To wash or not to wash?

[sunflower3,RPN]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a long time reader but first time poster! This is something that has bothered me for quite some time but finally came to a head today.

I work med-surg in a smaller hosptial, we have a fairly decent employee base but our team on this floor is small.

My issue is with nurses "washing" during morning care but not completing the genital region or doing mouthcare...ewww, just eww!!

I relieved one of these nurses today. I went around to the pt's to introduce myself and one lady asked if I could help her. She is admitted w broken pelvis, dislocated L shoulder, fractured R wrist..obviously not capable of self care. She asked if I could wash her "lady bits" because it wasn't completed in the am. She then told me she had requested a thorough wash d/t it being missed yesterday as well (same nurse), and was told there wasn't enough time. I washed her right away.

Management is aware, turns a blind eye. We have offered assistance, team washed, educated etc etc to deaf ears.

My question is how much slack do you pick up for co-workers? Of course I'm going to wash a pt, but where is your line?

Sorry for the rant...off to wash my lady bits..lol

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

Everyone on our unit gets a head-to-toe bath every day...and all the parts Days normally perform baths, unless it's crazy then we do one at night.

NPO and vent patients get oral care Q2hr. Everyone else brushes at least twice a day for sure.

Sallyrnrrt...how the heck are people documenting wounds if they aren't removing dressings?!? O.o

The hospital totally ignored the wound and dressing........I did raise " a ruckus" with said hospital.......

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

As a DON , I love getting a patient back from 3 day hosp. Stay with a dressing on her back, dated and initialed by our nurses 3 days ago

Oh, dear God I hope I never end up in the hospital you mentioned....the ones around here are so crazy about getting sued for skin breakdown that they have a wound care nurse consult the minute a patient shows up in the facility for anything that requires a bandage...and I mean ANYTHING

[inthecosmos, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

Golden rule: Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.

You have to do the patient justice. If your co-workers aren't, at the very least, you are. Team baths may be something that will motivate nurses to perform baths. If everyone is pitching in, they'll go quicker, but lazy people will avoid real work at all costs.

[djh123]

How much slack do we pick up for co-workers? Well, I'm not perfect or incredible, but I've fixed errors in orders many times, have done wound care someone was supposed to have done on the previous shift a fair # of times, and other tasks. Mgt. is sometimes aware but rarely does anything to improve the situation.

[liluiass]

depends on the co worker

and on the things

life threatening things : must do ..never wait

small things : if I know my colleague forgot or didn't have the time to do them... I do them

if not I don't

I'm not going to work myself to death so a guy can rest and let me work like a slave

some people are just like that

but I just make sure that my superiors and mypatients know

these are my patients these are not xD

[caliotter3]

Have found, in general, that most employers will allow the same nurses to perform all aspects of a task or job, including both quantity and quality, all the time, while allowing other nurses (or other employees), to continue to shirk the same. As long as nothing is said, all is well and good. However, in many instances those who shirk will "complain" about those who do it the way it should be done. Trouble then ensues for those who do the job well and they find themselves under the pressure of being micromanaged by the shirkers or even in the ranks of the unemployed. No good deed goes unpunished.

Want to find yourself under the microscope? Point out to the manager a dressing that hasn't been changed since........ Or mention that Patient A complained that ........ or ........ Even if you play deaf, dumb, and non-caring, as long as you do what you are supposed to do, the way you are supposed to do it, there will someday be a target on your back. Sad commentary for any workplace, much less healthcare.

[nurseluckett, MSN]

This question is not about helping out a co-workers who is busy. This is about a nurse neglecting the patient's personal hygiene.