Help!! WE ARE EXHAUSTED!!!!

[SNTinSC25]

I have an issue that is going up before unit practice commitee at the hospital I work at and I need some advice! The problem is that the day shift techs(7-3) are doing all the baths, linens, etc. everyday on top of all the other duties we have. Mind you that this is not in the job description that it has to be done this way, it is just that the other 2 shifts (3-11 and 11-7a) don't do anything but normal shift duties. the policy at our hospital does state that night shift is required to do 2 total baths and no more. Most of the time this doesn't get done! We are a 36 bed unit with three pods and day shift has 3 techs on the floor(one for each pod) and 2 on all other shifts. The problem exists where the older techs who have been there the longest dont feel that they should say anything to the nurse manager because they feel nothing will be done to fix it anyway so why try? My arguement is that the sqeaky wheel gets the grease but one person can tchange the world. I have convinced the nurse manager that the work load needs to be more balanced and she has agreed to hold tech meetings next week to discuss an action plan to fix the problem. This is a good step towards our goal but the problem exists that there needs to be a follow up done so things dont slip back into old habits. The question I pose to you is have any of you found a solution that works like maybe having a tech in charge of each shift or otherwise? Please let me know how your place of work handles sharing the work load! Thanks for your help, the day shift techs are exhausted and not very happy!!

[texastaz]

Depending on the number of CNAs you have available. Lets start basic - many places CNA that has the patient must do pretty much all required for that shift. Showers are usualy devided between morning shift and afternoon shift by a & b beds, and for days to be showered by even or odd room number. The simpliest method I know is all M, W, F - all even number rooms get showers. A beds morning shift, B beds evening shift. T, T, Sat - all odd number rooms. Again morning shift A beds, afternoon shift B beds. Some facilities have shower aides - however the patients are assigned showers the same. Most facilities will have a head CNA that floats. They assist all other CNAs with supplies and patients - specificly patients that require 2 person lift, so forth. In addition some facilities will have a additional CNA the changes linen, does nails and shaves ----- that is a trade off usualy a shower aide for I call it the bed changing aide. ---- If you luck out and work at a facility where there are all three - Head CNA, shower aide and bed changing aide - you are in a great place. Many places have none of the extra help.

[mochabean]

We're having similiar problems at my job with certain nursing assistants not doing their work, which creates more work for other nursing assistants as well as for the next shift. Everyone's been complainng about it for the longest, so far nothing as been done, but it seems to be getting worse. I think may be there should be a charge nursing assisant who'll make sure everything is done and give a report to the DON. The charge nurse usually doesn't care and just says to "work it out among yourselves." But people need to start being held accountable.

[retread71]

We don't have as much of a workload but we have showers on residents preferred days and times, and until recently they have all been PM showers. Now we run 3 on the floor during the AM hours, of which 2 do AM care and showers and I do meds. I also do some AM care and one shower due to the meds. Carestaff just took over the laundry and linen change which we divide evenly between AM and PM shifts.

When we get more residents we will be d

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

People need to be held accountable for certain tasks. I don't really know how things work in hospitals, but in the LTC where I work the showers are assigned by bed, ie whoever is in room 4, bed B ALWAYS gets their shower on Friday during the 3-11 shift, 6A gets theirs Wednesdays on 7-3, etc. You're assigned a certain set of residents and if one of them is supposed to have a shower you have to do it. We also have other tasks associated with our assignments- assignment # 1 is supposed to do linens, #2 does snacks, etc. No one ever pays attention to that- whoever gets to it first will do it, but theoretically if you're on #1 and no one does the linens at the end of the night then you're the one who gets in trouble.

[sonomala]

We divide it up by assignment numbers but we're allowed to switch around on the hall if we want to so long as all the work gets done. Showers are divided between 7-3 and 3-11 though we have some odd shifts that overlap those two and usually they'll try to get showers in ect to help out. Linens are everyones responsibility, I don't know any shift that neglects them because we all need them so badly. Most halls are like mine, we all know what has to be done, we all have our individual likes dislikes so we divide it up accordingly and get it done. I know what your trying to do is good, but I'm with the older cnas even though I'm new to the field, I wouldn't start a fuss. Its not worth it. For safety health concerns always make a fuss but other stuff the powers that be don't take well to it. I've seen it happen.

[soon2becna]

Where Im working now the cnas have a shower team, two ppl on each hall that do all the baths for the day. While not a perfect solution but is the staffing is available maybe it would work in your case.

[SNTinSC25]

Thank You so much for your help! My nursing supervisor wants me to print out these posts and put them to the unit practice commitee for discussion on an action plan!! It is long over due!! We staff 3 techs for am shift for 36 beds, so we should be able to work it out!! I appreciate all the helpfull comments and suggestions!!