How should I handle this??

[raindrop]

I'm a bit frustrated.

The NM had a meeting with all od us RN's and LPN's. She addressed many issues, including a gripe from all of the CNA's. The CNA's claim that none us us RN's or LPN ever help them out - that we call them to get someone to the bathroom, etc, etc.

I know I try my best, but geesh, when I have 10 plus patients, and I go into a patients room to do a task...assessment, dressing, meds...whatever....they ALWAYS need to get up to do something like use the BR, use the commode., etc, etc. These tasks are actually VERY time consuming as most of my patients are old, new post-ops, etc, etc. When I did these tasks last night, instead of acalling on a CNA, it put me waaaaaay behind in my work.

How can I handle this? I spoke up at the meeting and told the NM that "helping" eachother goes both ways, and how it is frustrating to me that they complain all the time, yet have time for theiur lunches, breaks, and time to sit (which everyone should). Most days of the week, we nurses dont have time like that - why can't we call one of the CN"A's to assist a Pt to the BR when they are just lounging at the desk? Why am I a bad person for that? I like getting out on time, too.

[smk1, LPN]

when i am passing meds i don't do anything else, not only is it time consuming but it is usually more sanitary...

if i am making rounds i will usually assist someone to a br or bsc and then call a aide to help them when they are finished.

v/s are the worse as far as the aids in my facility..some pts need to have v/s before specific meds and some need v/s but not at that time...if they see you taking a b/p or pulse they figure that you should take all of them

when i have time i usually do, it gives you a feel for the character of the v/s and not just the numbers but frequently there is just no time

i was just going to mention to the nurses to make sure that the CNA's know why they need to have certain vitals done at ___ time. When i worked at an ALF i was just given a piece of paper and told that we always monitor these residents BP/P every morning. No mention of why, or that the nurse needs the results in order to give a med or treatment etc... So because of that there were times when we went into a residents room to find them needing to be changed or needing a clean bed because of an accident, made a mess in their room looking for an item and i stopped to straighten up a bit because i thought it was a fall risk etc.. and that would seem to take priority over getting BP's done and in to the nurse by ___ time. After getting scolded a few times over it (but never any mention of why ____ time was so important i finally asked why and was told the reason. Made perfect sense and i prioritized correctly after that . So my point is that a little information can go a long way. Now I am sure this is not the reason a lot of you aren't getting your vitals done on time, but it is just a note to double check that the CNA's are getting the information that they need to do their jobs properly.

[beautifulb]

Oh, I am going to vent a little. The CNAs I work with are great, for the most part. What really gets me is if I go into a room after the CNA does their vital signs and the pt. has all these needs such as full urinals, the need to use the bedpan, some fresh water, etc. I understand that sometimes the pt. doesn't think of these things when they are getting their vital signs done but it is odd when it happens routinely and only certain CNAs.

[Cheyenne RN,BSHS]

the cna's claim that none us us rn's or lpn ever help them out - that we call them to get someone to the bathroom, etc, etc.

i think this complaint is as old as the profession of nursing. the problem is that many of us nurses really "do" help put patients on and off bedpans, clean them up, change beds while taking a patient to the pot, so on and so on.

there are numerous times every day that i am getting ice for water pitchers, helping someone to and from the bathroom, changing soiled briefs...but i don't run and tell the nursing assistant "hey i just did such and such".

sometimes i get behind just because i do the tasks and don't call for help. it is just easier some days than putting up with the attitudes or undermining that can occur when you do ask an aide to do something. some times i can do the task in half the time it takes me to even find where the aide is located.

i was a nursing aide for years before i ever thought of being a nurse so i do try not to "dump" scut work on them. my daughter is one now and loves it.

a good nursing assistant can be your right arm and greatest asset, but one who resents their job, or resents nurses in general, can make your day horrid and patient care suffers.

[beautifulb]

Sorry, I am not intending to sound harsh. I have no problem at all with doing any of the above things but it is just when you start your shift and there are IV pumps alarming, pt's needing medication, etc.

[chadash]

As a CNA who does not know what a lunch break is (I am still pondering: do they really exsist?) I can't understand why CNAs take this attitude. If you, as a nurse, have to do a treatment and the pt needs to go to the bathroom, you SHOULD call me : you could spend your day doing my job, and never get yours done. One thing I used to do for nurses was go to the pt before the nurse came in, toilet them or whatever, position them for the dressing change or what not. Things went so much more smoothly that way. You might try this with your NAs, just say, I am doing a dressing change on Mrs. x in 10 minutes, could you get her ready?

Gosh, I love this job.