Why is it that whenever I mention my pager, everyone acts like I have jumped in a time machine? I get that they are obsolete for most people, but they are UBUIQUITOUS in medicine, and for good reason. Cell phones don’t always have reception, you can keep your private cell number private, but, most importantly, when you get paged at say, 2am, you don’t have to be immediately awake and alert. I treasure that 1 – 2 minutes to collect myself and get into a mental space where I can respond to questions coherently.
And it’s not like people don’t know that healthcare providers use pagers, is it? Whenever anyone sees my pager, they say “you’re a doctor, aren’t you?”
Snarky jokes about pagers don’t apply to healthcare providers. That’s what I’m saying. We use them, we need them, and they serve a real purpose. Therefore, jokes like “whoa, a pager! What is it, 1991?!” are not funny.
--Contributed by Dr. Alice
Whoaaaa you STILL use pagers!?!?
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Our local search and rescue group used pagers. Using a phone tree system was unreliable and the one person who ended up calling every person was tired of it, took way to long etc. I liked they can receive text messages just like a cell phone. We had all the info we needed for where to meet and what person/hiker we were looking for.
ReplyDeleteyeah, in my new job i get a "work cell phone." no pager. it means no ability to triage pages, wake up (or get out of the bathroom or shower) before calling back, etc. when the phone rings i have to pick it up immediately no matter what. i miss my pager.
ReplyDeleteThey are starting to transition to phones at the hospital I work at - and I hate it. I don't necessarily want to talk to people. Sometimes I'm okay with just getting an FYI page about the culture results, and not having an entire conversation. I definitely have an antagonistic relationship with my pager, but I'll take it any day over a phone.
ReplyDeleteI would like my pager better if I would actually GET the pages! ARGH!
ReplyDeleteWe have pager numbers for many of the residents, but one time I asked one where hers was, and she said it was forwarded to her phone. I thought that was a neat idea-less machinery to have around, and still time to collect thoughts and wake up when paged. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm on the emergency response team at work, we are notified of an incident by pager - location and type. It works well, better than a phone would for this application. Pagers still have a place.
ReplyDeleteThey are trying out a texting system at my hospital for the residents. So far everyone seems to love it. It seems to be all the advantages of the pager, but without the annoyance of having to wait by the phone for the page to be returned.
ReplyDeleteI had to replace my pager a few years ago and returned to the same store but was told "We don't carry pagers anymore. Only drug dealers use them now."
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