I work as a care partner/cna at a hospital and often am assigned as a sitter.
I do use my phone often when I am sitting, but I always make sure my patient is calm/asleep, clean, repositioned, etc before I use my phone. It's usually when it's dead quiet in the room and I want to quietly keep myself awake (even after a cup of coffee, graveyard shifts are tough in a dark and quiet room). I keep one eye out for my patient. My hospital has a computer in each room but I don't prefer using that. The screen is big and bright which I can't adjust, and many patients find it a distraction when trying to sleep. The clicking and clacking of the mouse and keyboard can also be distracting. So I just turn the computer off.
It's never been on the other floors I float to, but this one supervisor/charge nurse took my name and told me he will report me for catching me on my phone twice.
Personally, I found it infuriating. It's better than falling asleep. If anyone took one look at my patient, they will see he is comfortable, asleep, and clean. I'd like to believe that I am on my phone responsibly. I didn't argue with him though in my head I did.
What are your thoughts on using a phone? Or reading a book, using a computer, watching a movie, etc?
We have had sitters at the bedside of a 1:1 that were not paying attention and the patient fell or pulled out lines. These sitters were engrossed in the bedside TV. I know how hard it is to sit and be there in the middle of the night. Taking a break every few hours is helpful. Ask the aide for the patient you are sitting with if you can take a break every couple hours for 15 minutes.
One facility I worked at had a policy that forbade books, phones, tablets, computers, homework, or anything. Is it ideal? No, but there were issues we had with sitters not watching the patient and one incident included a patient hanging themselves in the bathroom and dying.
It's pretty evident whom here has never been a sitter before. It's sooooo easy to say "I'd do this" and "It's unprofessional to do _______" and another thing to actually sit. In a dark room. For 12 hours.
The best thing you can do, OP, is like others said, and ask supervision what sort of approved activities you can do, and be sure to mention that you had the patient in mind (smaller light on phone than CPU). Next time, maybe see if you could not be a sitter. Some people loved being sitters and others who are do-ers, can't stand it.
What would you have liked them to do? I note your bias for allowing written work and reading, so long as it isn't on a phone.
Let's be specific here. In a dark room on the night shift, what is acceptable? So far I'm hearing that using a small light in order to read a book-not-on-phone is okay. Anything else?
What did the staffing agency sitters do that you approved of?
We're not talking about anyone lying down on a bench. We're talking about what a good employee should do in a dark, quiet room in the night, when s/he needs to stay awake/alert.
In my opinion, work-related tasks are fine. Paperwork, reading, policy & procedure review, use of a laptop or tablet to do continuing education or on-line coursework, etc. Having a beverage and/or snack is fine too, if it is possible for the staff member to consume it without placing his/her own health at risk (a clean place to eat without threat of infection control issues.) I also believe it is imperative that the other staff members on the unit offer frequent breaks, or at least pop their heads in the room to check on the sitter. My sister and I were more than willing to cover for breaks, but hospital policy did not allow it, which I do understand. I guess my point is that the sitter is working and needs to conduct him/herself in a professional manner, despite being confined for long periods in a single room. Scrolling on one's phone is not considered professional in the patient-care setting, and I don't see this as an exception.
We had some wonderful sitters and some lousy ones, which undoubtedly is typical. The first 48 hours or so were difficult for our loved one who was experiencing delirium and trying to climb out of bed, pull out lines, etc. We were genuinely concerned for safety, fearing a fall. I am not a physically large person, nor do I have experience working with confused adults. There were times when I had to raise my voice to get the sitter's attention as my loved one was climbing over the bedrails and I couldn't keep her in bed myself. Once the sitter appeared to be sleeping. Once she was so engrossed in her phone that she didn't notice what was going on right in front of her, or was simply trying to ignore the situation and leave me to handle it. Hours passed without seeing a nurse, I think in large part because they assumed the sitter had the situation handled. When I requested a visit with the nursing supervisor at 0230, I was met with attitude. You asked what the "good sitters" did. In a word, they did their jobs. They interacted with our loved one. Talked calmly to her. Tried to distract her. Were on their feet when she was trying to get out of bed or trying to pull on lines. Spoke to us and offered their suggestions of how we could be helpful. Communicated with the staff when warranted to ask for additional assistance, evaluation by the nurse, etc. The sitters who worked really hard on our loved one's behalf were almost all agency staff. The ones who presented themselves poorly and did little other than take up space were hospital employees. It left us with the impression that "sitter" was a code for "night off with pay."
Perhaps this is a little too fresh in my mind for me to be objective. The care at this Big City Magnet Medical Center left much to be desired.
But old-fashioned as I may be, it seems that during an 8 hour shift (sitters were limited to 8 hours at this facility), it is not too much to ask a direct caregiver to keep his/her phone away from a patient's bedside.
OP, when I was a CNA in home care, I would often get bored and have nothing to do, especially on 12 hour shifts. When the person was napping or reading, I would pull out my phone and do NCLEX questions, or I would pull out my laptop and do assigned reading for school (all of my books were on my laptop). I would explain this to the people I was caring for and their families and ask if they minded. They never did mind, and they were often excited for me that I was in school. I don't think you should be written up. What in the world are you supposed to do for that long? Just sit there? Ridiculous. Even if a manager thought it looked bad, more and more people understand that technology is a fact of life now. Heck, as a nurse, I use an app on my phone for my drug guide. I've taken it out in patients' rooms before, and all I do is show them what I'm looking up on their behalf and then usually talk about how cool it is that I have so many resources at my fingertips!
I can't wait for the day people stop looking at technology like it's a cigaret.
I appreciate your responses and have gained a better understanding.
I would like to clarify my situation on a few things- my shifts are 12 hours, not 8. I know it's only 4 more hours, but when you are a sitter in a graveyard shift, it feels a lot longer.
Unfortunately, no earphones are allowed. Listening to audiobooks would definitely get me in trouble. Even if it was allowed, listening to documentaries/people talking usually puts me to sleep lol.
I cannot imagine asking people to relieve me for 15 minutes every couple hours- I barely found someone to cover my 15 min break and had to hunt down the supervisor to find someone for my hour break! I think I would be seen as incompetent and an inconvenience.
If most of my patients ask me to turn off the computer screen, I don't see how bringing a small light would be any better. I imagine they would ask me to turn that off too. These patients can be very picky and difficult to please.
When the patient's families are here, I am never on my phone. I like to talk to them instead and get to know the patient/their family. I can understand if I pulled my phone out and they saw it as unprofessional. My situation was slightly different in that I was alone with my patient all night long in his room.
OP, when I was a CNA in home care, I would often get bored and have nothing to do, especially on 12 hour shifts. When the person was napping or reading, I would pull out my phone and do NCLEX questions, or I would pull out my laptop and do assigned reading for school (all of my books were on my laptop). I would explain this to the people I was caring for and their families and ask if they minded. They never did mind, and they were often excited for me that I was in school. I don't think you should be written up. What in the world are you supposed to do for that long? Just sit there? Ridiculous. Even if a manager thought it looked bad, more and more people understand that technology is a fact of life now. Heck, as a nurse, I use an app on my phone for my drug guide. I've taken it out in patients' rooms before, and all I do is show them what I'm looking up on their behalf and then usually talk about how cool it is that I have so many resources at my fingertips!
I can't wait for the day people stop looking at technology like it's a cigaret.
Hope this works in your favor OP.
I'm totally not picking on you, but this always cracks me up. You do what millions of people before cell phones did.
And I know that my opinion on cells phones is probably irrational. No one has to tell me that. It's just one of those, "it is what it is" things for me. I hate that people always have their faces shoved in them, talk on them in grocery store lines, bathroom stalls, restaurant tables, etc. I think technology is fantastic, I just hate cell phones. I think it makes a lot of people rude as hell.
I'm not all bent out of shape or offended or anything, just offering up my opinion, as it seemed that's what the OP was asking for.
I'm totally not picking on you, but this always cracks me up. You do what millions of people before cell phones did.
And I know that my opinion on cells phones is probably irrational. No one has to tell me that. It's just one of those, "it is what it is" things for me. I hate that people always have their faces shoved in them, talk on them in grocery store lines, bathroom stalls, restaurant tables, etc. I think technology is fantastic, I just hate cell phones. I think it makes a lot of people rude as hell.
I'm not all bent out of shape or offended or anything, just offering up my opinion, as it seemed that's what the OP was asking for.
Your cell phone can be an incredible resource, especially as a nurse. It makes no sense to dislike things just Because people use it often. Now for the record, I'm totally in agreement with you when it's people who are just texting their lives away or can't be bothered to put their phones away at a family dinner.
But there's an entire grad program (Nursing Informatics) dedicated to the integration of technology and communication in healthcare. Makes sense to embrace it and realize that people aren't always on Facebook.
ETA: Technology also saved my back and shoulders. It was so nice having my nursing resources on my phone and laptop instead of carrying around 200 lbs worth of books (or at least that's how heavy they felt).
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I've been doing PD through an agency for half my working life. I will not accept a case where it is required that I sit in a dark room for 12 hours and look at the patient the whole time. I understand that kind of care is needed sometimes, but I can not do it. Fortunately I am in a position to be able to accept or refuse a case, and I do say no, if those are the conditions required.
What I usually do while on the job is have a clipboard of crossword puzzles and a pen on standby. I tell my pt and the family that it is one way I found to keep my mind occupied while pt sleeps or is otherwise quiet and not requiring activity. My reasoning seems to set them at ease: When I am doing a crossword puzzle, I can drop it at a moment's notice...without feeling like I am being 'interrupted'. (because we all know the patient who doesn't want to "bother" us!) Likewise, I can pick it up again at any point in time and have no trouble finding my place again, so to speak. So, it doesn't interfere with my work at all.
When I worked nights, I had a teeny-tiny light to see what I was reading or writing. I did find it problematic though, in that I was so focused on that spot of light, when I looked up I had to wait for my eyes to adjust.
If the patient is one of the randomly restless kinds, generally I sit right next to the bed and keep one hand either on the mattress or the patient while they sleep or just quietly rest (one lol loved for me to hold her hand, and told her dgt. I held her hand all night so she wouldn't be scared.)
Seriously, everyone in nursing and anyone in a family who have night shift coverage for a loved one, should try to just sit in a darkened room, looking at a form under the bed-covers. I'm not saying this sarcastically.
... And, Jolie, reviewing policy and procedure manuals would put the ki-bosh on my brain faster than an anesthesiologist telling me to count backwards from 100!
Back to being in our shoes...See how long you last, sitting and looking, if the patient is resting well. Listening to someone peacefully breathing in their sleep is a sure way to suggest to your subconscious, "Hey! THAT's a good idea..."
I sit fairly often too. I get it. It can be incredibly boring, especially if the pt is sleeping the majority of your shift. I'll admit, there have been times when I've been on my phone or have been surfing the web - like you, I always made sure my pt was safe and clean.
That said, it's not a risk I'm willing to take anymore. I value my job and my employer, and hope to work in my department when I finish nursing school. DON'T RISK IT. Sitting, for the most part, is easy money and it literally takes only 2 seconds for the pt to rip out an NG tube or IV line. I agree with what others have said about it being unprofessional. Find other ways to entertain your mind.
Specializes in Orthopedic, LTC, STR, Med-Surg, Tele.
Is it okay to sit on one's book, so long as it's not a book about Dr Phil?
Or is your post mostly about a person who has been spoken to many times for not attending the patient? The OP wasn't discussing that situation.
Okay... I'm talking about someone literally watching TV episodes on their phone while they're assigned to be watching a patient and protecting that patient from harm such as dislodging lines or getting up unassisted. I don't think that's acceptable. Would you want a lifeguard at the beach your family is at to be browsing their phone while they're supposed to monitor people in the water?
I don't expect anyone to literally sit and stare at a patient for with hours straight with no distraction or break. However I have a reasonable expectation that people pay attention to the job that they're doing.
Your cell phone can be an incredible resource, especially as a nurse. It makes no sense to dislike things just Because people use it often. Now for the record, I'm totally in agreement with you when it's people who are just texting their lives away or can't be bothered to put their phones away at a family dinner.
But there's an entire grad program (Nursing Informatics) dedicated to the integration of technology and communication in healthcare. Makes sense to embrace it and realize that people aren't always on Facebook.
ETA: Technology also saved my back and shoulders. It was so nice having my nursing resources on my phone and laptop instead of carrying around 200 lbs worth of books (or at least that's how heavy they felt).
That's literally why I said: And I know that my opinion on cells phones is probably irrational.
And then went on to say that I love technology and even said that cell phones have a place in a professional environment, when used professionally.
Sometimes I wonder if people actually read posts, or just pick what they want out of them to criticize. :/
I've been doing PD through an agency for half my working life. I will not accept a case where it is required that I sit in a dark room for 12 hours and look at the patient the whole time. I understand that kind of care is needed sometimes, but I can not do it. Fortunately I am in a position to be able to accept or refuse a case, and I do say no, if those are the conditions required.
What I usually do while on the job is have a clipboard of crossword puzzles and a pen on standby. I tell my pt and the family that it is one way I found to keep my mind occupied while pt sleeps or is otherwise quiet and not requiring activity. My reasoning seems to set them at ease: When I am doing a crossword puzzle, I can drop it at a moment's notice...without feeling like I am being 'interrupted'. (because we all know the patient who doesn't want to "bother" us!) Likewise, I can pick it up again at any point in time and have no trouble finding my place again, so to speak. So, it doesn't interfere with my work at all.
When I worked nights, I had a teeny-tiny light to see what I was reading or writing. I did find it problematic though, in that I was so focused on that spot of light, when I looked up I had to wait for my eyes to adjust.
If the patient is one of the randomly restless kinds, generally I sit right next to the bed and keep one hand either on the mattress or the patient while they sleep or just quietly rest (one lol loved for me to hold her hand, and told her dgt. I held her hand all night so she wouldn't be scared.)
Seriously, everyone in nursing and anyone in a family who have night shift coverage for a loved one, should try to just sit in a darkened room, looking at a form under the bed-covers. I'm not saying this sarcastically.
... And, Jolie, reviewing policy and procedure manuals would put the ki-bosh on my brain faster than an anesthesiologist telling me to count backwards from 100!
Back to being in our shoes...See how long you last, sitting and looking, if the patient is resting well. Listening to someone peacefully breathing in their sleep is a sure way to suggest to your subconscious, "Hey! THAT's a good idea..."
And then, Zzzzzzzzzz...
I think you nailed why I have an issue with someone using a cell phone in a situation like the OP - the patient would feel like they were interrupting something.
That said, I could never be a sitter because I'm way too restless. I already know this about myself, so I wouldn't even bother trying.
I'm sure the OP is a lovely person and I'm not standing in judgement of her in any way. I think 12 hours overnight of sitting with someone would absolutely put me to sleep and I hope she can find a good solution with her manager.
nrsang97, BSN, RN
2,602 Posts
We have had sitters at the bedside of a 1:1 that were not paying attention and the patient fell or pulled out lines. These sitters were engrossed in the bedside TV. I know how hard it is to sit and be there in the middle of the night. Taking a break every few hours is helpful. Ask the aide for the patient you are sitting with if you can take a break every couple hours for 15 minutes.
One facility I worked at had a policy that forbade books, phones, tablets, computers, homework, or anything. Is it ideal? No, but there were issues we had with sitters not watching the patient and one incident included a patient hanging themselves in the bathroom and dying.