Ancillary Workers; What we can do to help

[cogath]

I an a dietary worker at a hospital and just came back from a shift feeling a bit like this . My day consists of any number of tasks including collecting patient's orders, helping prepare the meal trays, delivering the meal trays, setting up the patient so they can eat, and returning to pick up the finished meal trays and documenting the intake and output on a sheet posted in the patient's room. If any one of these steps goes awry, I also field complaints and manage other matters on nutrition. I consider myself a very reliable, hard-working individual who strives to be polite, and respect the patients as well as other staff. I always leave the room so that nurses and other staff can work with the patients, step out out elevators to allow other staff to utilize them. I am basically at the bottom of the "totem pole" of hospital staff, but it doesn't bother me. I enjoy what I do, and I know that my work is much easier and much less complex then what other staff such as nurses have to do. (I will hopefully graduate with my BSN this May).

Most of the nurses, nursing assistants, HUCs, and doctors I encounter are very pleasant and kind. There are some nurses that I know must just be unhappy people because I can be sure that I will be yelled at if I have their patients. However, some nurses and nursing assistants and other staff act annoyed, ignore me, or simply are rude when I am working with the patients. Today I was yelled at twice when going around to clean up my patient's dirty trays. Both times I knocked on the door, introduced myself, and asked if I could take the dirty tray. A nurse glared at me and asked me if I had "two eyes" or could I not see there was anything in the room. If I had not done this, there would surely be a call down to my department complaining that the trays weren't being collected. It just feels like I can't please anyone. What can I do to help? I have a job to do, but it is so hard when there's a lot of others competing for the patient.

[TacoBelle]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Unfortunately I don't have any advice for you. If anything I hope this can at least serve as a reminder to people to not treat other people like crap. Sad that there even needs to be a reminder. But hey, at least you graduate in May and you have a lot of great things to look forward to!

[Bklyn_RN]

I find that people who treat others crappy at work usually have someone above them treating them crappy. It's how they redeem themselves. When you start working as a nurse it doesn't get better. Experienced nurses and doctors can be very arrogant. And you get blamed for anything that goes wrong. Just grow and maintain a thick skin.

[Wise Woman RN]

It sounds like you do your job, and do it well... I would be in heaven if all ancillary staff did the same, because when they don't, it becomes one more job for me... Thank you for all you do...

[nursej22, MSN, RN]

Gosh, I would love to have someone like you at my facility. Someone at a higher pay level than myself decided that only clinical staff (nurses and nurses aides) were qualified to pass trays. Something about being able to match a patient to the name on the menu

So we can no longer utilize volunteers or a dietary aide such as yourself. Consequently, my patients may or may not get their trays because I may get bogged down with a med pass or feeding someone, and the aide doesn't feel obligated to check if someone is ordered or received a meal. And the importance of documenting intake seems to have gone by the wayside.

I don't know why people seem more likely to criticize than praise, but I am sure you are appreciated, even if you don't hear it very often. :hug:

[carolmaccas66, BSN, RN]

Stand up for yourself!

It doesn't matter if you are the 'bottom of the pole' or you perceive yourself that way. Kindly explain to the grumpy bum nurses that it is YOUR JOB to collect trays etc, and if they don't like it, walk in and get it anyway. You have to do your job as much as the nurses have to do theirs.

I've always said if you act like a doormat, people will treat you like one.

My gf was like this, she tolerated just about anything her hubby or people threw at her, and I got tired of listening to her whine. Now I don't listen anymore. If she wants to live her life like that, she will always be suffering and complaining till Kingdom come.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

The person picking up the food trays is no less important to the hospital than an RN. We have different job requirements, but the patient wants to see you at meal time more than they want to see me.

I honestly believe the above. You need to believe that too. Then behave as a person who deserves respect. Expect it. Tolerate nothing less. As another poster said, "Stand up for yourself".

[bsyrn, ASN, RN]

To the nasty's, kill em with kindness and walk away with your head held high...it gets them every time

[Lynx25, LPN]

You aren't the bottom rung of anything. Nurses are just as replaceable as anyone else these days, it seems like.

If they snap at you, tell them *they* can deal with the trays, and go on with whatever you were doing. I would document somewhere that the nurse or whomever wouldn't let you in to get the tray, so it can't bite you in the butt later.

[Staragate, ADN, ASN, RN]

If it happens a lot, bring it to the nursing manager. Be diplomatic and tell them the situation. It's not okay to have a hostile work environment. Those rude people are probably like that to the maintenance and custodial staff as well so it's not like they are going to know it was you who said something.

I agree with the above poster. You ARE important and so is all the other support staff. I tell them so when I have the chance. I'm a CNA now so I get it. It's easy to dump on you when they don't value you.