Did the title catch your attention? Good, I was hoping it would.
I've seen people talk about this attitude on allnurses quite a bit, and I find the reactions fascinating. I'm amazed at the passion, care and professionalism of the nurses on this board and really about every nurse I've ever met.
BUT, everyone-from the most seasoned nurse to the student- knows that nursing is changing and will probably continue to change dramatically over the years to come. There are CNAs and MAs who seem to have an increasing role in the healthcare system and nurses themselves have more responsibility (all the charting etc.) and demanding jobs as new diseases, new medicines and standards of care make their way into our lives.
My question is, do you think their should be a change in what nurses do? Will there come a time when basic hygiene and certain other tasks often done by nurses in the past will be the responsibility of CNAs and others in similar roles? Would this be a good thing for nurses? Is there really anything wrong with nurses who feel that four years of education + all of their other demands and responsibilities should mean that they shouldn't have to do these tasks?
Im not above performing personal care however I think it does somewhat distract the patients view of our ability to asses, and assist in their care plans. if a patient sees us changing their briefs and then admin IVs they tend to doubt our ability
I also totally disagree with this, and I have been that patient before I decided to become a nursing student. If my nurse had said, "I'll get the CNA," and walked away from me it would have been so humiliating. He was there right then taking care of me and helped me. It was really hard for me and I was so grateful at how nicely and matter-of-factly he took care of me. If he hadn't helped me, that would have made me doubt his abilities or caring for me! And like you said, it only took a few minutes; I understand that he may have been too busy, but he was caring for me when it happened and if he had ran out screaming .... well. Being caring and compassionate, rolling up your sleeves and doing some dirty work would never make me "doubt abilities."
Im not above performing personal care however I think it does somewhat distract the patients view of our ability to asses, and assist in their care plans. if a patient sees us changing their briefs and then admin IVs they tend to doubt our ability
Could you please think about what you just said? If a pt sees us changing their briefs they they are probably very thankful that they have a nurse who is there to attend to any their needs. It might make them feel safe and secure within our care, knowing they will not have to lay there and wait for someone else who is probably busy changing someone else's briefs.You are in for an awakening.
What attributes in a NA are most helpful to nurses on the job?
As a SN working all over the hospital as a US and NA and sometimes both at the same time, mostly nights and weekends, I'd have to say initiative. Just that attitude of leaning forward. If something needs doing, do it right away. If nothing's happening, get a start on whatever is scheduled as early as acceptable (I can start vitals and fingersticks an hour early) and when that's done (or while you're waiting) empty, tidy, restock, answer call bells, answer the phone, generate spare forms to fill up charts, learn something new, volunteer to get lunch for everyone, enter orders, file whatever's laying in the printer tray, calibrate glucometers and download the data, you know. And of course tend to the patients. They'll never leave you with nothing to do. I love working 12s. The time just flies. I love the freedom of being allowed to do whatever needs doing and being far enough ahead that nobody feels they have to supervise me. In the process, I'm getting to know my resources (which I'll need to know before my first day as a RN): everyone who works nights in the hospital, how to make things happen fast, the policies and procedures and needs of all the support shops, where everything is. I can exercise my critical thinking and communication skills to the max even if I don't get to actually perform certain tasks. And all the overhead that comes with a new job--learning the people, resources, policies--is already taken care of, so I'll be able to spend my preceptorship actually learning my job. I'm always aware that when I become a RN I'll be tied to charting and meds and only get to work with a small number of the patients on any given unit, so I'm enjoying life as a NA while it lasts. Well enough for now, just wanted to say that NA is a very powerful and flexible role, one you can really express yourself in, and you and your pts will get out of it what you put into it and then some. Have fun!
Could you please think about what you just said? If a pt sees us changing their briefs they they are probably very thankful that they have a nurse who is there to attend to any their needs.
Plus it's a chance to assess their skin and elimination and mobility. I have noticed things cleaning up pts that I simply could not believe the nurses didn't know, and I know for sure those nurses didn't do a proper assessment.
I'm one month into my LPN program. There is a girl in my class who from the first night of class told us that she already works as a nurse ("I do everything except IVs, blood draws, and give meds") at her dad's urgent care center. Last week she was working on a digestive module and found out that nurses have to do things like enemas, fecal ocult tests, and feeling for/removing fecal impactions. She went ballistic and said "No way am I doing that. My CNA is going to be doing all that kind of work." She went on to say that she made it through her CNA training without ever wiping someone's butt and would not be wiping people's butts or cleaning up puke when she became a nurse. What she didn't know was that our instructor was standing in the doorway and heard everything and let her know on no uncertain terms that a good nurse does whatever the patient needs and that delegating something to a CNA just because you don't want to do something, or giving them something that is outside their scope of practice, or walking away from a patient who needs help and sending in someone else was NOT going to happen. I also heard her tell one of the other instructors later that she would make sure this girl got all the training she needed on cleaning up bodily functions when we get to clinical! :lol2:
By the way...how does someone actually make it through CNA training without changing/cleaning up patients?
Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.
"By the way...how does someone actually make it through CNA training without changing/cleaning up patients?"
Sheesh! Perhaps she didn't get much supervision? We (my CNA class) were wiping butts on the first day and glad to do so! (We felt it was important to jump right in to be able to get this experience)
I'm one month into my LPN program. There is a girl in my class who from the first night of class told us that she already works as a nurse ("I do everything except IVs, blood draws, and give meds") at her dad's urgent care center. Last week she was working on a digestive module and found out that nurses have to do things like enemas, fecal ocult tests, and feeling for/removing fecal impactions. She went ballistic and said "No way am I doing that. My CNA is going to be doing all that kind of work." She went on to say that she made it through her CNA training without ever wiping someone's butt and would not be wiping people's butts or cleaning up puke when she became a nurse. What she didn't know was that our instructor was standing in the doorway and heard everything and let her know on no uncertain terms that a good nurse does whatever the patient needs and that delegating something to a CNA just because you don't want to do something, or giving them something that is outside their scope of practice, or walking away from a patient who needs help and sending in someone else was NOT going to happen. I also heard her tell one of the other instructors later that she would make sure this girl got all the training she needed on cleaning up bodily functions when we get to clinical! :lol2:
By the way...how does someone actually make it through CNA training without changing/cleaning up patients?
How is this girl gonna make it through clinicals without performing these tasks??? BOY!
:lol2: 
58flyer
290 Posts
You have redefined the term multi tasking!