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Discussion

Aides

We have special ed aides and kg aides. I've worked with some awesome aides who will go above and beyond. However, more often than not, at every single school I've been to, I have aides who are conveniently so busy every single time one of their kids has an accident and needs their clothes changed and they bring them to me. They aren't busy. They just don't want to. How do I know this? Because they literally stand there, or talk to office staff, or play with their phone or whatever as I do it. So I found out that yes it's their job, not mine. I went to my principal who makes excuses for them and says he will talk to them. I go up the chain and find out, well if the aides are too busy it falls to the nurse. Ok but they aren't busy. I went to the teachers and the teachers said yes we know and we have told them it's their responsibility but it doesn't stop. One day an aide brought a wet kid in and I pointed and said there's the stuff and walked out thinking the aide would take care of it. Nope, they waited on me until came back! I feel bad for the kids. I don't want them to think I don't want to help them. It's not that big of deal but it's just the principle of the thing and it causes me to get backed up in my work taking care of this while they take a 40 min planning period and hour lunch every day that I don't even get. ?

So should this topic be aides who don't want to do what their job is or the administrators who don't make people do their job? Either way, I'm so irritated.

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    "The only thing that is RESPECTED is what is INSPECTED."

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    I think it's a combination of both...setting the rules and not enforcing them. It's human nature to slack off of something if you think you you can get away with it. School administrators are typically, with some exception, terrible personnel managers.

    For instance, on my campus, every day...EVERY DAY...an email goes out at 9:50 reminding the teachers to do their attendance - ALONG - with an overhead announcement (unless it's a state testing day). THEN - check this out - the teachers who still don't do their attendance are contacted individually and "asked" to do their attendance. Where in the real world could you get away with that type of job performance?

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    If I were in that situation, I probably would have lost my patience by now, and the next time an aide walks in, cell phone in one hand, kid with wet pants holding the other hand, I wouldn't point out the supplies. I would personally hand them to the aide, explain (nicely) that I'm not here to change kids all day, and then walk away with some convenient excuse like "I need to photocopy these med forms and it looks like office is empty right now".

    Clearly admin won't do anything, so unless you do, this is going to keep happening. How frustrating! And uncomfortable, too, because we should be able to work as a team with folks such as the special ed aides, and instead it becomes an awkward situation like this.

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    I have this same issue. I was persistent about trying to figure out why it makes sense for me (the only nurse at the school) to do this, when there seems to be more than 1 paraprofessional in the school that can help. They can’t do my job, but they CAN (and should) help with toileting.

    Now, the special ed teacher is more involved. But quite honestly, now they are in the same boat I was in!

    In summary, I have nothing to offer, but I can commiserate with you :/

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    We have assistants and attendants. The attendants are assigned to the special ed class when there are toileting issues with students there. I rarely see a student who is covered by an attendant for these issues. The assistants (spread between special ed and other rooms), are essentially instructional people without teaching credentials. They might lend a hand but are worse than teachers when it comes to messy stuff.

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    • Author
    17 hours ago, OldDude said:

    Where in the real world could you get away with that type of job performance?

    Yes EXACTLY! I've never seen anything like it. You can pretty much do whatever you want and nothing will really happen. I just can't let myself be like that. They sure don't have a problem with it though! They get mad at their own students for not doing what they ask but so many of them are just as bad if not worse.

    I agree it's uncomfortable, I've lost my patience and the administration always takes the sides of the teachers and aides. ? Even if they are wrong. I will try doing what you suggest Urban Health. Thanks!

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    We have a high school student that needs quite a bit of assistance with toileting. Some of the aides have a fit and make excuses to send her to me when she's on her period. I take care of it because she shouldn't have to suffer due to their inadequacies, but I HAVE been a bit of a squeaky wheel about it...

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    I agree. No point in making the student the pawn in staff games.

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    I will never forget the night my head nurse (I really have been doing this a while) worked our floor. She took the nursing assistants aside after seeing nurses answering more than the NA's and introduced them to the call light and explained that she did not want her nurses busy with bed pans should a code occur because NA's CAN do bedpans, they CANNOT run codes. It is about responsibilities and not about status. She was the best manager I ever had and respect her to this day. Tell the para's that they have responsibility for this (or a few) student(s) and that is it, you are responsible for the whole school and even if it looks like you are doing nothing, it is important for you to be available.

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    I feel very lucky with my SPED staff. They really are a "take care of your own" type bunch. They take care of any bathroom accidents on their own, only coming to me if they happen not to have a change of clothes. And when one of their kids are truly sick, they just jump in and offer to call mom/dad and then take student back into their office to rest. One time a SPED student had a high temp, loose cough, runny nose, super contagious stuff. I suggested they wait in my office for parent as to not infect the others. They agreed but left an aide with me just in case I needed something. I love our SPED people!

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    • Author

    What a great manager! That's a good way of putting it. I will try that.

    You're very lucky Eleven!! I would give them a hug! LOL!!

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    1 hour ago, MrNurse(x2) said:

    I will never forget the night my head nurse (I really have been doing this a while) worked our floor. She took the nursing assistants aside after seeing nurses answering more than the NA's and introduced them to the call light and explained that she did not want her nurses busy with bed pans should a code occur because NA's CAN do bedpans, they CANNOT run codes. It is about responsibilities and not about status. She was the best manager I ever had and respect her to this day. Tell the para's that they have responsibility for this (or a few) student(s) and that is it, you are responsible for the whole school and even if it looks like you are doing nothing, it is important for you to be available.

    Very well put!

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