Co-workers don't want to help me change residents!!!

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.

So I have a two-assist, hoyerlift resident who is paralyzed on his left side. Everytime I go to do my rounds, I ask one out of two cna's for help changing this person. After coming from my meal break, I noticed that my resident had an accident. So I ask an aide to help me change him at 4:15 am. She says she will help me clean him up as soon as she can. After waiting 10-15 minutes, I'd had enough and ended up changing the resident myself. (which was a pretty difficult procedure) Although, after I was finished, I never told that particuliar aide I cleaned up my resident. Still waiting to see how long it would take her to assist me.

6:15 am passed, and this aide has still not come to see if I needed help. My shift is over at 7:00 am, and I actually wanted to check my resident again before I leave. At 6:20 am, I go ask my other nurse assistant co-worker for help changing this man. I get the same response. "Yeah, I'll help out as soon as I can." :uhoh3:

6:40 am comes, and not one out of my two co-workers have shown to help me change this person. At this time, I'm thinking about reporting this to my assigned nurse and asking for help. I really didn't want to bother my nurse at the time because she was in the middle of her morning med pass. I'm thinking that this sitauation is unfair to the resident, to me and the nurse if she were to stop what she was doing to help assist me.

At 6:45 am, the first aide I asked for help finally showed up. It appears that she wanted to clean up all her people and finish her rounds first, leaving both my resident and I waiting two and a half hours before she were to dare help me. :down: The clean-up procedure lasted less than three minutes. And even before I went to respectfully confront the issue, she was already out the door in a flash!

This stinks! Why should not only I, but my resident have to wait two and a half hours for help when there are two nurse assistants on the floor working with me? Should I have reported this to my assisgned nurse and/or nurse manager? I feel this was blantant disrespect. What should I do if this kind of incident were to occur again?

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Where I worked, you would have waited the two and a half hours and when 7 am came and went, you would have still been waiting. Nobody would interrupt what they were or were not doing to help a coworker.

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I hate it when people won't help. The whole floor suffers if there is not teamwork.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.

Normally, something like this would not have happened. I've never experienced this type of behavior from my co-workers since I've been there, until now. I'm looking for advice on what actions I should take if another incident like this happens. Because it is unacceptable to treat colleagues this way.

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Go to your charge nurse. They are responsible for supervising everyone to see that the resident care is accomplished.

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Specializes in 6 yrs LTC, 1 yr MedSurg, Wound Care.

I would try offering to help them finish whatever it is they are in the middle of, and then drag them down to where you need them. I don't mean help them finish rounds, just whatever they are currently working on.

Also, get as much of the care done as you can by yourself, then when they get there they can come in, help with what you needed them for and let them go. Don't make them do the dirty part, your resident-your mess. ;) If you tell them ahead of time that, for example, everything is ready, lift pad underneath, etc and you just need them there for the actual transfer, maybe they won't mind so much.

Try to figure this out for yourself before going to your charge nurse. I just dont want you to be labeled a tattletale or something. If it continues, then by all means get someone else involved. This job requires teamwork.

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Specializes in LTC.

Did you ask more than once? People get busy with their own work and forget things. It's also only natural to prioritize your own residents. I am all for teamwork, but if you can do it yourself, then what's the big deal? I have some residents that are hard to turn or a pain to clean up, and it's always *nice* to have help, but if the other person is busy and doesn't show up right away then I just do it alone, even if it's hard.

I like Dondie's suggestion of going in the room and asking for help while assisting them with whatever they're currently doing. I always do that. Sometimes when a coworker pops their head into a room to ask for help and then runs right back out, it can come off as rude. I also agree that you should either have everything ready before you ask, or tell them you'll need help "in a few minutes" and ask if they can meet you when they're done.

Only you were there, so you have the best sense of why these girls didn't help you right away. Maybe it was a misunderstanding or maybe they were being intentionally passive-aggressive. Either way I wouldn't report them unless it becomes an ongoing problem and you've changed your approach. And I would address it with them before reporting it because the supervisor is probably going to blow it off.... and if she actually does something about it people are going to be mad at you.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.
I would try offering to help them finish whatever it is they are in the middle of, and then drag them down to where you need them. I don't mean help them finish rounds, just whatever they are currently working on.

Also, get as much of the care done as you can by yourself, then when they get there they can come in, help with what you needed them for and let them go. Don't make them do the dirty part, your resident-your mess. ;) If you tell them ahead of time that, for example, everything is ready, lift pad underneath, etc and you just need them there for the actual transfer, maybe they won't mind so much.

Try to figure this out for yourself before going to your charge nurse. I just dont want you to be labeled a tattletale or something. If it continues, then by all means get someone else involved. This job requires teamwork.

Thanks for your advice. If a co-worker is in the middle of changing someone, I will volunteer my time to help with that individual, so then I will not have to wait over two hours again. And yes... I know my resident-my mess. :uhoh3: I was ONLY asking for help with a two assist, hoyerlift who is completely paralyzed on his left side. The guy weighs more than twice my size. I had all my supplies ready for my resident to be changed. All she had to do was help me turn him from side to side.I don't really see what is wrong with asking for help when needed. And I came to this website to ask for advice on what actions I should take before I go to my nurse manager. I wouldn't want to be labeled a tattletale either, but if a resident was being neglected in near eyesight, would you speak-up or keep your mouth shut?

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.
Did you ask more than once? People get busy with their own work and forget things. It's also only natural to prioritize your own residents. I am all for teamwork, but if you can do it yourself, then what's the big deal? I have some residents that are hard to turn or a pain to clean up, and it's always *nice* to have help, but if the other person is busy and doesn't show up right away then I just do it alone, even if it's hard. I also agree that you should either have everything ready before you ask, or tell them you'll need help "in a few minutes" and ask if they can meet you when they're done. Either way I wouldn't report them unless it becomes an ongoing problem and you've changed your approach. And I would address it with them before reporting it because the supervisor is probably going to blow it off.... and if she actually does something about it people are going to be mad at you.

I understand that my co-worker was busy, but she did not 'forget' that I asked her for help when she saw me in the hallway 30 minutes later, and replied 'I'll be there in a minute.' And there was no need to 'ask more than once' because after 15 minutes of waiting, I already changed my resident. Like I said earlier, it only took the both of us less than three minutes to change him when she finally did arrive. (to change my resident twice) I had all my equipment ready. I also believe that it's natural to place your residents priority first, but why would she decide to clean and change 19 other people before she would help me with my one guy? Is that natural or self-absorbed?

And yes, even though my resident weighs more than twice my size, is a two-person assist hoyer and paralyzed on the left side, my conscience would force me to suffer through the pain and change him anyway. But why do I have to suffer in silence when I HAVE the option of getting assistance from a co-worker for a TWO-PERSON ASSIST?! I have a back that I'd rather not break or injure. I love my residents, but I would not like to end up in his shoes at my age. (or any age, at that matter) I am asking for advice incase this issue BECOMES an ongoing problem. I was willing to confront her on this issue, but as soon as we were finished, she bolted out the door before I had a chance to speak.

OFFER A HAND, AND HELP YOUR CO-WORKERS, PEOPLE!!!

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Well, when I'm asked for help, I always try to go help as soon as I can.

BUT. It can get really frustrating, because I have several coworkers per day who need my help (usually multiple times), and if I always stopped and went right away, my residents would never get done. So I'll admit that sometimes, I will finish changing a few of my residents first, or whatever I was working on before I go. YOu might not be the only person who asked for their help, you know?

I don't know what your facility is like, but if a person went to help on another group and theirs was still a mess, they could get in trouble (yes, I worked at a facility that liked to talk about teamwork, but would discipline aides for leaving their own group if they were not all completely clean/dry at that moment. Made no sense.)

Of course, only you know what the vibe/situation felt like, so I"m not saying that was the case...but just a possibility.

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Specializes in LTC/Rehab.
Well, when I'm asked for help, I always try to go help as soon as I can.

BUT. It can get really frustrating, because I have several coworkers per day who need my help (usually multiple times), and if I always stopped and went right away, my residents would never get done. So I'll admit that sometimes, I will finish changing a few of my residents first, or whatever I was working on before I go. YOu might not be the only person who asked for their help, you know?

I don't know what your facility is like, but if a person went to help on another group and theirs was still a mess, they could get in trouble (yes, I worked at a facility that liked to talk about teamwork, but would discipline aides for leaving their own group if they were not all completely clean/dry at that moment. Made no sense.)

Of course, only you know what the vibe/situation felt like, so I"m not saying that was the case...but just a possibility.

...:aln:

I wasn't asking her to do anything for me that I have not already done in the past for others. I know what it's like to multi-task. I know what it's like to have to complete multiple things at one time. And I know what it's like to have more than one person ask me for help at once. When things get hectic like that, I prioritize my time and duties. When I asked for her assistance, she was working on one individual. One. So why is it that after she was finished with her (one) person, she then didn't spend three minutes to help me clean up my guy? Why then work on 19 other people before you assist me? I don't know if other people had asked for her help at the same time I asked for her's, but I did notice that 19 of her residents out of 10 bedrooms did not ring their call lights all at once asking to be changed. Prioritize. She had more than enough time out of two and a half hours to help assist me. It was a total diss. I am disgusted with this cut-throat, me-me-my attitude that highly exists in nursing. I only imagined that as cna's, we were to work as a team to make sure that our residents, and all the residents on the floor were to be well taken care of. Am I crazy for thinking this way?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
...:aln:

she then didn't spend three minutes to help me clean up my guy? Why then work on 19 other people before you assist me? I don't know if other people had asked for her help at the same time I asked for her's, but I did notice that 19 of her residents out of 10 bedrooms did not ring their call lights all at once asking to be changed. Prioritize. She had more than enough time out of two and a half hours to help assist me. It was a total diss. I am disgusted with this cut-throat, me-me-my attitude that highly exists in nursing. I only imagined that as cna's, we were to work as a team to make sure that our residents, and all the residents on the floor were to be well taken care of. Am I crazy for thinking this way?

How was she to know it would only take three minutes? I've gone to help CNAs who tell me it will "only take a few minutes", only to end up in the room for 30 minutes. Then guess what? I end up behind on my work, while helping someone get caught up on theirs.

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