What is the dumbest most degrading, most unprofessional thing...

[Chico David]

that you have heard of a hospital requiring nurses to do?

I was in a meeting with a group of nurses yesterday - most of us with more than 25 years as RNs - and was hearing about the lovely new practice of "scripting". What is that? It means giving you - a professional nurse with all of your experience and skills and knowledge - a cute little "customer relations script" that you are supposed to say to patients when in various patient interaction situations.

For example: before leaving the room at one hospital, you are supposed to say " Is there anything else you need? I have the time." (whether you have time or not)

I understand basic sense about being pleasant to patients. I understand courtesy. I even know that a few nurses can use a little work in these areas. but the indignity of giving a professional RN a script to use when we talk to our patients? All because some consultant has told them it will improve the patient satisfaction scores. Cartain of our chains seem to be stars at this sort of thing - part of the corporate mind set I guess.

Anyway, I wanted hear how wide spread is this and what other stupid ways of degrading our practice are you seeing out there?

[NursKris82]

Nurse bleeps doc, "doc I need this for my patient" Doc: "Of course, and is there anything else I can do for you, I have the time" :D

You have a really , really active imagination!!

[chowlover]

Who in the world thought up this silly 'I have the time' phrase? Nurse Managers? HR Dept? Obviously it is someone who has no concept of real life on a hospital floor.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

The people who thought up this garbage is someone who sits behind an desk and has never set foot in a hospital. (either as a pt or staff)

[RN1982]

Just a little thought, and I know I am cluless about US healthcare so feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Aren't your doctors self employed, and provide a service to the hospital. THerefore is it not good customer service for these contracted personel to use a similar system

Nurse bleeps doc, "doc I need this for my patient"

Doc: "Of course, and is there anything else I can do for you, I have the time"

:D

Ok Ok I know, it doesn't work like that but there's no harm in using a little imagination every now and then.

What a rediculous policy, after you've told the patient you have the time how does it look when you have to rush away to deal with a sicker patient.

Oh and please hide this from UK healthcare bosses there's no point in giving them any ideas now is there.

No Sharrie its more like this...

Nurse calls doc: "Hey Doc, I need something for my patient"

Doctor (very irritated): "What do you want? Do you realize what time of the day you are calling me? It's 1:30am."

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

Thank the deity that I am not expected to use these canned speeches in my practice....

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Folks, I'm a nurse manager, and I can tell you, it's not nurse managers who came up with this stuff.

In fact, if my company were ever to initiate scripting for the floor staff, I would hang up my stethoscope for good......there is NO WAY I would enforce it, let alone practice it myself. I know how to take care of people and make them feel respected and cared for; I think most nurses and aides do it instinctively. We don't need some constipated PR type (who obviously has confused hospitals with hotels) telling us how to talk to our patients/residents. 'Nuff said.

[leslie :-D]

I recently resigned from a corporate-owned nursing home which required us to utter the following script upon answering the telephones: "It's a great day at XXXXX Health and Rehab Center. How may I direct your call?"

and tell me that mr. rogers was the administrator?

leslie

[jlmb214rn, BSN, RN]

Thankfully, my facility has not tried to script us ..... yet. Sounds like HR's next "big idea" tho. Gawd, I hope not. But... my hospital has given us some pretty crazy stuff to do.

Administration cut our housekeeping staff in 1/2 to preserve the almightly dollar. Then, of course, we have our "mawk joint commision survey" where we get dinged because there is spots on the floor and full linen carts and equipment in the hall and the keyboard on the clerks computer was messy. So what happens??? The suits get in a big way and decide to make a "chore list" for the nurse staff.

Clean the nurse station counter qshift.

Dust the stock room (and all the little shelfs and buckets) twice weekly.

Mop (yes, mop) behind the nurses station twice weekly.

Clean the doctors dictation room and remove any HIPPA violations qshift.

Bag the dirty linen and take it to the bins qshift.

Sanitize ice machine daily.

The list goes on and on and on with all this crap.

I mean, don't get me wrong. #1 I reconize the necessity of cleanliness in a hospital environment. #2 I don't by any means consider myself "above" cleaning.

But does anyone else agree that a nurse is supposed to take care of her patients, not be running around with a mop and bucket or a dustrag making sure everything is all tidy? But oh, the almighty dollar.... Lets cut jobs and squeeze all the work we can out of our nurse staff!! Hows that look on your patient satisfaction score, buddy?

[mscsrjhm]

I have seen these scripted sayings posted IN THE STAFF RESTROOM- directly across from the toilet.

Talk about a new spin on subliminal messages.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Like every big idea, there was some good behind it, but it was implemented all wrong. Like when I got the scripting at my old job, there was one about "I'm going to close the curtain FOR YOUR PRIVACY." And well, I've never used it that way, but when I want to get out of a room, I do say something like, "I'm going to step out and shut the door, to give you some privacy." It sounds better than, "I'm not going to just stand here while you spend 20 minutes on the bedpan because I have other things I can be doing.":)

I think if they had come at us with a class on ways to phrase things, maybe (depending on how they did it) it would have been better, but the every time "I have the time" garbage makes it all sound stupid.

[seenitallERnurse]

nurse4years;

"i have seen these scripted sayings posted in the staff restroom- directly across from the toilet.

talk about a new spin on subliminal messages."

lol :yeah:

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

and tell me that mr. rogers was the administrator?

leslie

*snort*