Oops I underestimated my budget!"
The acronym for what the fiddlesticks is starred out? Jeez, ya stiffs
The problem is that uneducated patients make uneducated /ignorant demands and in the name of bs service the staff is forced to go with it. Patients have the right to refuse, they can refuse everything for all I care. What i HATE is the , " HOW MANY F%$^&* TIMES DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS?" meaning assessments/vitals etc on post ops or patients who NEED to be assessed that often. All the educating in the world is useless for most of these types. pt's refusing antibiotics or other high priority meds at night. too bad, they are ordered every 4 or 8 hours. then i must educate them, while they get really annoyed and b#$%^ and moan becasue I am talking ( last thing i want is one of the idiots saying the nurse never told them they would deterorate if he/she refused their naficillin/pcn whatever)............................................... Guests demanding pain meds to get high, which we all KNOW HAPPENS, not all patients are really in pain. Frankly, I do not care if they want to get high but if the dr refuses to order meds, not much I can do. Hell, I have seen doctors order pain meds they did not feel comfortable with to please the guests ....................... The visitors of the guests, or the guest's guests, demanding meals and chairs when i am BUSY WITH NURSING tasks for my OWN GUESTS. Yes, I will get them chairs when I can but if there is soemthing of higher priority they WILL WAIT. and then they can complain about my poor service. one of my first posts here was about a terrible day I had where visitors demanded chairs, about 6, I said "sure i will go get some" then i noticed one of my non verbal-trach patients sounded terrible from the hall way so i went into suction/assess said patient. about 15minutes, when i walked back down the hall one of the guest's guests (visitors) very angry and with a disgusted face said, something of the sort, " i thought you were going to get us chairs what is taking so long" THEN i said nothing, now i would have given her a piece of my mind and what my job entails. This is the guest bs that I hate. Not getting blankets, or pillow fluffing, or emptying trashcans (although it should NOT BE MY JOB IF OTHERS ARE GETTING PAID FOR THAT AND SITTING IN THE BREAKROOM ALL DAY))ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Guest 360983
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I have no problem fluffing pillows and the like. I do have a problem giving a "guest" who is NPO a breakfast tray. I have a problem giving my triple bypass patient deep fried food. I will annoy my chest pain patient by waking her up in the middle of the night to draw her second set of enzymes. I am in the "get people better" business, not the "customer is always right" business.
And don't get me started on how better nurse/patient ratios would result in better care and more satisfaction than changing what we call patients ever could.