Thank you notes to patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey there, our ER manager is making all the employees write thank you notes to our patients thanking them for allowing us to take care of them.

This seems a little odd to me, I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. Do any of you practice this?

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Have you started tweaking your resume yet?

Not specifically over this current foolish idea ... but all the others that will follow.

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Specializes in ob/gyn med /surg.

i have never heard of this before... seems like a waste of time.... gees i hope my hospital dosen't do this silly idea...

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

Gee..."thank you for complaining that I didn't pass the water that was closer than arms distance from you, and for reporting that I didn't bring you a kosher dinner (even though we asked on admission of any dietary requests)...for purposely dropping dirty sheets on the floor and demanding that the hard-working CNA immediately come to pick them up or else..." Yeah, they can get one from me, but it won't always be so nice...

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Specializes in PICU/NICU.

Sound like some pea brained Press- Gainey BS to me!!!

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.

Wow, do they have to be handwritten?

Dear Patient XYZ,

Thank you for coming to our ER instead of patronizing your local pharmacy for a simple pregnancy test. Congratulations! Please, also feel free to visit us anytime and allow us to once again care for all of your STD needs. We'll have your sick note for work waiting for you! ;)

xoxo, ER RN :nurse:

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

My hospital did something like that, it was a thank you card that everyone was supposed to sign. There was a spot for the triage nurse, registor, nurse, doctor and other staff. At the very least they wanted the triage nurse and nurse to sign. It didn't last very long, the cards were supposed to start out in triage and stay with the chart untill they were given their discharge insctuctions. The triage nurse always forgot to sign them and send them along, so they started putting stacks of the cards in the back for the nurses to sign, but then that didn't work so then the cards went to the pt regisration clerks to have them give out the cards when they got the insurance payment. Eventually that stopped too.

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Specializes in Woundcare.

I am laughing so hard at the sad, pathetic Thank You notes that must have come from ivana's ED. It's like, you know the total apathy everyone felt towards those dumb (and inexplicable and weird) cards came shining right through with half of the slots unsigned, stains from knocking around the breakroom for a few weeks, etc. So, so funny.

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Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.
Hey there, our ER manager is making all the employees write thank you notes to our patients thanking them for allowing us to take care of them.

This seems a little odd to me, I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. Do any of you practice this?

So hospitals have now stooped to kissing patients' butts in order to ensure that "5 star hotel service?" I thought it was bad enough when I worked in adolescent psych and had to give "patient satisfaction surveys" to everyone on discharge, even if they were simply being transferred from residential care to acute care and vice versa. I wonder what kind of thank you cards we'd be writing in those situations: "Thank you for allowing us to hold you on the ground while we injected Haldol into your gluteal muscle."

Being a nurse just gets better and better. I bet this will do loads toward reversing the low respect nurses get in health-care settings.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
I am laughing so hard at the sad, pathetic Thank You notes that must have come from ivana's ED. It's like, you know the total apathy everyone felt towards those dumb (and inexplicable and weird) cards came shining right through with half of the slots unsigned, stains from knocking around the breakroom for a few weeks, etc. So, so funny.

It was pretty bad in addition to that our ED coordinator wanted us at the front window when the pts checked in to hand them a comment card so they could have it with them during their stay and think of the answers. I had to once had to hand a pt a specimen cup and a comment card, that idea didn't last long either.

To add to feeling like it is a hotel, we had valet parking for awhile while we were under construction and building a new parking garage. Now that it is open our regulars are upset that the valet is gone.

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Yeah, I thought it sounded like a desperate attempt at getting better ratings. But I'm just a technician right now so it's not like I have any say in the matter. I'll just watch and see how it pans out, it probably won't last very long.

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Specializes in LTC.

I thought this was going to be a thread about sending a patient that really touched your heart a thank you note and if it was appropriate. Boy was I wrong.

I would simply refuse to write the notes and start looking for a new job. My job is to give patients the best damn care I can give them while they are with me. It's not my job to promote the hospital to them..

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