texting at work

I don't know if it bothers anyone else, but I think that constantly texting at work (I mean constant, like their eyes never leave the phone) when you are suppossed to be taking care of patient's is so unprofessional. This is not just any job, we are nurses and we should be taking things seriously. It is so annoying to me especially when the person is ignoring their patients and the patient alarms, pumps, etc. Don't people know that you are at work and that you can not talk to them all day? What would you be doing before text messaging came around?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN, CNS]

I'm old and crotchety and today was the last straw: I'm on call and in the ICU and when I come out of the pts room, I wanted to give a stat order based on my assessment and the nurse caring for the pt was texting at the computer! Uh, excuse me?

I reported her to the nursing supervisor....something I've never done in 18 years of nursing!

Ugh!!!

Totally agree with you!!!!

Crotchety nurse gets off her soapbox with the help of her walker!!!

[rbyrdrn]

Very unprofessional. It has become such an issue at my facility that we were given a heads-up that a new policy regarding cellphones, ipods, and what nots, is coming. In the ER many of us have emergent apps/programs on our phones that we use, but that will probably not be affected. Of course if we continue to update our facebook page during a cardioversion that might change.

[OhBoy123]

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

[belgarion]

Totally agree. We have a nurse on the opposite shift who occasionaly works with us. She is texting from the minute she gets there until the end of shift. She seems to think that because we are on nights and the patients are asleep there is nothing wrong with this. I've heard (but not seen) that she was once texting with one hand while setting an IV pump with the other. Quite a few people are threatening to jerk the phone out of her hand one night and flush it.

The hospital has been really slow in coming up with definitive restrictions on texting. This is probably due to the fact that a large number of people who work here, including her, are the spouses, children, or grandchildren of board members. Gotta love those small town politics.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

Wow. What happened to simply working while on the clock?

It's shocking to me that texting/cell phones are allowed at all.

[MedSurgeMess]

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

Sorry it's so boring for you....perhaps someone else would like it and not feel the need to text. At my facility, it will get you a write up, then termination. We are here for the patient, not for our entertainment.

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

I just don't understand this need to be constantly texting, talking, twittering, etc while at work. When I'm at work, I WORK! I can deal with people doing a quick call home on their break to check on their kids, but other than that, please - leave your social life at the door.

Edited Nov 23, 2009 by Pepper The Cat
because 'don't' changes the whole meaning of the postl

[AnnieNHRN]

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

That's the problem! How totally sad.

What ever happened to just doing the job you're being paid to do?

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I text my kids only on my break. If there is an emergency, they know to call the hospital number and ask for me. It's very unprofessional and dangerous to text ad lib.

We don't like people that drive and text, right? If you are texting, your mind is NOT on your job. I'd be just a bit ****** off if one of my family members was killed because of some dingbat nurse texting on her job. You could bet your sweet bippers, I'd be suing the nurse.

If anyone needs a reminder, put a picture of your paystub or better yet, your LICENSE, as your wallpaper!!

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

I am hoping this is a joke, or a troll.

If this is serious, please quit your job.

[NurseStephRN]

I think there's a difference between letting your texting/iPod use/reading, etc should be done when you are on a break or when you have some down time... it's not cool to delay patient care because you're texting or on personal calls.

i work nights, so we sometimes have time where we literally are just hanging out... patients are stable, sleeping, everyone's in sinus rhythm, etc, so we sometimes read the newspaper, play on iPhones and stuff. Just don't let it interfere with taking care of patients.

I am hoping this is a joke, or a troll.

If this is serious, please quit your job.

I don't think it's a joke. Unfortunately, there are a few iPhone text'ers in our ICU, too. And, here's the icing on the cake, these texting RN's will tell the family members who try to use their cell phones in the ICU, "oh, we have a policy of no cell phone use in the ICU, it can interfere with the monitoring equipment"

But, it's not just some RN"s who are texting away . . . MD's too!! But, I agree with all those who are flabbergasted by this behavior (betcha haven't heard that word for a while!!)

i text my patients instead of actually talking to them. their families too.

just kidding.

I'm in nursing school. The texting annoys me only slightly less than the students using their laptops to "take notes" who area actually using them to shop or update their facebook pages during class. First, it's a distraction to the rest of us and, second, you may as well stay home and save your gas money if you really don't need to listen to lecture.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

I only text my children because I need to know when they are on the bus, and safe, and on their way home.

Otherwise, no.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

If I couldn't text at work I could not survive the shift

23 years old. Enough said.

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

I send maybe 2-3 texts a shift, my brother and I text each other a lot. But I usually go somewhere I can't be seen by patients are other staff. Keeps me a little sane, doesn't affect my patient care. If coworkers can take 15-20 minutes smoke breaks, what does it hurt for me to take 30 seconds to send a text?