We recently got an influx of new nurses at work, and I'm awful with names, so I've been struggling to keep it all straight. I pride myself in knowing everyone's names, so I hate it when I have to ask for something from a nurse whose name I don't know.
Anyway, yesterday I was asking a nurse a question during a meeting, and I couldn't remember her name. I checked her badge, but her badge was flipped over so I couldn't read it.
Then I looked around the room and discovered that with only a couple of exceptions, every single person in the room had their badge flipped over so you couldn't read their name. (You'd think just by chance, half would be correct.)
There's something about that which really bothers me. Badges are required at work for a reason. Whatever that reason is, I'm sure 80% of badges being flipped the wrong way is not in the spirit of the reason.
I noticed that whenever I checked my badge, it was always hanging backwards. I'd flip it around and then next thing I knew it was hanging backwards again. Don't know why it likes to dangle that way.
ReplyDeleteMine too
DeleteMine too - I consciously flip my badge right-way around multiple times a day. Part of the reason may be that I keep an ammonia cap taped to the back of it, but if memory serves it wanted to flip backwards even from the early days of pre-ammonia cap badge wearing. It's such a problem that our hospital recently decided to phase in a backwards-facing badge to remedy this very problem.
DeleteIt's much like the toast I (somehow) often drop on the floor - no matter how much I will it otherwise, it will inevitably land cinnamon butter side down.
We introduced double sided badges for exactly that reason.
ReplyDeleteHowever, departments still issue "Badge buddies" that defeat the purpose.
In my school placements in emergency and psych we were encouraged to either always flip our badges over or black out our last names. I think it depends on the setting. I'm not required to wear a badge anymore, and I feel a lot safer without it.
ReplyDeleteMy badge always tries to hang backward no matter how many times I turn it. There's something about all the junk that they make us hang on the thing, which makes it flip around and sit with the name hidden.
ReplyDeleteEmployers try to fight this by using badge holders with clips or wings or other widgetry that's supposed to keep the name facing front. None of them ever work. All the do is ensure that when the badge does flip and hide itself, it will never accidentally flip back to the right way round.
I use a clip and mine is almost always the right way.
DeleteWe all use reels because we have to swipe our badges all the time to open doors and log into computers. The few people who try to use nonretractable clips always either break the clip, or else wear a hole in their scrubs, from clipping and unclipping it every five minutes.
DeleteI'm not in health care, but I do wear a security badge at work. I can control which side shows simply by taking the whole thing off (it's on a ribbon that goes around my neck), turning it around, and putting it back on. Since we use them as pass keys and not for ID as such, I often turn mine face inward since the photo isn't particularly flattering.
ReplyDeleteOn the rare occasion I wear my badge (I work in a tiny rural setting, we are a little more lax with badge wearing as we literally know all the staff), I flip it around.
ReplyDeleteWork insists on having my legal name on it, but I use an Anglo version of my name when at work. Too confusing (and frightening) for patients to see the actual name when I'm not using it.
There is nothing wrong with my name per se, it's just very hard for my patients to get their head around, and acts as a barrier to caring for them.
We have double badges (one facing out on both sides) for exactly this reason. But I think it likely stems from a patient satisfaction source over anything else.
ReplyDelete