Advice on exam room cleaning

Specialties Management

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I'm looking for some advice on how to handle an issue with exam room cleaning. I supervise nurses and CNA's in a pediatric office. My biggest problem right now is in regards to cleaning exam rooms. Both feel the other should be doing more of it. CNA's main task is getting pt's triaged and roomed; they are also short-staffed right now so we ask for the nurses to help pitch in and clean rooms after they discharge their patient. Nurses feel once they start to help out, it is expected that they continue to clean them all and the CNA's don't make an effort. We have 1 nurse that I've told to help out and never does...

Part of me doesn't want to get involved because it's a task that ends up getting done by someone but it's creating tension between the 2 roles...when we should be working as a team.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

If you leave it to fester, the situation won't improve or go away. The fairest thing under the circumstances would seem to be to alternate the two, with the understanding that it will be a CNA duty once they are fully staffed.

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Specializes in Surgical, quality,management.

Your their manager, you need to deal with it before it explodes in front of a patient and their family....call a staff meeting and thrash it out.

70% of management in health is people management. We are the biggest expense to any organization.

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Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.

Part of me doesn't want to get involved

But you'll have to. Because apparently a nurse feels it's beneath her (my assumption, maybe she just forgot you asked). And you're the boss. And flu and strep and all kinds of boogers, oh my...

If It were me, I would acknowledge that the CNAs are understaffed and while this is a job that they will be 100% responsible for when staffing is adequate, that everyone needs to pitch in now.

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