Help, providing patient care

[ShelbyReade]

I am on my third week of clinical and I find myself struggling with patient care. I have a different patient every week. I am comfortable around my patients. Last night I asked if they wanted me to assist with getting them washed up after dinner they said no, that they will do it once they get in the bathroomI don't push them, I am at a rehab facility and I know they are tired by the time we arrive. My assigned dinner break is 6:30 -7:00 PM and when I get back to the floor there is a shift change going on and my patient is in bed.

[At our roundtable discussion at the end of the night each student gives their assessment/overview and our instructor gives us feedback. When I stated my patient could ambulate with assistance and said she would clean herself up (wash face, hands) once she got to the bathroom, my instructor told me it was my job to provide the care. That this is not a hotel and the patients care is our responsibility.

I thought I did a good job doing vitals, weighing my patient, covering another students patient while she was on her dinner break, and assisting the CNA and RN when they needed help.

After my instructors comment I left last night feeling so deflated

I have no healthcare experience and now I am second guessing every little thing. How can I be more assertive with my patient when they tell me they will provide their own personal care when washing their face and hands? I cannot force them but I also need to provide a service. I am at a loss here, any advice will be much appreciated.

[asheekakes]

What happened to patient's rights? I am in NJ at a Rehab facility as well but I work as a CNA full time on 3-11pm shift. Night care is not usually provided in terms of sponge bath and showers UNLESS patient NEEDS or REQUESTS it. If a patient says they will clean themselves how are you going to force them into you doing it for them? I don't understand that!

[Ginja85, LPN]

Are you expected to forcibly wash your patient? Last I checked that would be battery and false imprisonment if you had to hold the patient down to wash them, would not advise doing that EVER. I think your instructor may have taken what you said as; pt. didn't ask for help so I didn't offer and just left the room. Fill you evening report/roundabout with more detail, outline goes like this; basic pt data (share per guidelines given), objective, subjective, I&O, pt. concerns, and the biggie if you didn't ask your instructor a single question during your shift you must share 1 new thing you learned or 1 new skill preformed that day.