ideas or solutions

[suni, BSN, RN]

I am in the process of orienting a cna to the hospital. This girl has only LTC and night shift experience. Now working evening and while I understand this is a big change she is not interested in doing much work.

She has not done any bed baths, has not helped to ambulate patients and will answer a call bell but then tells me what they need.

I have gone over care with her, told her she can ambulate patients to the bathroom, instructed her to give bed baths and still she does nothing.

Any ideas?

[TiggerBelly]

Tell your charge nurse or manager. She is breaking the rules by not giving proper care to the patients and is not doing her job. How can she come from LTC and never given a bed bath? Serious reality check is in order. If her duties are clearly explained to her and she has been properly orientated, then maybe this is not the girl for the job. The next time you do a bed bath, take her in there with you and have her do the bath while you supervise. She maybe be nervous about it, so offer words of encouragement and feedback. If she still protests and does nothing then she needs to go.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

How can she come from LTC and never given a bed bath?

The original poster indicated that the newly-oriented CNA came from LTC night shift. Therefore, it is totally understandable that she has never given a bed bath if she has spent her entire career on the night shift.

At the LTCF where I am employed, no types of baths or showers are to be given during the night shift. In fact, the residents are only bathed during day shift and evenings. Hence, a CNA who has spent 5 years on night shift at my LTC facility will probably have never given one single bed bath during all those years.

Night shift CNAs at my workplace answer call lights, change diapers, make rounds every 2 to 3 hours, and might get 2 or 3 residents dressed in the wee hours of the morning. Typically, these residents are dressed early due to dialysis appointments, or simply because they enjoy being up and ready before everyone else.