Published
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?
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.
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?
Just like anything, texting and such only becomes a problem when it starts interfering with doing your job. No different than surfing the web, talking on the phone, or just sitting around the nurses station talking about the people that are off today.
I see nothing wrong with the occasional text message, in the rare times you're not needing to do something for (or to) your patients. I see plenty wrong with ignoring your job duties and incessantly texting or surfing or chatting or whatever.
I admit I occasionally text at work, but I always excuse myself to the breakroom when I do so. I have also been known to send a text to a doc that says "Call me in CCU when you get a sec, no rush" Then again we know our docs really well and have their cell phone numbers. They really like for us to do this so their pager isn't going off constantly. Again, it isn't all the time or all day long and definately not when I should be doing patient care!
I text the docs regularly too. We have a couple that respond better to text pages telling them what you need rather than just a phone number.
I will occasionally send personal text messages at work, from the breakroom only. I also do not like it when people are gluied to the cell phone while call lights are going off.
:paw:
sunnycalifRN
902 Posts
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!!)