Delegating to aides: How do you do it?

Aides know the RN is the ultimate responsiblity of the patient. If the aide has been working there for several years usually they will have everyone scared of them. They have been through several nurse managers and know by now they can get away with anything.

Just go to work with the mind set that you have no aide. Be prepared to do everything. I know that sounds bad but its true.

How about just talking to the aides and asking them to do what is expected of them? When the nurses need something done where I work, they ask me. Thats it.

When I worked at the nursing home, I knew most of the aids I was to work with before I was employed...whether through high school or just around town. I found that working "with" them, being friendly and approachable yet strict on patient care worked best. Sometimes another nurse would find her day filled with the aids constantly coming to her with little problems all day, such as "so and so needs tylenol, so and so was found sitting on the floor, so and so doesn't want to take her bath, etc. Just anything to pull the nurse to the room and away from her charting. If an aid didn't like you in particular, they could make all kinds of problems for you. I made sure to take time and talk with the aids throughout the day, asking their input on the patients care, keeping them involved in the plan of care as well. After all, they are the ones who work more hands on with the residents day after day and are so valuable in their healthcare. I say be nice, and keep yourself approachable. You don't have to be their best friend, but you sure don't want them as an enemy. :)

I treat them with respect and I talk to them the way that I would like to be spoken to.

I've never really had any major problems throughout my career, but I have witnessed others that fight all of the time.

When I have encountered a problem, I never place blame. Blame like, "You did this......" or "You need to do that......" or "why didn't you.....", this just puts people on the defense.

I word concerns like, "I'm feeling that......" or "I'm confused why......".

Nobody can argue what I am feeling or what I am concerned with, but they can certainly explain their view and opinion to help me understand the situation more clearly.

Simple as this, treat eachother with mutual respect. If you're asking something that isn't route maybe give a brief explination. If it's something that is at a specific time let them know, maybe remind them. Us CNAs are simply just CNAs not mind readers. Realize we too are busy so if we don't get to something on time it isn't because we are sitting in the lounge eating doughnuts.

Those nurse who treat me with respect have a much easier night that those who don't. It sounds horrible, but I will go the extra mile for the nurses that I know will help me when I'm swampped with call lights.

CNAs and Nurses are apart of the same team.

Aides know the RN is the ultimate responsiblity of the patient. If the aide has been working there for several years usually they will have everyone scared of them. They have been through several nurse managers and know by now they can get away with anything.

Just go to work with the mind set that you have no aide. Be prepared to do everything. I know that sounds bad but its true.

As for me, I ask the aide for what I need them to do. If I see that they are slacking off or aren't getting done what it was I asked, I can remind them, politely. Only for very bad aides does this approach not work.

I treat them with respect and I talk to them the way that I would like to be spoken to.

I've never really had any major problems throughout my career, but I have witnessed others that fight all of the time.

When I have encountered a problem, I never place blame. Blame like, "You did this......" or "You need to do that......" or "why didn't you.....", this just puts people on the defense.

I word concerns like, "I'm feeling that......" or "I'm confused why......".

Nobody can argue what I am feeling or what I am concerned with, but they can certainly explain their view and opinion to help me understand the situation more clearly.

The NAs I've worked with know I would not ask them to do anything I wouldn't do and I will help them. They know I will not walk out of a room and hunt the floor over for an NA just to tell them to go back to that room and place a patient on a bedpan (a personal pet peeve of mine).

I treat NAs with respect, and expect the same in return. And I make it a point to try to thank them for their help during the shift. As I've said before, it's not only the right thing to do but it's selfish on my part as well, because they will go that extra mile and make my life so much easier. Then when there does come a time I can't help them out or I'm swamped with my own duties, I know I can trust them to watch my back.

I simply tell the aides what I need done and they do it. I have a good relationship with the aides. I find that if you treat them with respect and help them when they need a hand, they'll be more than happy to carry out whatever task you set out for them. I'm an RN now but, at one time, I was an aide & I know their job isn't easy either. It's all about teamwork. I have no respect for nurses who spend 10 minutes to find an aide to clean up poop when they could have just done it themselves and been done with it. True, some days it's hard to get all of the charting and other responsibilities done and the last thing you want to do is toileting, baths, etc. those tasks are part of nursing and I say to the nurses who don't like it, get over yourself. You could be working in a facility with NO aides at all and doing the job anyway. I have a lot of days when I'm the charge nurse with a group of patients and I have no aide & no secretary. It sucks, but it's reality.

As for me, I ask the aide for what I need them to do. If I see that they are slacking off or aren't getting done what it was I asked, I can remind them, politely. Only for very bad aides does this approach not work.

Exactly!!

Aides have their own set of responsibilities, and usually a much higher patient load than a nurse. No, they can't do some essential "nurse" duties like assessments/meds and all the other things nurses are responsible for...but their job is no less time consuming, no less physically demanding. Treating even the terrible aides with respect will get you farther than you know.

I once worked with a wonderful aide. She was a former aerospace engineer - one of the first women ever to work at NASA. She wanted to work as an aide because she loved dealing with children. I remember a time when a (new grad) nurse got a little too aggressive with her and she gave that new grad the verbal lashing of her life, and deservedly so. Not too many of us are too young anymore, and as a member of the "older" set, I'm not in the military. Ordering me around will get you nowhere. If you don't respect me enough to ask - then you can do it yourself.

vamedic4

Sometimes another nurse would find her day filled with the aids constantly coming to her with little problems all day, such as "so and so needs tylenol, so and so was found sitting on the floor, so and so doesn't want to take her bath, etc. Just anything to pull the nurse to the room and away from her charting. If an aid didn't like you in particular, they could make all kinds of problems for you.

You don't have to be their best friend, but you sure don't want them as an enemy. :)

Absolutely. When I was a CNA in LTC there was a nurse who was very condescending (sp?) to me. It drove me nuts. I did NOT think I knew it all...but wasn't ignorant either. I was also almost through RN school.

Sigh...hate to admit it....but she took ALOT of temps for me. My pt's always seemed to feel too warm to me, or be too diaphoretic, felt dizzy etc. And.... (cringe) I also hate to admit...if I was in a pt room at the end of the hallway and the pt needed multiple things, I'd call for it from her on the walkie-talkie..and wait until I knew she was halfway down the hallway to add something to the list.

CNA's CAN make things difficult. Be polite but firm with them. Yes...some need you to be firmer than others...but give them the benefit of the doubt first.

As for me, I ask the aide for what I need them to do. If I see that they are slacking off or aren't getting done what it was I asked, I can remind them, politely. Only for very bad aides does this approach not work.

From my experience with aides i find being butt kissing nice gets nothing done. Simply being more business like and less buddy buddy gets more done. We are hired to take care of patients not make friends.

I find alot of aides complain alot and hate their jobs. I usually request not to have an aid. At least i know if the job is done or not. "If you dont like kids dont work at toys r us and if you dont like patients dont work at a hospital

A matter of fact statement tends to work pretty well :). Add a please and thank you and a rationale if the CNA needs one--it's always easier to want to do something if you know why.

When I was a CNA, I never minded being asked to do something; if the nurse didn't ask, how would I know what needed to be done--other than VS, ADLs and typical normal stuff.

If you look at it as simple communication more than "bossing" someone around, it kind of turns into a non-issue--usually anyway .