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by Sundowner

Someone has to define to me the logic and rationale behind the nurse, who while doing her treatments, stops, walks a quarter mile to go find the CNA responsible for the patient she desires to change the coccyx dressing on only to have the CNA change the dirty brief of that patient so that her work area is clean?

Are any of you out there this nurse? Can you explain to me with just cause why you wouldn't just change the brief yourself? It would save you a good bit of time, you see, the time it took you to go find the CNA and the time it takes the CNA to finish what she is doing, you could have had it all done twice.

CAN SOMEONE OFFER AN EXPLINATION OF THIS BEHAVIOR?

~ just something I always wondered about, have I been doing it wrong?

[debbyed]

Personally I think she's an idiot. Nuff said.

[NurseTami]

DO I believe it??? Oh yes, when i worked as a CENA and then as an LPN, I saw it firsthand, many ignorant times.
In the Hospital, where I have been since earning the R in front of my N, this hasn't happened that I have seen. If the nurse goes in to dress a coccyx and the patient is soiled, she merely changes the brief as part of the process.

We do not have time to waste on finding someone to do a job we can do ourselves.

[Treva]

sounds like a very out of control ego to me. that nurse is just too good to do the dirty work.

[Q.]

My feet usually ache too much to do that...

UNLESS there has already been an identified problem with this assistant not doing her duties.....then I could see walking down there and getting her butt in there to complete her work.

I've had some aides in post-partum who document things they never done. You bet your butt I march right down there and drag them back into the patient room and have them do it in front of me.

The specific example you cited, though, sounds quite strange. That nurse has too much time on her hands.

[PhantomRN]

On the floor I used to work on I have seen that behavior repeatedly. We had one nurse, with 5 years experience mind you, who would walk forever looking for an CNA to empty a foley or put someone on a bed pan.

One day she gave up looking and put someone on the bedpan herself well........

the CNA went in later to take the patient off the pan and found that it was BACKWARDS!! CAN YOU IMAGINE..........A NURSE FOR 5 YEARS AND CANT PUT A BEDPAN UNDER SOMEONE.

[OneChattyNurse]

The "dirty" work....

The only time I will not do any "dirty" work is when I am passing meds. I just have this "hang-up" about cleaning up poop then giving the next patient his/her meds. Even though I use universal precautions and ALWAYS wear gloves...this is just something that I try to avoid. But, If I was going to do a dressing change or something else with the patient I would prefer to clean up the patient myself. I find this the best time to assess and see the condition of the patient's skin for myself. It is alot easier to chart something that you actually see than to always rely on the CNA's to tell you if someone is starting to break down. Don't get me wrong...I am NOT bashing CNA's by any means...I have just seen some nurses that RARELY ever see a patient's skin but always seem to have their skin assessments completed!!

Just my 2 cents worth!!
Shari

[misti_z]

Re:What Is This

It is ridiculously lazy, that's what.

It makes absolutely no sense.

Like Shari said you can't assess and chart about it unless you see it yourself.

[Dave123]

You hit on one of my sore points. I loath nurses like that. They make us all look bad.

I know we have a nurse who has 19 years in federal service and she is an oxygen thief and she knows it and doesn't care. She's a GS - 12 (about $75,000yr). Can't get rid of her because in Gov. Service its almost impossible to fire them and she knows that too.

The only real thing you can do as a peer is to tell them about it up front. Plus all the good medics (aids) make sure my (our) patients are well taken care of. The good people will flock to you as a good, fair, and equality based nurse. The bad medics (aids) avoid me.

Just my opinion

Dave

[Sundowner]

One of the reasons I hate being agency, I don't know this nurse from adam, she is assigned to do treatments only,,, and thats exactly what she does. If I were a regular staffer, she would get some pritty smart remarks from me as for I have very strong opinions about this kind of behavior. I have witnessed this type of "nurse" many times before. I once confronted a nurse for this very behavior and she told me she was tired of doing the CNA's job. I knew the CNA she was about to hunt down, knew her to be one of the best in the building and I started in on her....reminded her in a very condecending tone that it is everyone's responsibility to care for these people, what ever the task and to let that patient sit for two minutes longer than she has to in blah blah blah I went on and on....(couldn't stand this chickie's tude). I did my rant and stepped in the room and changed her myself. The CNA's got smart and decided what is good for the goose.....and refused to do a NURSING job, and put the medicated creams that she would leave at bedside for them to apply......they would collect them all and give them back to her...reminding her that that was a nurses job! lol.....she toned it down a bit there after.

HEY HOW ABOUT THE IDIOTS THAT PUT ON PATIENTS CALL BELLS FOR THEM,,,AND LEAVE THE ROOM! All they may have wanted was some ice,, or a pillow fluff....she won't do it...puts on the call light. LOSER.