How do you get CNA's and nurses to work together harmoniously in an ICU environment

Maximize staffing of nursing and keep CNAs to a minimum. Where I work ICU nurses are not depending on the CNA for patient care. They are there when we need them to help with turns, helping the nurse get patients out of bed, restocking our bedside carts and helping push the stretcher when we travel to CT scan.

If a CNA is not available, nurses help each other.

When we do hire CNAs , they are almost without exception nursing students who are eager to make a good impression and maybe get hired into the unit upon graduation.

I work as a critical care tech in an ICU and for the most part the nurses are great and we all work as a team to get the job done. Many of us are in nursing school so our work ethic is pretty good considering that we want positions in the ICU after graduation.

There are however some bad apples. When I deal with nurses that are lazy or I know are tech hoggers I let them know ahead of time that Jane RN is tripled and she will need most of my help. The most annoying part is if you see I'm running late on something (Temps/glucs) do them yourself. I'm not late because I'm on a smoke break or up on a floor chatting. I'm in a room cleaning up a code brown, or off to a STAT CT scan. It is important to work together, basically don't wait for me to do all your turns. Initiate, say things like hey meet me in room 20 at 0400, I'm gonna start a bath and i'll need a turn then."

Good Suggestion... in fact the nurses suggested that last fall and then complained that they didn't have enough support staff.... Currently we have 12 hr CNA's, Secretary's and Nurses... Some of our CNA's have become nurses and they are the harshest critics of the current CNA's...

Love your suggestion about scheduling baths... when I worked the night shift, we did that all the time... the communication was key and everyone worked together. Our CNA's give baths, do vitals and transport. Some of the nurses won't start the baths at all. They wait for the CNA's to start the baths.