Ok... I just touched on this in another post, but now it is bothering me again. I was floated to my hospital's telemetry floor last week, and something happened that has been making me bitter all week! First off... I LOVE NURSES! I want to be a nurse, I respect nurses, I know my role as a CNA and I am a darn good one at that! The nurses on the med-surg floor I work on are great, no complaints (well almost none, but none work related, LOL ). While on the telemetry unit I was busy, the floor was at maximum census, I was the only aid, and the nurses were stressed a short staffed. I understand this... it has been that way many times on other floors. Well while I was busy answering call lights, taking vitals, and trying to get a very dirty patient bathed (his last documented shower was a week before, and you could tell), I get a call on the handset for me to get to 515 stat from a nurse. I run in there and smell the reason I was dispatched. Yes it smelled bad! Feces all over this patients legs and bed. I understand it is my job to do this, so I jump right in... while I am cleaning her up I notice that there is foley kit on the overbed... so I knew why it was a stat. Then when as I turn around to go to the cabinet to get a fresh linensaver I see the nurse standing there! Ok... I have been in situations when nurses called me in to clean up a mess, and I am fine with that... I know you guys have A LOT more to do than I do... She caught me off gaurd, and I jumped a little. She laughed and told me I just cleaned that patient up very quckly and well (I think it was a compliment). Well I asked her how long she had been standing there, and she said she never left the room, and gave me a pat on the back for a job well done. I was confused to say the least. I don'd mind if the nurse is busy and has something else important to do and I come it to aide her in saving time... but if she was going to be in the room the whole time... why call me in there stat to do the peri care when she apparently had nothing better to do???? It took me about eight minutes to change her bed and clean her up... so it took the nurse about eight minutes to watch me do it! It just irritates me... not sure why... maybe it shouldn't... but it does. Any thoughts as to why? Maybe there is a good reason I do not understand... let me know...
1)she was "testing" you since you were new to that floor
2)bad back?
3) uhh...??
Anyway, if someone ever stands for 10 min. watching me clean up poop and not offer to help, I think I would say something along the lines of "next time, feel free to jump in and help".
Can I add a fourth?
4) No excuse
There is no excuse, "if" it were one of the first 3 reasons she could used those 10 minutes to do something else for another patient. I cannot imagine standing around for 10 minutes much less watching someone else do what I am more than capable of doing myself. This nurse should be reported so there is no next time.
I have always taken the position I work for the nurse. I work under their license, and what I do reflects of them. The hospital might pay me, but they pay me to do what the nurse tells me to do, LOL.... good thing I love nurses
sometimes a gentle reminder that even though you are a nurse's aide, the poopie is ultimately their responsiblity. the person with the license owns the poop. if someone's hand isn't in a cast, they need to glove up..... i am a big advocate for team work. four hands gets things done much faster than two.
this is an argument i've had with my fellow students in class. they have this rotten habit of going into their patients room, finding them in a mess, hitting the call light for the CNA and walking out. it makes my blood boil. the nurse's aide is someone you WANT to be your friend.... i'm still in school but i appreciate the aides more then they know! if i am working a hall and have nothing to do, i'll pick up some of their showers or do their accuchecks so they can have a lunch. i didnt forget that i started as a tech, too.
you're a better person than i am, OP. i would have asked her if her fingers were broken.
I had an arguement with some of the students in my clinical group when I was in school. They seemed to think it was the aide's responsibility to clean up after the nurse. For example, one student showered her patient and left all of the dirty linen in the shower. Mind you, other patients used that shower also. I was peeved and she would just say "its not my job"...Uh...yes it it. Tim, you are not owned by the nurses. You are there to assist them and the patients but you are not the nurses' servant. Ultimately, it is OUR license and our butts not your's.
Nurses that posted they would never do that, can you come work where I work? Pretty please with sugar on top??? LOL
I've had nurses (LPN or RN) say oh there is water spilled back there, or oh I spilled Jevity all over patient A's bed, or I spilled Jevity all over the floor you need to clean it. And then go sit down at the desk. GAH!
The nurses that respect me and treat me with respect I respect them and will jump when they say jump. I will drop what I'm doing because they want vitals, or whatever else they request. HOWEVER if you don't respect me and tell me to jump if I'm busy I will tell you such and will jump when I have time (depending on the request of course).
With that said I have seen some crappy aides too. That you have to practically beg to do their work. Aides that marked the wrong time on briefs...ect.
I was taught in LPN school to be nice to the Aides and they will bend over backwards to help when I'm in a crunch. I've found that to be mainly true. Respect is a 2 way street regardless of what your title is. That being said, I've never had any problem assisting the aides if I wasn't tied up with my own work.
Actually the nurses owning me is one of my pet peeves....I had one nurse who would talk about what HER aides would do, how she would make HER aides do this and HER aides do that...It really made some of us aides that were on her shift mad...NOBODY owns me...If she really owned me then she can pay me thank you very much....Also if I'm a cetified nurses aide aren't I working under my own license?...Anyways I do agree with someone that said respect is a two way street! And that's SO true what your instructor told you. If you treat me fairly well and as a HUMAN I'll bend over backwards for you...Ultimately I'm there for the residents though...Nurse has her duties and I have mine....Nurse can help me with his/her duties but I can't help her/him with theirs so I do understand why a nurse may not be able to help me...BUT as the OP said the nurse was just standing there she should have jumped in!
Ok... I just touched on this in another post, but now it is bothering me again. I was floated to my hospital's telemetry floor last week, and something happened that has been making me bitter all week! First off... I LOVE NURSES! I want to be a nurse, I respect nurses, I know my role as a CNA and I am a darn good one at that! The nurses on the med-surg floor I work on are great, no complaints (well almost none, but none work related, LOL ). While on the telemetry unit I was busy, the floor was at maximum census, I was the only aid, and the nurses were stressed a short staffed. I understand this... it has been that way many times on other floors. Well while I was busy answering call lights, taking vitals, and trying to get a very dirty patient bathed (his last documented shower was a week before, and you could tell), I get a call on the handset for me to get to 515 stat from a nurse. I run in there and smell the reason I was dispatched. Yes it smelled bad! Feces all over this patients legs and bed. I understand it is my job to do this, so I jump right in... while I am cleaning her up I notice that there is foley kit on the overbed... so I knew why it was a stat. Then when as I turn around to go to the cabinet to get a fresh linensaver I see the nurse standing there! Ok... I have been in situations when nurses called me in to clean up a mess, and I am fine with that... I know you guys have A LOT more to do than I do... She caught me off gaurd, and I jumped a little. She laughed and told me I just cleaned that patient up very quckly and well (I think it was a compliment). Well I asked her how long she had been standing there, and she said she never left the room, and gave me a pat on the back for a job well done. I was confused to say the least. I don'd mind if the nurse is busy and has something else important to do and I come it to aide her in saving time... but if she was going to be in the room the whole time... why call me in there stat to do the peri care when she apparently had nothing better to do???? It took me about eight minutes to change her bed and clean her up... so it took the nurse about eight minutes to watch me do it! It just irritates me... not sure why... maybe it shouldn't... but it does. Any thoughts as to why? Maybe there is a good reason I do not understand... let me know...
You sound like a very nice person and I think the nurse should have pitched in to help you, if not done the cleaning herself, since she was just standing there hiding. I think you ought to let her know that you think it was pretty rotten of her to do that and that she has taught you a lesson - always check for hiding nurses before cleaning the patient and, if there are any, demand their help or refuse to be interrupted, since the nurse has time to just hide out.
We get mad when aides hide, after all.
I normally believe that the aides do not respect the RN's and that the aides think we have it in for them, sort of. In this case, I see I am wrong and I apologize for that nurse's improper behavior.
I hope you won't let this ruin your really sweet attitude or create resentment or bitterness within you. You sound like a guy I'd really love to work with.
). While on the telemetry unit I was busy, the floor was at maximum census, I was the only aid, and the nurses were stressed a short staffed. I understand this... it has been that way many times on other floors. Well while I was busy answering call lights, taking vitals, and trying to get a very dirty patient bathed (his last documented shower was a week before, and you could tell), I get a call on the handset for me to get to 515 stat from a nurse. I run in there and smell the reason I was dispatched. Yes it smelled bad! Feces all over this patients legs and bed. I understand it is my job to do this, so I jump right in... while I am cleaning her up I notice that there is foley kit on the overbed... so I knew why it was a stat. Then when as I turn around to go to the cabinet to get a fresh linensaver I see the nurse standing there! Ok... I have been in situations when nurses called me in to clean up a mess, and I am fine with that... I know you guys have A LOT more to do than I do... She caught me off gaurd, and I jumped a little. She laughed and told me I just cleaned that patient up very quckly and well (I think it was a compliment). Well I asked her how long she had been standing there, and she said she never left the room, and gave me a pat on the back for a job well done. I was confused to say the least. I don'd mind if the nurse is busy and has something else important to do and I come it to aide her in saving time... but if she was going to be in the room the whole time... why call me in there stat to do the peri care when she apparently had nothing better to do???? It took me about eight minutes to change her bed and clean her up... so it took the nurse about eight minutes to watch me do it! It just irritates me... not sure why... maybe it shouldn't... but it does. Any thoughts as to why? Maybe there is a good reason I do not understand... let me know...
:up:I'd sell tickets to witness an MD help with ADLs myself. 
jnette, ASN, EMT-I
4,388 Posts
Wow... I'm at a loss for words... well... NICE "family friendly" words, that is.
That was really sorry on her part. No excuse for it. None. Just pure sorriness.
I hate that this happened to you. You, and the pateint, deserve better.
Keep up the good work.. and remember.. what goes around, comes around.