Do you have time to give baths?

NeoPediRN · Mar 9, 2011

I work with kids, so it's a little bit different, but I always give baths. We are lucky if we get one CNA on the day shift, so the girls on nights are generally very good and wash at least one kiddo up unless things get hectic. I usually have 3-4 patients. There have been times I've come in to no CNAs and no kids washed up, and even then I find the time to do it, even if it's in the afternoon. I can't help but feel like my day is incomplete if I don't at least give a sponge bath, and change outfits and trach ties.

CharmedJ7 · Mar 9, 2011

I next to never give baths, really don't have the time. Usually there's a CNA who does it, or a lot of people have family to help out. I sometimes assist the CNA if the pt is trach or heavy or I want to do a very thorough skin assessment, but I rarely have the time to do it. It honestly doesn't even seem cost-effective for RNs to do that, techs can do it much better and I really think in most cases that 15+ min per pt would be better spent reading through the chart, double checking meds, talking with the MDs and other care providers, etc. Are you expected to do it regularly?

RNforLongTime · Mar 9, 2011

I work ICU on night shift. Some places, it's night shift's responsibility to bathe ALL the patients. Not so at my hospital. I don't have housekeeping OR Respiratory therapy after 11pm so I'm responsible for all my own treatments, vent checks, etc. If I gotta move a pt out to get another one in, I'm responsible to clean the room prior to the new pt arriving. We don't have any PCA's/secretaries on our unit either so if I've gotten my second admit on my shift alone and some nights I've gotten two admits in two hours, sorry there aint gonna be any baths getting done.

If my patient asks for a bath and I have time I will gladly bathe them. If the pt is on a vent, I'll bath em after labs and Chest X-rays are done unless the pt is too unstable, agitated to do so. Sometimes the vent patients are just too touchy and get agitated easily and unfortunately we DO NOT USE PROPOFOL for sedation of ventilated pt's at my facility.

If the pt is alert and oriented, I'm not gonna wake em up at 3am to ask them if they want to get washed up. Pt's need to sleep at night, especially those who are alert and oriented so they don't get ICU psychosis.

It would be SO easy for my facility to hire a few more PCA's but they won't. The ones we do have get abused so badly....pulled to other depts on a regular basis, that they all quit. My night shift PCA is the ONLY one for the entire hospital some nights so no matter what our acuity is in ICU, they pull her elsewhere because EVERY other unit is more important than ICU at my facility.

One of my day shift coworkers NEVER bathes her patients.....even if the patient can bathe themselves...she never gives baths. There have been times where she has only had the one patient, who is a & o and she STILL does not give them a bath! CAN you say LAZY???

backatit2 · Mar 9, 2011

wow - where i work (i'm a CNA in nursing school) the CNA's give baths. i work night shift and i'm responsible for 20-24 patients (averaging 23) so i don't really give baths except every blue moon - but the CNA on day shift is expected to give multiple baths - total care and assist. in between getting vitals, grabbing drinks, ice, blankets, etc. for patients AND their families, and being interrupted by nurses (who have 3-4 patients) to "help" turn a patient (which really means will YOU go turn my patient) or "do me a favor and get room 5's blood sugar or room 10 needs "cleaning up" - i don't see how on earth they do it.

I would say I don't see how/why you're expected to do it, but after what I've seen - I'm not surprised.

I became a CNA to get a feel for what nursing would be like. It wasn't because I needed a job - I made more money in high school before I had a degree at a fast food joint. I have to say, I really LOVE working with patients and the job in general. What I HATE, HATE, HATE is the understaffing and the poor relationships between staff (particularly CNAs/RNs) that result bc of it. I think being a CNA is giving me great insight that will hopefully help a lot when I'm a nurse - and I'm sure when I'm a nurse I'll learn tons of things that the CNAs wouldn't understand.

sorry for the vent - but yeah i'm surprised you're expected to give baths, but then again - there are people (not RNs, but still humans with two hands) expected to give a dozen or more baths on top of other time consuming tasks - and i think it's all crazy.

backatit2 · Mar 9, 2011

It would be SO easy for my facility to hire a few more PCA's but they won't. The ones we do have get abused so badly....pulled to other depts on a regular basis, that they all quit.

exactly! i was shocked and appalled when i was hired as a CNA (with a bachelor's degree in another field and a nursing school student) and i was told my rate of pay was minimum wage/less than i made in high school (10+ years ago) working at a fast food joint. look up federal minimum wage if you're interested. i'm about to get a dollar raise very soon for being able to draw blood, but that still puts my pay (even working nights) barely above what i made in HS without a degree.

i did it because i want the experience and i had been unemployed for awhile so i was sick to death of staying at home. if i wasn't a nursing student who was working on my scholarship through this hospital, i would quit in a heartbeat and go work at mcdonald's which pays more - literally.

i'm glad that you at least realize that the assistants get abused. let me tell you, i've worked hard in my lifetime. i walked to work and back through high school to buy my own car. i worked and went to college while living on my own as soon as i turned 18. i worked, went to school, and had 2 kids in diapers when working on my first degree - and working as a CNA is the first time i've ever had to leave my shoes outside because they stink to high heaven because i run so hard for 12 hours - AND i've never been paid less for doing it.

if they would pay assistants more, the RNs wouldn't have these issues - and the assistants would STAY. i guess that's why the newspaper is ALWAYS full of page after page of CNA and RN jobs with 5 or 6 others thrown in between.

headinsandRN · Mar 9, 2011

Unless the pt is soiled, baths do not compete well for priority against my stat orders, or whodinis who slip out of restraints, etc.

4 patients? I envy you.

April, RN, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

Not getting a bath for a day never killed anyone. Not getting a bath for days on the other hand...

Why not get shower supplies out and have the walky-talkies bathe themselves? As far as the the total care patients, they don't necessarily need a full scrub-down every day. If I'm crunched for time, I still always do face, hair brush, mouthcare, new jonny, and a little powder. The bottom gets washed at some point during the day whether it's during a bath, skin check, or clean up.

backatit2 · Mar 9, 2011

Not getting a bath for a day never killed anyone. Not getting a bath for days on the other hand...
Why not get shower supplies out and have the walky-talkies bathe themselves? As far as the the total care patients, they don't necessarily need a full scrub-down every day. If I'm crunched for time, I still always do face, hair brush, mouthcare, new jonny, and a little powder. The bottom gets washed at some point during the day whether it's during a bath, skin check, or clean up.

do you work in a hospital or LTC? i work in a hospital and our RNs would laugh if they were asked to do any of the above mentioned.

NeoPediRN · Mar 9, 2011

do you work in a hospital or LTC? i work in a hospital and our RNs would laugh if they were asked to do any of the above mentioned.

Wow, that's sad. Every patient deserves basic care, whether they're in acute care or a SNF.

April, RN, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

do you work in a hospital or LTC? i work in a hospital and our RNs would laugh if they were asked to do any of the above mentioned.

I'm an RN in a hospital. All of the above mentioned are the responsibilities of a nurse. Nursing assistants are there to help us with our responsibilities. That being said, I find it interesting that you asked if I worked in a nursing home because I've found that nurses in nursing homes don't do any ADLs.

sistasoul · Mar 9, 2011

I never have time to give baths. I don't have enough time to perform all of my RN duties. I would love to be able to do all aspects of care on my patients but it is not realistic. Too much charting in nursing and not enough hands on care. It is a shame really.