Use your call light - Wisely

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Specializes in Telemetry, Med-Surg, ED, Psych.

Dear patients,

Your call-light is like the magical lamp in the Disney movie Aladdin ....you only get three wishes. In this case you only get 3 times to use the call light per 12-hour nurse's shift. Please choose your times appropriately and for real serious issues only. In an effort to maintain the mental sanity of the nurse caring for you, your call light might need to be removed if you abuse the right of having one.

If only life could work like that, hehehehe!

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I think a call light should be like a PCA pump. Use it too often and you are frozen for a period of time. :)

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Specializes in DOU.

As if call light abuse isn't bad enough, for a while, our department head was making us write our phone's direct extension on the patient's whiteboard so they could call us directly whenever they wanted.

Who THINKS of these things?

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Yikes! I hope you wrote your department head's extension on a few whiteboards! ;)

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oy with the call bells. its almost like they know its change of shift. never fails. everyones bowel and bladder are syncd with change of shift

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

Call light more than 3 times per hour sounds like a request to go home to me.

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oh in a perfect world....

A selective call bell system..for example,when the

call bell rings, they

have an automated choice....

Enter 1 if you are calling to say you have to crap

AGAIN.

Enter 2 if you are calling to say you have already

s**t (this a totally

different problem).

Enter 3 if you

are a drug seeking a$$hole and are

requesting morphine.

Enter 4 if your crazy family is here and they want

to speak with me.

Enter 5 if you feel like complaining and think I

give a damn.

Enter 6 if you dropped your tissue box again and

think I am coming in

anytime soon to pick it up.

Enter 7 if you think I am a damn waitress and

will get you the meal you

actually ordered.

Enter 8 if your IV is beeping again because

you just can't seem to remember to keep your

******* arm straight no matter

how many times we tell you.

Enter 9 if you think Nurses walk on water, you

haven't called

since you have come in,

you hate to bother me, your

family is normal, you

ARE having crushing chest pain and think you are

going to die....I'll be right

there.

Do not hit 9 when you meant to hit 2. You will

wish you did die!

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

The call bell is now attached to a taser. Any abuse of it, calling for the nurse when you need an aid or calling out for pillow fluffing..... Will result in electric shocks.... Anyone needing clarification as to the call bell working......

press the call bell:D

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Dear patients,

Your call-light is like the magical lamp in the Disney movie Aladdin ....you only get three wishes. In this case you only get 3 times to use the call light per 12-hour nurse's shift. Please choose your times appropriately and for real serious issues only. In an effort to maintain the mental sanity of the nurse caring for you, your call light might need to be removed if you abuse the right of having one.

If only life could work like that, hehehehe!

I hate to rain on everyone's parade and yes call lights have frustrated me too.......and yes there are those patients that do abuse the light but, I have found that the overall majority have a deeper issue like fear......that has them ringing. Some patients feel frightened during shift change.....they fear no one will hear them when the nurses are in report. All patients day or night know when shift change has arrived due to the noise level of the on comming and off going shift. Hence the call light cue......I used to make last rounds, usually with an CNA, and ask if anyone needed, water, bedpan, pain med, blanket whatever....... and tell them where I was going and how long I would be gone. They seemed comforted.......they knew where I was if they needed anything and assured them that the CNA's knew we were in report and will hear them. I know the off going **** is trying to get the heck outta there and get work done, but remember those patients are frightened, alone, and in pain. Now, when that is not enough I set limits........I have told a patient that would put the call button on (on purpose) when you were still in the room because he needed something else.......I will come back every 15 min to check on you.......put your call light on only if you can breathe, have chest pain ect..........I understand you have needs and may be frightened but you are making it impossible to anything else to get done....if this is not enough we can provide your family with a list of private duty personel..........It stinks at first because it is a real pain in the a-- but eventually I lengthen the time between and when they know I am good to my word........you build their trust they seem to behave......worst case senario I have made the patinet a constant observation just to save everyone's sanity!

If you have never been a patient............be patient;)...........I have recently be come a professional patient due to polymyositis/dermatomyositis:crying2:............it is WAY different on the other side!:eek: I have a much deeper appreciation for the patients POV.:twocents:

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

This one of the few (ok many) reasons why I love working NICU vs Med-Surg :loveya:

Still have nightmares from call bell abuse though........lol

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

@ vashtee...the people that do not have to answer the call light. hehehee:nuke:

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Do you ever come home and hear the call bells echoing in your head, while in the shower? Do you actually stop to listen and think, who the heck is ringing this time? I do...:lol2:

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