texting at work

kenni · Dec 3, 2009

lol u must be talking about my friend! I haven't seen her @ work, but everywhere we go she is constantly texting. she never puts that phone down! I can only imagine how she is in the hospital.

TRR8021 · Dec 3, 2009

I'm in my late 20's and am still in nursing school, but when I'm at my job I don't want to be bothered with personal calls or texts. My mom loves to call my sister at work and vice versa and it's just to chit chat!! I tell them do not call me at work! I don't have the time nor want to chit chat with you and it's very unprofessional. I tell my family if it's an emergency, leave me a message. When I get a chance or a break, I will check the message. I work in research so it's not always constant work and I can get a minute to check my messages.

People know that I'm notorious for not answering my cell phone because whenever I'm at school or work my phone is on silent and I often forget to turn the ringer back on. Sorry, that's just me. I'm not a slave to my phone, as I like to say.

tewdles, RN · Dec 3, 2009

it is only a matter of time before a healthcare worker has his/her cell phone records subpeoned in a malpractice case...

for those who think that text messages won't be problematic...ask the former mayor of Detroit...his text messages cost him his job and a stint in jail.

as a hospice nurse visiting patients in the field I carry my personal and my business cell with me at all times. I receive text messages on them routinely. I NEVER look at my personal cell when with a pt...never. If my family has an urgent need they contact me through the employer, they know that it may be an hour or more before I will look at a text on my personal cell. I do look at texts on my business cell during pt visits...I simply glance at the message at the earliest convenient time and if it is something that requires my immediate action I excuse myself, step into a more private area and attend to the specifics of the text. I have never had a complaint from a patient or family regarding this practice, most likely because they have no concern that I am forsaking their care for interaction with a device. Patients and families do sometimes complain about the use of my laptop during the visit...they view it as rude. For those, I complete the bulk of my "point of service" documentation in my car in the safest place I can find.

My assessment is that this problem is more related to the work ethic and professionalism of the "texters" than it is about the technology in general.

Boognish · Dec 3, 2009

I am a pre-nursing student currently working in an assisted living and memory care facility as a medication aide, and it's been a huge problem at all of the facilities where I've worked. One time I had to tell a co-worker to put his cellphone away because he was texting while in the bathroom with a resident who was sitting on the toilet.

Unfortunately, senior care facilities don't pay enough to attract staff with a high level of professionalism, or to be able to fire those without one (though I have worked and do currently work with some incredible people in that industry nonetheless). I'd honestly expect more from nurses, however (@OhBoy123). If I get into the AEM program at UP and end up working as a CNL (I'm interviewing today), I'm going to be sure to get hardcore with anyone putting their social life before their work :)

JP2011 · Dec 3, 2009

Why is it unpractical? 5 years ago you would have never had a thread like this and things got done then. So it was a bit more work. Texting and cell phone are NOT a necessity to life, they are a convienence and should be treated as such.
You do not have a right to use you cell phone at work.

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I very much do have the right to use my cell phone at work. When my charge nurse can clip coupons, or the smoking nurses can go take smoking breaks, I can use my cell phone. If something happens I can intervene faster if I have my phone in my hand compared to the nurse outside and across the street smoking for ten minutes. While I am not a nurse on L&D, I am a PCA. The nurses use their phones and so do the MDs. We work on a 17 bed Labor and Delivery unit. 17 rooms divided between four residents and 8 - 9 nurses. In the winter we have one patient. It's not like work is one big text fest, but phones do come out. Maybe my phone is my cigarette since I don't smoke (Going to upset a lot with that one). I'm sick of people on these boards attacking others. My hospital has the resources to pay people nurse extenders, surgical techs to do assigned tasks. We usually have a float nurse as well. So if your patient is delivered or not on continuous monitoring, you don't sit in the room and hold her hand. In the winter months we usually never have more than one patient at a time. Our busiest time is summer.

JP2011 · Dec 3, 2009

Why is it unpractical? 5 years ago you would have never had a thread like this and things got done then. So it was a bit more work. Texting and cell phone are NOT a necessity to life, they are a convienence and should be treated as such.
You do not have a right to use you cell phone at work.

It is unpractical when someone can text a resident for an order or an issue instead of trying to hunt him down when he might be a. sleep, b. doing a consult on four other units, c. an order is need for a verbal order from a nurse.

Eaglelady · Dec 3, 2009

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I very much do have the right to use my cell phone at work. When my charge nurse can clip coupons, or the smoking nurses can go take smoking breaks, I can use my cell phone. If something happens I can intervene faster if I have my phone in my hand compared to the nurse outside and across the street smoking for ten minutes. While I am not a nurse on L&D, I am a PCA. The nurses use their phones and so do the MDs. We work on a 17 bed Labor and Delivery unit. 17 rooms divided between four residents and 8 - 9 nurses. In the winter we have one patient. It's not like work is one big text fest, but phones do come out. Maybe my phone is my cigarette since I don't smoke (Going to upset a lot with that one). I'm sick of people on these boards attacking others. My hospital has the resources to pay people nurse extenders, surgical techs to do assigned tasks. We usually have a float nurse as well. So if your patient is delivered or not on continuous monitoring, you don't sit in the room and hold her hand. In the winter months we usually never have more than one patient at a time. Our busiest time is summer.

I'm sorry did I miss something I do not believe anyone was attacking anyone just stating the truth a cellphone has no place in a nursing environment where the pt's are number 1 not the phone---and I totally agree it will come to the point where hospitals will not allow nurses or employees to use them when on the clock its just a question of when it will happen-- so do not become offend when the truth is being spoken

JP2011 · Dec 3, 2009

I'm sorry did I miss something I do not believe anyone was attacking anyone just stating the truth a cellphone has no place in a nursing environment where the pt's are number 1 not the phone---and I totally agree it will come to the point where hospitals will not allow nurses or employees to use them when on the clock its just a question of when it will happen-- so do not become offend when the truth is being spoken

I'm not offended because your truth is not my truth. EDITED TO REMOVE A LOT OF TEXT. I will just say I don't care what anyone thinks. I will continue to provide excellent patient care, and text or study in my free time. Thank you everyone.

Eaglelady · Dec 3, 2009

I'm not offended because your truth is not my truth. EDITED TO REMOVE A LOT OF TEXT. I will just say I don't care what anyone thinks. I will continue to provide excellent patient care, and text or study in my free time. Thank you everyone.

"text or study in my free time" I believe you just said what everyone is saying we don't care about the doing it on your break or when u are not on the clock but when it is the time that is suppose to be spent with the pt and for the pt nurses who text during these times are doing the pt an injustice---period!!!! And no one no matter how good ur can give excellent nursing care when one hand is on the pt and the other on a cell phone---thats the truth not to mention it is totally unprofessional no matter what anyone says or thinks!!!!!!!!!!!!

JP2011 · Dec 3, 2009

I would never use a phone in a patient room, or while doing any nursing related tasks, so what exactly are you referring to? I clearly said during downtime.

nurse_mo1986 · Dec 4, 2009

LOL...i'm sure i'll get flamed for this one, but here's my own lil personal opinion. I am young. I am fast, thorough, and a ** good nurse at my job. I do keep my cell phone in my pocket at work. And although I would never answer a text/call while in a pt's room, if I am sitting at the desk charting, then yes i'm going to take my phone out and text if someone sends me one. I don't think that this interfere's with my ability to do pt care whatsoever.

I'm sure that there are those of you that wouldn't agree, but as my performance reviews show consistently, I obviously am doing something right, so i'm just going to keep doing it my way.

I work a lot of eve and noc shift's in my job, and texting helps pass a lot of slow boring moments that otherwise i might spend nodding off like some of the other nurses i know. So keep it up fellow texters:)

questionsforall · Dec 4, 2009

I think the problem is a problem of where we draw the line. If you give an inch, some people take two. I have seen it grow on my unit from texting once in a while to having people text all day. They are not turning their patients, they are not doing mouth care on their intubated patients, they are not watching their monitors, answering their vent alarms, talking to their family members because this would interfere with their texting. Hey at least their patient is still alive at the end of the day with a bed sore and a ventilator associated pneumonia which extends their time of intubation, but their nurse had a fine time at work texting all her friends. Except, there is always that one time when they are not paying attention to their patient's alarms and the patient codes, but hey they have their right to text.