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."
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. 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?
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.[/quote']
I've had this guy for a while, and it's never taken me or anyone else longer than 5 minutes to clean him up at a time. With two people working on him, rather than one, the guy is pretty easy to manage. Luckily, at the moment more than half of my assignment are independent and continent. On average now, it takes me 45-60 minutes to do my rounds. I start rounds at 5:00am, and I was finished at 5:45 am that day. If for whatever reason, my co-worker did happen to stay longer than expected, I'd be more than happy to help assist her get caught up in work. Thanks for the advice...
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.[/quote']
Also, what am I suppose to do if absolutely EVERYONE wanted to wait until they finished with their job duties before they could assist me? What if under policy guidelines, I was not allowed to change or transfer this resident without the assist of another? What if my resident's family members and friends were in the room? And they discovered that the reason it took over two hours for their loved one to get changed, is because noone wanted to assist me until their task was complete, in fear of ending up behind on their work. Is that suppose to be a valid excuse?
I also find it frustrating when I'm kept waiting after asking for help.
However, in all your posts on this thread your focus has solely been on your patients and your needs. In that two hours, during which you had time to notice that none of her patients rang for assistance, did you see if you could lend her a hand?
Like Boogs, I've been put well behind with my work because of help I've given colleagues. When deciding between helping someone and attending to the needs of my own patients I weigh up urgency (I've got a better unerstanding of what's needed in my area than anyone else); I also look at how willing that person is to help me when I need assistance.
However, in all your posts on this thread your focus has solely been on your patients and your needs. In that two hours, during which you had time to notice that none of her patients rang for assistance, did you see if you could lend her a hand?
All of my posts on this thread has solely been focused on getting assistance to help change my two-assist resident. I do not rely on my co-workers to help me change 20 of my residents during incontinence rounds or throughout the night. Also, in those two hours, I had completed my rounds, emptied out trash cans and straighten up my resident's rooms. I was finished my 5:00 am round by 6:00 am. In the meantime, I was also answering my co-workers call lights. And during those two hours, a few of her residents DID ask for assistance. They ask me for ice water, blankets and to remind the nurse about their scheduled medications.
If anyone has any advice as to what actions I should take incase another incident like this happens again... please share. Advice was what I was originally looking for when I started this thread, not an interrogation.
Whenever I need help, I will help someone out and then say, "Hey can you help me clean up so and so?" So far that approach has worked for me. This only works with my evening and noc coworkers. Day shift is a whole 'nother ballgame.
You seem to be feeling defensive here. I understand why, but I truly wasn't trying to blame you for the situation, and I don't think anyone else was either. I don't know why some people won't help out when asked, but I work with a few of them. Some are just airheads and we have a couple who are so focused on their own work that they deliberately ignore requests for help(they're the first ones to throw someone under the bus for whatever they can though).
I think some of the tips that have been offered here are definitely valuable- like jumping in to help finish what your coworker was doing when you ask for their assistance. Not only is this mutually beneficial, but it gives them less of an out when the task is done and it's time to move on, since they can't say they're in the middle of something anymore and then "forget."
You said your assignment was kind of easy and you still got done with time left over, so I'm kind of confused as to why you're so upset. They sound totally annoying and you have every right to be miffed, but it's not something to go to the supervisor about. If they continue to be inconsiderate, maybe it's time to get cranky. Every now and then when someone who chronically doesn't help anyone gets on my last nerve I give them a piece of my mind and they behave for a while.
im so glad i read this thread...i have an interview at a LTC tomorrow morning-my first cna job...and i liked the heads up about if i need help, go in and ask for help, but give the helper a hand first...thats good stuff and i will definitley do that
The point of my post, and I'm sorry if this didn't come through, is that your perspective of your colleague's availability is partial and filtered through your patient's needs. This is partly inevitable - as I said, I prioritise my patients' needs first, because I have a greater duty to them than to other patients on my ward, and to increase the likelihood of getting out on time - and partly a function of experience.
In general, the less experience, scope of practice, and responsibility one has the less one is able to see beyond one's own patient needs to the demands on one's colleagues and the unit as a whole. This makes it easier to see an intent that may not be there. You said that this was the first time you'd experienced this kind of wait. That indicates to me that your colleagues are generally helpful, team players.
I think labelling it "an incident" is overblowing what I have no doubt was an annoying experience. My concern is hat you may turning something that was merely different priorities into something personal - for example, you write that you were going to "confront" your colleague but "she ran straight out" - perhaps because she was busy?
You write that what you want is advice, but seem not to have taken on board the useful advice given to you by member - every post giving you a different perspective or a strategy (like "how would she know it would only take five minutes?" or "get everything ready first" or "offer help") has been met by a response that indicates you didn't understand what the posters were saying. What we mean is: your colleagues aren't mind readers. They don't know your patients like you do. They also have work loads and patient needs and pressure. If you want prompt asssitance you're more likely to get it if you reduce the time needed and the interruption to their own work, and if you reciprocate.
Finally, if you think the questions we've raised constitute an "interrogation"... really?
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."
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. 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?
check out this post: feel pressured to do 2 people transfer alone (https://allnurses.com/cna-nursing-assistant/feel-pressured-do-570065.html), ev1987. don't feel pressured into using a 2 person lift alone. it can be dangerous for both you & the patient. see your charge nurse/nurse mgr if need be...ask for their advice as to how they think it should be handled. patients first.
Should I have reported this to my assisgned nurse and/or nurse manager?
The less you complain the better off you are. Just make certain you have done everything you can by yourself. Keep asking and tell them exactly what you need their help with.
I have complained about some things, like not having enough trash bags, and now certain people are watching me like an eagle looking for something to write me up on.
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!
Ev1987
347 Posts