Anyone had this problem?

Published

Lately, we've been having a problem with our CNA's getting a little "too helpful". One CNA, who was doing CO for a confused patient, kept silencing the IV pump when the alarm went off. I'd be with my other patient, hear the alarm, and by the time I got there, she had silenced it!! She said, "It bothers the patient". I asked her not to touch the IV pumps . . . and I got the reply "I'm a nurse from blah-blah country, I know what I'm doing". I reiterated, that it was not her job to manage the IV pump and please do not touch it. Harumph!! was her reply.

Anyone else running into this?

Specializes in Adult Health.

I used to silence pumps when I was an NA and then an LPN, but I would immediately go and tell the RN I had done so. I also would only do it the first time the pump sounded--after that, the RN had to go deal with it. But I never messed with anything else on the pump and refused to do so. Now, I don't have a problem if an NA silences the pump once and tells me, but if I catch him or her repeatedly silencing it or not telling me, there's hell to pay.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

oops, never mind - post deleted, wrong thread

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In my prior life as an RRT, one of the CNA's decided to silence the alarm on a PLV vent (home ventilator) by turning it off!! Fortunately, it was discovered almost immediately . . . the CNA said he thought that was how you silenced it . . . yes, it was very silent.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

The CNAs on my floor seem to be the exception to the rule. All are very good at their job, and if a pump is beeping they will call the nurse in to tell them.

For me, if a pump is beeping that is not mine, I'll silence it and find the nurse to inform them of the situation. It's just common courtesy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hello, I am not a Cna, I am working on my BA for radiology, but not yet in the program. Luckily I lender in a job in the hospital as a patient sitter for my first experience and nurses generally don't like us because sitter does nothing. 99.9 % of nurses liked I was helpful and hands on . I worked on my Cna license, still waiting, to make my self useful, but I see how Cna are treated and helping is a bad thing to do. One nurse repored me with a cellphone and that I silenced the iv because no one showed up, though they heard it and when I told them what time I silenced it , soon after, they used it against me. So that's a ground to get fired, and that I helped the nurse with the patient. I wasn't supposed to. So I learned the hard way. Only help a nurse with what my scope is, and if the IV goes off the whole day or night, I will leave it alone . In fact no more cna work, as there is more you can do wrong than help. 99 % are great nurses, we worked great together but one bad apple got me fired. Oh well. That's why I didn't want nursing to begin with.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds,Geri-Psych,Acute Care Rehab.
Yes! We had an aide (now a nurse tech) who kept resetting an IV pump on one of my patients. What drove me over the edge was that this particular patient was getting Rituxan, a med where severe reactions are possible, especially the first time. I would set the pump for 15 cc just so that I could check the VS, then increase the rate if the patient was okay. When I realized what she was doing, it was way past the first set of VS. Luckily, the patient was okay and didn't have any reaction, but after that I told her to just stay the #%($ away from my pumps!

P.S. She's just as cocky now that she's almost a nurse, and still clueless. Last time I followed her there were numerous errors I had to correct after she left. Scary!

:banghead:

Sounds dangerous to me nothing scarier than a nurse that thinks they know everything, used to work with a girl like that who gave Rocephin and Lidocane via PICC line (would not listen to me when I begged her not to) She informed me I was an LPN (of 3 years experience ) and she was an RN (of 1 weeks experience) and she would care for her patient how she wanted to and shouldn't I be washing bed pans?

Mind you this was acute rehab we had the same patient load! Anyways it was bad as you can imagine...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

I work in the ICU and if anyone unlicensed touched one of my pumps, I'd not only lose my $% I'd be straight into the manager's office and be having a conversation. Most of my patients are on critical gtts and the slightest change can cause a patient to code. It's my license that's at stake and I would absolutely not tolerate it. My patient, my gtts, my license. I wouldn't mind if another nurse did it because usually they'll just tell me they switched out a bag of IVF or hung a new bottle of Propofol and they know what they're doing, but if a CNA silenced my Levophed because the bag ran out and I was getting ready to switch it out so the patient's BP didn't tank, I'd blow a gasket! They don't have the knowledge base to understand the implications of not addressing one of those meds in a timely fashion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I wouldn't even silence a fellow coworker's alarm, even if they are an RN like me. I am not that patient's nurse, plain and simple. So it isn't just about rank or education level. If she cvontinues with this behavior, write her up. I would say, "Then you should know better than to not mess with another nurse's equipment."

I recall a c-diff pt whose wife would walk in and stay without PPE. I told her to please put a gown on. She snarked back stating she is an MA. I responded with, "Then you should know better, shouldn't you?"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Palliative, Onc, Med-Surg, Home Hospice.
In my prior life as an RRT, one of the CNA's decided to silence the alarm on a PLV vent (home ventilator) by turning it off!! Fortunately, it was discovered almost immediately . . . the CNA said he thought that was how you silenced it . . . yes, it was very silent.

I had a tech turn off BiPap on a patient and couldn't figure out why we (the nurses and the RRT's) were so pissed off at her. Difficult patient to begin with (both in attitude and she was always desatting), and the tech turns off the machine

Just NO

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion