Have You Ever Been Told You're Too Slow?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

No it hasn't.

But I have been one to stay behind while my peers are leaving me, so it's an issue I've had to deal with in my own practice.

I would take it as a lesson learned. Look deeply at the issue and seriously ask yourself "am I too slow?". Yes, you're trying and working hard, but is there something you can be doing better, are there things holding you up? Are there better ways to organize your care that gets you in an out the rooms quick, gets the care done quicker? How are the other CNAs doing it?

Good luck.

Leda · Jun 20, 2006

Yes, during my first semester as a nursing student, (a long time ago!) I received the following comment on my clinical evaluation:

"Slow and pokey on the clinical unit."

The clincial instructor was correct, I was slow but very thorough. Perhaps too thorough. The clinical site was an extended care facility and I did spend a great deal of time allowing my patients to dictate the pace of care, which in hindsight was not always the best decision.

Thankfully I was allowed to continue in the program taking the approach to the situation that Tweety suggested. I looked around and sought out the confident and quicker students and nurses, adapting my approach to nursing care from their methods. With time and effort I was able to improve my speed without losing accuracy or compasion.

At this point in my practice I am very quick and efficient in familiar nursing care situations. I do tend to be slow in new and unfamiliar situations, but I learned early on in my practice to look around and find a mentor to assist me to acquire the knowledge and skills needed in new nursing practice situations.

Unless patient safety is compromised you should not be fired for the first write-up for slow care. I would suggest you work with the person who wrote you up to get concrete information about how you can tailor your approach to care so that you can pick up the pace and still provide quality care.

Best of luck to you.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

yes, I have been told that I was too slow.

Never by a manager, but by some of my coworkers - you know the ones. They are busy chatting on their cells, or gossiping at the station. They seem to be completely deaf to call lights, physically unable to answer the phone. You find cups of pills at the bedside of their patients that are physically unable to reach them. Or there is not one drop of water at their bedside, with which to take the dozen or so pills. When you follow them, you find the chart checks not done, the patient never turned, tons of wet towels on the shower floor, despite the patient being a fall risk, and several meals worth of trays sitting in the room.

Or from the assignment nurse, who has one vent patient-unconscious, stable on one cardiac drip, while I have 4 patients, two of which are on resp/vre iso, two which are delirious and fall risks without a sitter or a family member at bedside. Each one has at 12-18 IV scheduled meds/blood products/chemo to be given, not including PRNs and central line blood draws, nor the extra blood cultures/changes to antibiotics/addition of amphoB when two of them invariably temp.

Assess whether you are slow because you are doing a thorough job, or because you are actually slow. Sometimes slow is a good thing.

Carolina

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

Assess whether you are slow because you are doing a thorough job, or because you are actually slow. Sometimes slow is a good thing.
Carolina

Being told you are slow by lazy co-workers is one thing. Being written up and fired by management is another.

But I know exactly what you're saying. I'd rather be considered "slow" if it means the details are taken care of and the patients are safe and comfortable.

When I stay late and get the "you're still here?" question like I'm an invader on their planet, I pay them no mind. And if I'm behind from playing cleanup, I might say something to that effect. The most critical ones are the usually the guilty ones and we make them look bad. It's all part of the process of looking at yourself "am I really slow, disorganized, can I improve" or "do I work with jealous trolls?". :)

weirdRN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

I am relatively new in terms of my LPN and RN licensure, but I was a CNA for two years before that.

When I first started as a CNA, I was slow. I let the residents talk, b/c I thought that was what I was supposed to do. One day a senior CNA took me to the side and told me that I was a great listener, that I did a very through job of caring for the residents, but I needed to pick up speed b/c others felt I wasn't doing my share b/c I was too busy chatting with the residents. I admit, I went overboard for a while, no talking at all. The senior CNA took me to the side again, and chastised me for not haveing any heart for long term care residents. I was dumbfounded. I fired back that when I had talked to them before others had complained that I wasn't doing my job. She said that she and I would work together the next week of shifts. SO we did and she pointed out good tips for how to tactfully cut a rambling resident or family member off and how to exit graciosuly without hurting anyone's feeling. She also taught me short cuts that I found to be kosher with my newly aquired book knowledge. I have huge respect for the CNA that stayed to help me learn to be a better care provider. As to the others that just complained... well.. nothing ever changes unless you complain to the right people...Fortunately for me it was the person that it was who was complained to.

As a new nurse, I am slow. Slow b/c I don't know the residents, and their meds and their circumstances ect. I expect that with in three months of working this new job that I will be able to be in full compliance with the time restraints placed on us for Medication passes ect.

Speed comes with experience.

TazziRN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

Yes, at my first CNA job. I was at a LTC and I had trouble getting my assignments done as fast as the experienced CNAs. At four months, after my charge nurse gave me a scathing eval, I started searching for another job. A month later I left and went into home care and I blossomed.

justmanda · Jun 20, 2006

The only problem with being slow but thorough is the patient population. You can't be slow in a crisis, even if you are being thorough. You have to be quick and thorough. Quick thinking, quick acting. Not saying that is me...but I do understand the importance of efficiency.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

Yes, during my first semester as a nursing student, (a long time ago!) I received the following comment on my clinical evaluation:
"Slow and pokey on the clinical unit."

Slow and pokey? Accurate or not - how do instructors with this level of tact get hired by nursing programs?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jun 20, 2006

Eric, I thought the same thing..."pokey". A good instructor is more concrete in grading and criticism.

chadash · Jun 20, 2006

Actually, I always got, "slow down girl, youre moving too fast!"

Guess the trick in working as an NA is to learn a good pace. Keep your eye on the prize (focus!) but don't run after it!

The best NAs I knew did not work "fast",they worked "smart". Think through what is the most efficient way to complete your tasks, and speed should not be an issue. I was always amazed at the work some of my fellow NAs could complete with apparent grace and ease, while I was sweating and running!

I worked with some really gifted time managers: some of them just had the smarts to do it naturally! Watch them, you can learn alot by following their example. If I went back to LTC now, I would ask to shadow an experienced and smart NA, and not assume my past experience was adequate.

Learn from others, take their advice.

Oh, and I have been called alot worse things than too slow!:)

squeakykitty · Jun 20, 2006

Yes, I have been told I was too slow. I've never been written up for it though. I think teamwork or the lack of can make a difference, but that's going to be another thread that I'm starting soon.