Health professionals in uniform being stopped by public

[stripedsocks105]

Hi! I've namechanged because I feel quite guilty.

I work as a uniformed HCP, when I'm at work I like to use the hospital shops/ canteen to buy lunch etc. Each time- I mean EVERY time I'm always stopped by hospital users to ask for directions to whatever ward/service they need to use. I'm polite and generally tell them where they can find out the information (there's usually volunteers nearby at each entrance to give out info) but this happens when I'm on the phone, reading etc.

I know this sounds incredibly selfish but I've only got a limited time to get food, eat it, return to ward. I've always got a coat/ cardigan on so looking as off duty as I possibly could. I know it's just friendly and helpful but WIBU to just want leaving alone to walk and eat food in peace ?

area with drug use...

If people are asking you fro hepl every day (and presumably if they are asking you they are asking others too) then eprhaps your hospitla needs to amend it's signage so people can find their way about. My local hospital is appallingly signed and it is built in a large square so if you go the wrong way round you can end up walking miles to find the right place.

If I'm rushing to an appointment and feeling stressed worried and lost then I will ask anyone nearby in a uniform for help, so far they have always been helpful.

When I worked in a school. if we had a visitor that needed help, I would be happy to help them even if it was my (short) lunch hour - because although it was my break, I was still at work and the professional, accessible face of the authority who employed me.

excuse typos !

YANBU!

I work in a shop and if I dare venture into any shop at lunch I am constantly stopped and asked where something is or how to find the toilets in the centre.

One lady berated me when I couldn't tell her where to find meringues in M&S, even after telling her twice , I didn't work there she still said it was my job and she would complain to the manager!

I would just cut them off with- "Sorry, I am not currently working here."

I put my coat on and sit in my hospital Costa and i actually get interrupted 4 or 5 times in a meal. I missed my whole break the other day because of interruptions. staff room?? We dont have those any more in most places. Give us a break if you want good care...we need peace and hydration.

Different situation but I do the admin for undergraduate courses in a university and I've had students approach me about changing tutorial groups, etc when I'm eating lunch in the cafe. I find it really rude and now have to eat in an empty meeting room so they can't find me to get some privacy.

I understand that hospitals can be huge and scary and confusing but I'd never dream of asking someone with their coat and bag over their uniform for information.

Could a large dress or lightweight coat which covers all the uniform disguise you enough (with lanyard hidden underneath) so that you don't look remotely like a member of staff?

When you've bought your lunch go to the staff room to enjoy some peace.

Yabu. I also work in a similar setup and again put a cardigan over of not working but still help people if lost. Its human to help. I am laughing about the staff room comment! Ive heard that some places have one. We had one once in a clinic...it was a cupboard with two chairs in and no windows!!!!

I think a jumper would cover the uniform far more effectively than wearing a coat....

They won't ask you if you aren't obviously wearing the uniform.

Oh and the people interrupting me aren't going to see anybody dying. Its bloody usually: where is the shop? How do i pay for parking? I havent got any change for parking what do i do? Where is opthamology? They usually just walked through the door and havent even glanced at the ginormous board(s).

If you only get half an hour for lunch (I work in a hospital and that’s what lunch tends to be) by the time you get to the canteen and sit down with your food most of your break is over and the rest of the staff aren’t happy if you’re late back as it impacts on the next break as everyone can’t go at once. So I understand you get a bit annoyed. But it’s part of the job, the caring profession, I work in a specialty part of the hospital and we don’t deal with any of the other wards or depts so I don’t really know where everything is. But if anyone asked I’d find out and help them, we don’t know when we will be the vistor/family to someone in hospital and need that information from Someone and I’d hope they weren’t too busy to help.

Also- i was leaving work on the phone to the childminder regarding poorly DC... i got actually tapped on the shoulder so i could direct someone to where to call a taxi from. I soooo dont care.

Staff rooms are disappearing from hospitals, as are locker rooms. Some are even cutting the on-call rest rooms so doctors now have to rent a bedsit near the hospital.

@DontBuyANewMumCashmere

Tut tut silly person. Don't you know that if you are a policeman, HCP, bus driver, pilot, teacher or anything where you are responsible for other people you are no longer human? You have no family, need to pee or drink or eat, or have any life outside of your job! You will be considered lazy, work shy and (if in the public sector) what ever you do is wasting the tax payers money just for wanting a semi-normal existence!

Oh and the people interrupting me aren't going to see anybody dying. Its bloody usually: where is the shop? How do i pay for parking? I havent got any change for parking what do i do? Where is opthamology? They usually just walked through the door and havent even glanced at the ginormous board(s).

This so much. I lost count of the amount of times I was stopped waiting in the queue at Costa or the shop for trivial matters. A doctor stood behind me once said very curtly "does it look like we're currently on duty?" And as rude as he was he had a point.... what person sees someone stood in a queue or eating their dinner and think they're the perfect person to ask for directions?

I’m appalled but unsurprised by this lack of respect towards you, part of a major issue with the public’s entitled attitude towards the NHS.

Recently had cause to be a frequent visitor to a major teaching hospital where more than once staff stopped me as I was figuring out my route to ask if they could help, bless them - I must have a particularly gormless resting face!

I’ve been fortunate to need very little NHS contact over the years, so this experience was a real eye opener. People leaving their litter, kids climbing on chairs - and I suppose the missed appointments issue is part of the same problem.

In the cafeteria I would always offer staff to go in front of me, obviously they have limited breaks, and they always said no, it was fine.

Keep up the good work striped.

I thought you were going to say people stop you to ask for medical help or advice and what a sign of the times it is.

It's part of working in a hospital, just an id badge has that effect, it's not just uniformed staff who get this.

YANBU!!!! You should be left in peace to have a break. Every hospital I’ve been in and it’s been a fair few I’ve managed to navigate my way round by using the simple signs.
I wouldn’t dream of interrupting anybody having their lunch or even having a cup of tea to ask directions, even in an emergency I wouldn’t, it’s rude.

A big black hoodie with...

‘I have 15 minutes to eat my lunch before dealing with your family member, do you REALLY want me not to eat?!’

Or less confrontational a big soft pink one with a photo of some kittens on the front and...’I wuv my fur babies soooo much’

I'm a nurse and it doesn't bother me. What does annoy me is when you are clearly with a patient and you get asked.

My wife is a nurse. When I had our son I was sent to hospital as an urgent case with pre eclampsia. She came from her work, in uniform, with a different trust's name and logo on. I became very ill, started having seizures and was in maternity ICU equivalent, she was obviously distressed and had to keep going out of the ward to make phone calls to both her and my parents to keep them updated. Even when she was clearly upset and on the phone to someone she had people waving their arms in front of her face trying to interrupt her phone call and ask directions. Bloody rude.

You'd hate the hospital near me. It has signs everywhere reminding staff of their "eyes up" policy, and to offer to help if they see people in the hallways looking lost.

Why don’t you have staff room?
Where do you put your bags and coats
And surely they don’t expect you to arrive in uniform and leave in a dirty one??
( massive no no in dentistry- by law we have to have these facilities)

I understand how frustrating it is not being able to actually get a proper break as you're always being interrupted.

The hospital where we work it's expected of us. All the time we are in uniform , even if covered and off duty, we are expected to help other people who ask, and even offer help to those who look lost or like they need help.